# Puentes Complete reading edition of the program, fellows and stories. Generated from the same reviewed HTML as the website. Application availability is stated in the program below. Linked interviews remain at their original video destinations. ## The program Source: https://puentes.antigravity.capital/ Latin America · San Francisco ### Rewriting stories in a week A week in San Francisco for exceptional engineers from Latin America who want to build their lives here. - Live in a house with a small cohort of engineers from across Latin America. - Meet founders over dinner and visit early teams hiring international talent. - Get our help finding your place at an early-stage startup — and people to learn from as you work toward a company of your own. Puentes runs in May and October. Applications are closed; exact dates for the next cohort will follow. [Explore the Puentes week](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/#week) The Puentes week ### Our job is to make sure the right people know who you are. We bring the cohort together in a house in San Francisco, invite founders to dinner every night, and introduce you to early teams looking for engineers. We help you get into the conversations that can lead to your next role. [▶ Watch the film 4:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EgyD_APbiI) The Puentes week · A film by Jiwon Moon Founders at the table #### Evenings with founders. Every evening, we bring a small group of founders and fellows together over dinner. The conversations are off the record: about building a company, life in San Francisco, and the decisions along the way. We make the introduction; the conversation is yours. A fireside conversation with Guillermo Rauch, cofounder of Vercel. Inside early teams #### See the work up close. Office visits put faces to the companies you have followed from afar. Meet the founders and engineers, ask about their work, and help them understand yours. Visiting Antonio Bustamante and the bem team. A shared home #### Get to know the other fellows. You stay together in San Francisco for the week. The house gives a small group of engineers from across Latin America a place to meet, compare experiences, and spend time together between visits and dinners. A past Puentes home in the Marina. #### Some of our past guests Guillermo Rauch Vercel Pedro Franceschi Brex Eva Alonso Ribbit David Cramer Sentry Luis Paarup HappyRobot Ted Nyman OpenAI Who it’s for ### You’re already good. You’re ready to be challenged. You’re an engineer from Latin America. You build side projects because there’s something you want to figure out. You follow startups and technology closely. You may be doing well at work and still feel that you’ve reached a ceiling too soon. You want an entrepreneurial life. That might begin by joining an early team, learning from its founders, and taking on work you haven’t done before. You can imagine starting a company yourself. We’re looking for people seriously considering a move to San Francisco, willing to leave a place where they’re already established and put themselves somewhere they have more to learn. You don’t need every step planned. You should have work you’re proud of and be able to explain it in depth. ### Come find out how far you can go. San Francisco can change your sense of what is ordinary. Even the billboards are about technology. People come here from all over the world to build companies, and the intensity of that ambition is part of daily life. Coming from somewhere else is something you share with many of the people who have built their lives here. Moving countries takes thought and effort. The week gives you a chance to meet the people, feel the pace, and decide whether this is where you want to push yourself next. The people of Puentes ### Every fellow brings a different story. Meet the 34 fellows from our first three cohorts. Engineers with different backgrounds, projects, and reasons for making the trip. [Meet the fellows](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/fellows/) Samuel Rizzon · Puentes III #### A new sense of what’s possible. Samuel on building his own opportunities and learning from the people he met in San Francisco. [Read his story](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/samuel/) Seba Paps and Nico Montone, from the first cohort, share their experiences in their own words. [▶Seba Paps Watch the conversation · Español](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#seba)[▶Nico Montone Watch the conversation · Español](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#nico) [All stories](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/) ### We want to know the founders you could become. We’re Gadi Borovich and Daniel Ha, cofounders of Antigravity Capital. We invest in early companies building with AI. We started Puentes because we kept meeting engineers in Latin America who were clearly good enough but didn’t have a way in. We help you land at an early-stage startup, surrounded by people who push you to do the best work of your life. That’s the first step. After a few years learning alongside founders, we expect you’ll start a company of your own. And when you do, we’ll want to back you. [Visit Antigravity](https://antigravity.capital/) ### The practical details #### What is Puentes? Puentes is a one-week program in San Francisco for exceptional engineers from Latin America. Fewer than 20 fellows live together, visit startup teams that are hiring, and meet founders for dinner and off-the-record conversations. Our aim is to help you meet people you want to build with, join an early team here, and eventually start a company of your own. #### Who is Puentes for? Engineers from Latin America who want to join an early team in San Francisco and can imagine starting a company themselves. You should have work you’re proud of, be able to explain it in depth, and be seriously considering a move. #### Who is behind Puentes? Puentes is run by Gadi Borovich and Daniel Ha, cofounders of [Antigravity Capital](https://antigravity.capital/), a small seed-stage venture capital firm in San Francisco investing in companies building with AI. We started Puentes to give talented engineers from Latin America a way into the startup community here. [Hear why we started Puentes](https://youtu.be/Z1VjbhFw5Ak). #### Do I need a startup idea or a company to apply? No. You can want to start a company someday without knowing what you’ll build yet. For the two-minute application demo, show something you’ve built and explain how it works. A project you made just for yourself is fine. We want to understand your work; you don’t need to turn it into a startup pitch. #### How good does my English need to be? You should be able to explain your work and how you think in English. It will matter well beyond the week, so make learning and practicing it part of your everyday life. #### Is there an age limit? No. We ask you to think through why you want to move and whether this is the right time in your life. #### What do I need to pay for? Puentes covers your housing and most meals for the week. You cover flights, local transportation, and meals outside the house. #### How does selection work? There are two interviews. The first is about you: what you’ve been building and why you want to join Puentes. The second is a technical conversation with an engineer from our network. You’ll share a project repository and walk through your work, the decisions you made, and how it all fits together. #### Will I be working during the week? No. Puentes is a week of talks, meetings, and networking; no productive work is performed during the program. Any future employment requires separate work authorization, obtained by you and your future employer before you start. #### When does Puentes take place, and when can I apply? Puentes runs twice a year, in May and October. Applications open ahead of each cohort. Applications are currently closed; exact dates and application details will follow. [Join our mailing list](https://antigravity-room.notion.site/318daeb29026800d8bd6db602a4279e3) to hear when applications open. #### Can I apply again if I wasn’t selected before? Yes. If you still want to join Puentes, we’d be glad to hear from you again. Not being selected for one cohort doesn’t rule you out of a future one. #### Want to stay in touch? [Join our mailing list](https://antigravity-room.notion.site/318daeb29026800d8bd6db602a4279e3) for Puentes updates and future cohort announcements. If you have a question, [email us](mailto:hello@antigravity.capital?subject=Puentes). We’d be glad to hear from you. The next cohort ### There’s more ahead. Puentes runs twice a year, in May and October. Applications are currently closed. Exact dates and application details for the next cohort will follow. [Have a question? Say hello](mailto:hello@antigravity.capital?subject=Puentes) ## Fellows Source: https://puentes.antigravity.capital/fellows/ ## Fellows Three cohorts of engineers from Latin America. ### Puentes I 8 fellows - [#### Agustín Álvarez Piccardo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustin-alvarez-piccardo) - [#### Agustín Suárez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustinsuarezmerino) - [#### Fernando Sobral](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-sobral-2b100621b) - [#### Franco Galeano](https://www.linkedin.com/in/franco-galeano-roca) - [#### Marcel Lewi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-lewi-68aa911a9/) - [#### Nahuel Cedrés Torres](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahuel-cedr%C3%A9s) - [#### Nicolás Montone](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-montone)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#nico) - [#### Sebastian Papanicolau](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebasti%C3%A1n-papanicolau-10baa91b1)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#seba) A conversation with Guillermo Rauch at the Puentes house. ### Puentes II 10 fellows - [#### Diego Gutiérrez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegogtzt)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-diego-gutierrez) - [#### German Fernandez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/germanfndez)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-german-fernandez) - [#### Giovanni Borgogno](https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovaborgogno) - [#### Jota Lanusse](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jotalanusse)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-jota-lanusse) - [#### Karim Mila](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karim-mila-b9131220a)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-karim-mila) - [#### Nicolás Pujia](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicopujia) - [#### Nicolás Russo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-russo-ortiz) - [#### Pablo Vargas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablovargas1) - [#### Valentin Cassarino](https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentin-cassarino/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-valentin-cassarino) - [#### Valentina Tironi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinatironi)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-valentina-tironi) Puentes II at the Palace of Fine Arts. ### Puentes III 16 fellows - [#### Agustín Egea](https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustin-egea/) - [#### Alejandro Hinojosa](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexch04/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-alejandro-hinojosa) - [#### Andrés Viera](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andres-viera/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-andres-viera) - [#### David Mora](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfmora/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-david-mora) - [#### Felipe Pontiggia](https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipe-pontiggia/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-felipe-pontiggia) - [#### Ignacio Engelberger](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-engelberger/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-ignacio-engelberger) - [#### Jose Zertuche](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-carlos-zertuche-de-la-cruz-278b3b215/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-jose-zertuche) - [#### Juan Diego Etcheverry](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juandi-etcheverry/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-juan-diego-etcheverry) - [#### Laís Nuto Rossman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/la%C3%ADs-nuto-9969611b3/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-lais-nuto-rossman) - [#### Marcos Hernanz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoshernanz/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-marcos-hernanz) - [#### Mateo Fowler](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mateozarate/) - [#### Pablo Maldonado](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pm-maldonado/) - [#### Puca Vaz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pucavaz/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-puca-vaz) - [#### Samuel Rizzon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelrizzon/)[Read story](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/samuel/) - [#### Tomas Holtz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-holtz/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-tomas-holtz) - [#### Tomas Ward](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasward1/)[Watch interview](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#story-tomas-ward) ## Stories Source: https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/ ## Stories Conversations with Puentes fellows. Puentes III ### Samuel Rizzon > “I really try to make my own opportunities.” [Read story](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/samuel/)[Watch interview ▷](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c3Iw8hWbi0) ### Interviews Puentes II and III [▶ #### Andrés Viera Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vanr6nQz4So) [▶ #### Ignacio Engelberger Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmH4GvlVcu0) [▶ #### Felipe Pontiggia Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5m-uuucBCA) [▶ #### Samuel Rizzon Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c3Iw8hWbi0) [▶ #### Alejandro Hinojosa Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTIYME2_qMI) [▶ #### Juan Diego Etcheverry Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRK1XqFJUKg) [▶ #### Marcos Hernanz Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEEfAwvHcRU) [▶ #### Tomas Ward Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8iepwhjVQQ) [▶ #### David Mora Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvmfoIGWZj8) [▶ #### Jose Zertuche Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NupeIDGKvBo) [▶ #### Laís Nuto Rossman Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy9ideghgBc) [▶ #### Tomas Holtz Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk-P69hdv6I) [▶ #### Puca Vaz Puentes III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwRBbW8NOE) [▶ #### Valentina Tironi Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0ibJizHVI) [▶ #### Diego Gutiérrez Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GzSGy980lc) [▶ #### Jota Lanusse Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzg-8Lsiptc) [▶ #### Karim Mila Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LimwN9tM1pA) [▶ #### German Fernandez Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXmlA8bgP3o) [▶ #### Valentin Cassarino Puentes II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J8M9tCu034) [Antigravity on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@AntigravitySF) ### Puentes I In Spanish, with captions and transcripts [Seba Paps discussing Puentes in Spanish](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/assets/media/seba-paps.mp4) #### Seba Paps Seba on meeting founders and taking the initiative during the week. #### Read the English translation Hey, how’s it going? I’m Papa, and I want to tell you a little about the week at Puentes in San Francisco with Gadi and the whole crew. For me, it all came together pretty quickly. It wasn’t something I’d been planning for a long time, and I didn’t go in with big expectations or anything. Honestly, it was incredible. On the first day, we met Guille Rauch. Every day after that, we met lots of really impressive entrepreneurs who aren’t as well known but are incredibly good at what they do. They were more than willing to get coffee and help you with whatever you wanted to do in your life. Personally, it opened my eyes to how many more opportunities there are than we think. I’d come with more of the mindset that perhaps the best we could hope for from Latin America was a well-paid remote job, and not much beyond that. But at least for me, as someone who’s really driven, I realized there are an unbelievable number of opportunities over there. The people who take them aren’t special or so different from us. Maybe they just had the courage to move there and give it their all. So I really encourage anyone who’s on the fence to take the opportunity to join the program, and to make the most of being there on your own, too. It’s also about getting out and talking to people, going beyond what the program offers: talking to all the founders, stepping a little outside your comfort zone, and really making the most of being in the best city in the world for technology and opportunities. So go. #### Read the Spanish transcript ¿Qué onda? ¿Todo bien? Soy Papa y les quiero contar un poco lo que fue la semana de Puentes en SF con Gadi y con toda la banda. La verdad que para mí se armó como todo medio rápido, no era algo que venía planificando con mucho tiempo, que le tenía mucha expectativa ni nada y la verdad que fue una locura. El primer día lo conocimos a Guille Rauch y nada, todos los siguientes días conocimos un montón de emprendedores muy cracks que no son tan conocidos pero que era una locura de cracks y que estaban súper dispuestos a tomar un café, a ayudarte con lo que vos quieras en tu vida y nada, a mí en lo personal me abrió mucho la cabeza de que hay muchas más oportunidades de las que uno cree. Yo creía como que... nada, venía un poco más con la mentalidad de que quizás a lo mejor que podíamos llegar desde Latinoamérica era tener algún laburo remoto que pague bien y no mucho más y no sé, al menos para mí, para la gente que es manija como yo, me di cuenta que allá hay una cantidad de oportunidades que es una locura y que la gente que las agarra no es especial y no tiene tampoco algo tan distinto, tuvieron quizás esa valentía de irse para allá y dedicarle todo a eso, pero nada, yo le recomiendo mucho a todo el que lo esté dudando que aproveche esa oportunidad de sumarse al programa y aprovechar por su cuenta también. También se trata de ustedes salir y hablar con la gente y no solamente quedarse con lo del programa sino que aprovechar para hablarle a todos los founders, para salir un poquito de la zona de confort y realmente aprovechar de estar en la mejor ciudad del mundo con respecto a la tecnología y a las oportunidades. Así que nada, vayan. [Nico Montone discussing Puentes in Spanish](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/assets/media/nico-montone.mp4) #### Nico Montone Nico on meeting other engineers and getting to know San Francisco’s startup community. #### Read the English translation Hi, I’m Monto. Puentes is an incredible program. I think anyone who likes technology and startups should do it. You spend a week with really driven people and meet incredible people, which I think is very hard to do when you’re in Latin America. It shows you that working at a really great company or starting your own is entirely possible. It brings you much closer to San Francisco’s tech community, which can be pretty difficult to do from Latin America. I really recommend it. It’s incredibly well organized. Gadi is an incredible person who everyone should meet. And if anyone is on the fence and wants some reassurance, I’m happy to talk. It really is something you should do if you like technology. #### Read the Spanish transcript Buenas, soy Monto. Puentes es un programa increíble. Creo que cualquier persona que le guste la tecnología, le gusten las startups, debería hacerlo. Estás una semana con gente muy manija y conociendo gente increíble, que creo que es algo muy difícil de hacer, estando en Latinoamérica. Te demuestra que es súper posible, trabajar en una empresa muy piola, o hacer tu empresa. Te acerca mucho al ecosistema tech San Francisco, que realmente, siendo de LATAM, es medio complicado hacerlo. Realmente lo recomiendo. Está organizado increíblemente. Gadi es una persona increíble, que todos deberían conocer. Y estoy a disposición para cualquier persona que esté en dudas y necesite una confirmación, yo estoy a disposición para charlar. Realmente es algo que, si te gusta la tecnología, deberías hacer. ## Samuel Rizzon — making his own opportunities Source: https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/samuel/ [← All stories](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/) Samuel Rizzon · Puentes III ## Making his own opportunities. In conversation with Antigravity [▶ Watch the conversation 11:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c3Iw8hWbi0) Samuel Rizzon Puentes III Samuel describes building side projects alongside his day job, particularly when changing jobs was difficult. > “I really try to make my own opportunities.” During Puentes, he asked founders how their teams worked and what they valued. He approached those meetings as a way to learn about the work and explore possible jobs. Adapted from Samuel’s conversation with Antigravity during Puentes III. [Meet the fellows](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/fellows/#fellow-samuel-rizzon)[More conversations](https://puentes.antigravity.capital/stories/#conversations)