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VC Mx: ADN
ADN.vc is a pre-seed fund backing Fintech and Real Estate startups that drive inclusion across Latin America.
Mack Meyer
May 19, 2025
In partnership with
ADN.vc is a pre-seed venture capital fund based in Peru, focused on empowering Latin America’s next generation of Fintech and Proptech startups.
The fund is grounded in the belief that entrepreneurship is the backbone of economic development, and that access to capital can unlock the potential of underfunded but high-impact founders across the region.
ADN stands for ADN emprendedor the entrepreneurial DNA that unites Latin America. It also happens to be the first letters of our names: Alberto, Diego, and Nicolás.
The name "ADN" , Spanish for DNA , reflects the fund's mission: to connect and amplify the entrepreneurial spirit that runs deep throughout Latin America.
ADN’s Inception
We’re three former founders who saw too much talent in Latin America going underfunded. Entrepreneurship drives innovation, creates jobs, and fuels growth. If we want to shift the trajectory of Latin America, we have to start by backing founders.
The firm emerged from a 20-year friendship among the three partners Nico Di Pace, Alberto Arrieta, and Diego Alfageme. Over the years, each followed a distinct but complementary track through the startup and VC ecosystem, amassing experience in legal, real estate, and fintech domains. Their shared desire to amplify the region’s potential eventually brought them together to build ADN.vc.
In 2023, an early backer encouraged them to form a pre-seed fund, sparking the creation of ADN’s first iteration originally dubbed "Mestizo." Although that backer later stepped away amid a broader VC downturn, the team pressed forward, launching ADN Fund I in September 2024.
Structured in Delaware and seeded with $1.2M of an intended $2M, the fund officially marked the beginning of their collaborative journey as first-time fund managers.
GP’s and Venture Partners
Fund History & Investment Stage
Investment Thesis
ADN.vc backs early-stage startups at the intersection of Fintech and Real Estate, what the team calls Real Estate Fintech. These are solutions tackling the region’s deep gaps in infrastructure and financial access.
We believe in the power of the intersection of Fintech and Real Estate.That’s where we know how to play.
Nico is a fintech operator with an exit in payments. Diego brings deep real estate experience from Corporate VC. Alberto is a VC lawyer and founder of Zeta, a boutique for startups and investors.
The thesis started with Proptech and Fintech, but quickly expanded. As the lines between sectors blurred, ADN began backing startups in embedded finance, digital mortgages, rent-to-own models, and Contech.
Latin America needs more inclusion, not just innovation. We’re betting on the pipes, the infrastructure that powers inclusive finance and affordable housing. We’re especially excited by products that bring the underbanked into the system, whether through embedded finance, digital mortgages, or rent-to-own housing models.
ADN.vc sees a generational opportunity in sectors that increase access and efficiency in underserved markets:
In Fintech: Infrastructure plays, digital payments, embedded finance, alternative credit scoring, and gamified financial education tools.
In Proptech: Digital mortgage providers, rent-to-own models, real estate crowdfunding, and tools to digitize housing management and construction.
The fund is particularly interested in companies building tools and platforms that can serve multiple countries remotely helping leapfrog legacy systems in banking and real estate.
How the Thesis is Evolving
We started out very focused on pre-seed, Pacific Alliance countries, and a narrow Proptech/Fintech lens. But we’ve since broadened. There’s incredible momentum coming out of countries like Costa Rica, Argentina, and Guatemala.
ADN.vc’s flexibility and startup-like operating model allow it to move quickly as the landscape evolves. Although based in Peru, the firm no longer restricts itself to a tight geographic scope. In today’s virtual-first environment, startups in smaller markets can scale regionally from day one, and ADN is adapting to that reality.
The firm has also expanded beyond pure pre-seed opportunities, selectively backing startups at the seed stage when the opportunity and alignment are right. What remains consistent, however, is the team’s emphasis on founder-market fit, impact-driven technology, and long-term infrastructure development.
What’s next for ADN?
As ADN.vc scales its operations and builds out its Fund I, the team is already looking ahead to deeper involvement across the region. The long-term vision includes expanding the firm’s support network for founders, building infrastructure for local VC ecosystems, and increasing cross-border deal flow that can bridge markets across Latin America.
Part of that future, they emphasize, is continuing to run the fund with the efficiency and culture of a startup: lean, agile, and built for speed. By outsourcing non-core functions, ADN.vc can stay focused on what matters most working side by side with the region’s most promising early-stage founders.
Why ADN isn’t following the typical VC playbook in Latin America?
Fintechs scale like software. Proptechs scale like infrastructure it’s slower, but deeper.
ADN.vc notes a crucial difference in scalability: while fintechs often go regional from day one, Proptech startups typically start local due to operational complexity and onboarding needs.
The team also challenges the idea that capital is the most scarce resource in LATAM. In their view, founders often lack strategic support, local expertise, and trusted networks something ADN aims to provide with every investment.
A Misconception They Had
We thought capital was the problem, turns out support is even scarcer.
Before entering VC, the team believed Latin America lacked funding. While that’s true to a degree, they quickly realized that the deeper problem is a lack of hands-on, localized guidance.
Most founders don’t just want capital; they want partners who understand the regional context, who can make strategic introductions, and who can help them soft-land in new markets.
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