Magma Partners
Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm investing $25K-$5M in pre-seed to Series A Latin American startups, with a fully distributed team across Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Panama, and Argentina. Founded in 2014, it manages four funds, has deployed $80M+ across 125+ companies, and runs the Magma Memo online application platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTumwater, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Magma Partners does
Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Nathan Lustig and Francisco Saenz, focused on backing Latin American founders from pre-seed through Series A. The firm invests between $25,000 and $5 million per company, deploying capital across Spanish-speaking Latin America with a growing presence in Brazil, and currently invests out of its fourth fund. Its portfolio spans more than 125 companies across approximately 15 countries, with $80 million+ deployed cumulatively and two portfolio companies reaching unicorn status (including NotCo). Sector emphasis is on fintech, insurtech, proptech, and vertical marketplaces, though the firm describes itself as generalist.
Magma's core distribution and deal-sourcing infrastructure is the proprietary Magma Memo online application platform, a 100% online submission form available 24/7/365 that has reviewed 4,000+ submissions from 25+ countries since February 2014 and returns personalized feedback on every application. Approximately 30% of Magma's investments originate from cold inbound via this channel, with the balance coming from warm introductions sourced through its distributed investment team and LP/portfolio network. The firm operates a fully distributed investment and portfolio services team across Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Panama, and Argentina, supported by a 15+ person in-house Founder Services team that provides business development, marketing, and operational support to portfolio companies.
Magma's business model is standard venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on realized exits. Notable portfolio companies include Fanatiz (live sports streaming), Nuvocargo (US-Mexico digital freight), Kushki (digital payments), Vexi and Zenfi (Mexican neobanks), Divibank (e-commerce payments), R2 (LatAm enterprise), Fz Sports, and Altis (Brazilian automotive fintech). The firm generated at least one documented exit via Kushki's acquisition of Billpocket, a prior Magma portfolio company. The firm is headquartered in the US with operational hubs in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and is privately held by its founding partners.
Magma Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Magma Partners
- Legal name
- Magma Partners
- Website
- https://magmapartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm investing $25K-$5M in pre-seed to Series A Latin American startups, with a fully distributed team across Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Panama, and Argentina. Founded in 2014, it manages four funds, has deployed $80M+ across 125+ companies, and runs the Magma Memo online application platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Magma Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Magma Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tumwater
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Magma Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Fund Management: Magma Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage Latin American startups. The firm manages multiple funds (currently on its 4th fund) and generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, ultimately realizing returns through exits or follow-on funding rounds.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Magma Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests $25,000 to $5 million per company from pre-seed to Series A in Latin American technology startups. The firm backs founders primarily in fintech, insurtech, proptech, marketplaces, and emerging technology sectors, and supports portfolio companies through an in-house Founder Services team covering business development, sales, and operational scaling.
Product overview
Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that operates as a single unified investment service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their primary offering consists of the Magma Memo application platform for startup investment submissions, supplemented by Founder Services for portfolio support and publicly available educational resources covering venture capital topics. The firm focuses on pre-seed to Series A investments across Latin American startups, with particular emphasis on fintech, insurtech, and proptech sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Magma Memo Online investment application platform that lets founders submit their startup information directly to Magma Partners for review; available 24/7/365. Approximately 30% of Magma's investments originate as cold submissions through this channel, and 100% of submissions receive personalized feedback.
- Magma Founder Services In-house portfolio support service providing business development, sales generation, marketing assistance, and operational guidance to help portfolio companies shorten feedback loops, generate sales, and scale faster. Delivered by a team of 15+ people.
Companies that use Magma Partners
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Magma Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Magma Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Kushki Acquisition of BillpocketminorMagma helped facilitate Kushki's acquisition of Billpocket, a Mexican payment platform that Magma had invested in. This represents a successful exit for the portfolio.
- Rampa Ventures AcquisitioncoreMagma Partners acquired Guadalajara-based accelerator Rampa Ventures to expand services to Mexican startups. Mak Gutierrez, Rampa's founder, joined Magma to lead portfolio support.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Magma Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kaszek Ventures: Largest LatAm-focused venture capital firm investing from seed to growth across the region. Directly comparable to Magma as both target early-stage Latin American founders with operator backgrounds, though Kaszek deploys from substantially larger funds.
- monashees: Brazil and broader LatAm early-stage venture capital firm backing founders from pre-seed through Series A. Closely comparable to Magma in stage focus and geography, with similar fintech and marketplace emphasis.
- ALLVP: Mexico-focused early-stage VC firm investing across fintech, healthcare, and consumer. Direct peer to Magma, both backing LatAm founders at seed and Series A with similar operational support models.
- DILA Capital: Mexico-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in tech-enabled businesses across Latin America. Highly comparable to Magma in stage, geography, and sector focus.
- Cometa: Mexico-focused early-stage VC backing tech founders; has co-invested alongside Magma in companies like Zenfi. Closely comparable given shared Mexican fintech focus and seed/Series A stage.
Broad incumbents
- 500 Global (500 Startups): Global venture capital firm and accelerator with strong LatAm presence and large fund vehicles. Comparable to Magma as an early-stage investor but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): US-based mega-VC with growing LatAm presence and dedicated regional efforts. Adjacent competitor to Magma at the upper end of its check size, with broader portfolio and deeper resources.
Emerging players
- Latitud: Brazil-rooted early-stage VC focused on Latin American founders; has co-invested with Magma in companies like Altis and Belo. Emerging peer with similar stage focus but slightly different geographic mix.
- Valor Capital Group: US-LatAm cross-border venture capital firm focused on Brazilian and Latin American tech companies. Comparable given its regional focus and early-stage orientation, though with heavier US bridge focus.
- Canica Ventures: Panama-based venture firm investing across Latin American startups. Comparable regional focus and early-stage orientation, though smaller in deployment scale than Magma.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Magma Partners social profiles
Digital presenceMagma Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Magma Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Magma Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Magma Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Magma Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments132 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Magma Partners
What does Magma Partners do?
Magma Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests $25,000 to $5 million per company from pre-seed to Series A in Latin American technology startups. The firm backs founders primarily in fintech, insurtech, proptech, marketplaces, and emerging technology sectors, and supports portfolio companies through an in-house Founder Services team covering business development, sales, and operational scaling.
Is Magma Partners a public or private company?
Magma Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Magma Partners founded?
Magma Partners was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Magma Partners based?
Magma Partners is headquartered in Tumwater, United States, in the North America region.
How does Magma Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Fund Management.
Who are Magma Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kaszek Ventures, monashees, ALLVP, DILA Capital and Cometa. Broad incumbents are 500 Global (500 Startups) and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Emerging players are Latitud, Valor Capital Group and Canica Ventures.
Does Magma Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Magma Partners.
What industry is Magma Partners in?
Magma Partners's product category is Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6211.