When it comes to communicating in Latin America, WhatsApp is king: people use it every day, all the time. But how many times did you sign a contract or had your ID checked via WhatsApp? That's a US$ 3.5 billion potential addressable market according to Truora, a Colombian startup that offers businesses tailored digital authentication solutions like background checks and identity validation.

Back in April, that sort of pitch got it US$ 15 million in a Series A round led by Propel Ventures and Accel on a ​​US$ 75 million valuation. And full disclosure here: I have also invested in it, along with many other founders who see potential in the idea.

Truora was founded in 2018 and it's now active in 9 LatAm countries. One of its founders is Maite Muniz, who wears many hats and is responsible for managing product strategy, research & development, and customer relationships. She's been an entrepreneur for pretty much her entire professional life and has learned on the job how to deal with some of Latin America's most challenging issues.

Today Maite and I talk about:

• How Truora mapped growth opportunities in Latin America
• The challenges involved in scaling authentication solutions 
• How to work intentionally to level the playing field for women in tech

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