A Tribute to Latin America's First Modern Angel Investor: Gerardo Miguel Rosenkranz

Jerry Rosenkranz, one of the most extraordinary people I have been blessed to know, passed away on Wednesday morning, May 11, after a long battle with cancer. He was the first true angel investor in Latin America and, as such, without even realizing it, impacted the life of so many young entrepreneurs in the region.

A Mexican who lived his childhood in Mexico City, graduated from Stanford University, and married and raised a family in Connecticut, he bridged at least two cultures in a very unique way. His zest for life and his love for his family and friends is an example for all.

I met Jerry in 1997 alongside Fred Wilson (then of Flatiron Partners) when he was looking for a first-round investor for Starmedia, where Jerry was the angel investor. I was the partner in charge of Latin America at Chase Capital Partners. I remember the meeting and discussion as it was yesterday—how the internet would “democratize information in Latin America and thus empower millions and change Latin America forever.” From Starmedia, Jerry, Fred, and I went on to build a portfolio of Latin American Internet companies, which included Patagon.com, Mercado Libre, Americanas.com, and several more. Just as any early stage portfolio, some were very successful and others less so, but the legacy of what we achieved by funding those nascent companies and entrepreneurs lives on today. We were at least ten years too early for many reasons. Nonetheless, we sparked the imagination of and empowered thousands of young entrepreneurs throughout Latin America.

Jerry’s willingness to be an angel investor and set a standard as a value-added venture capitalist in those early days has been a role model for all those who have followed. He understood the developmental impact and viral aspect of supporting entrepreneurs. Today, there are angel investors and thriving entrepreneurs in Latin America, but Jerry set the gold standard years ago.

Over the last few weeks, I have spoken to many of the entrepreneurs we backed and members of our original team. There is a universal view about Jerry: wonderful and unique, a great friend, a total geek, a person of high integrity, very special, and with the most amazing smile. I never heard Jerry raise his voice, but I remember him saying, “Let’s look at this,” or “Let’s analyze that.” He was an incredible person who touched everyone who knew him in a very special way. Jerry certainly did that for me.