Mauricio Bueno is Brazilian living in Lisbon since 2021 and a co-founder of two innovative projects – design and product-studio company Weme and a Startup Bud that is an agile management solution for companies.
Startupt.co is interested in asking Mauricio how is it possible to manage business remotely, how to be a Co-founder of two projects at a time, and what he thinks about Portugal as an innovative country?
Mauricio, could you please tell a couple of words about yourself?
— Since my 23 years old, I have been an entrepreneur in Brazil, creating and building startups, that have been failed or sold out, until in 2017 I’ve created a product-studio and design company Weme, that is now has around 100 employees and many clients in Brazil and Latin America mainly in Fintech, Healthcare and Agriculture areas. We’re building end-to-end products and the need for this type of services is extremely growing in Brazil and Latin America. In 2021, I moved to Portugal to study the opportunities in Europe and to be incubated at Startup Lisboa with my second company that is called Bud. For now, I’m still living in Portugal, working a lot for Brazilian market and analyzing business opportunities in Europe.
While being already the CEO and co-founder of a successful business at Weme, how the idea of Bud appeared to you?
— The idea came from Weme’s clients who were struggling with adapting work-management tools that are designed only for «digital fluent» employees. So I had the idea to create Bud to simplify this tools and make them adaptable for any employee. I came to Portugal to be incubated at Startup Lisboa and to continue building Bud. We raised pre-seed round in 2022, but then it was hard to raise more, so I decided to move bring Bud closer to Weme in order to get investment and smart people in a team, so now Bud is a product of Weme that we’re selling to our clients. I remain the co-founder of Bud, but I’m playing the executive role of a CEO at Weme.
If we reflect to all your experience as an entrepreneur, what new skills have you developed as a leader of Bud and implemented it to Weme?
— As a product studio, our firsthand experience in developing our own products and business models has significantly enhanced our ability to empathize with our clients. Through building simpler versions of products and iterating our go-to-market strategy, we’ve gained valuable insights. These lessons are now integral to the guidance we offer our clients, especially those navigating the journey of corporate venture building.
Additionally, we’ve acquired substantial knowledge about funding and investment strategies. This expertise not only shapes our own funding approach but also broadens our vision as we evolve into a B2B SaaS ecosystem. Our aim is to build or acquire products that will be relevant to the organizations in our network, enhancing our role as a key player in this sector.
If we talk about of the organizational aspects of leading two businesses, the most difficult thing was to learn how to work with other people, who are obviously not think the same way as you. Also, alongside with a growing responsibility, I’ve learned how to prioritize things. While building Bud I was fully on with this project, putting all my efforts, and when It was the time for to switch on Weme at the end of 2023, that needed more of my time, I left the role of executive at Bud and left it to my trusted colleague.
Going back to your experience in Portugal, at Startup Lisboa, what did you learn?
— It was a great experience in terms of connecting with Portuguese ecosystem, to be able to test the product on potential clients, to talk to other co-founders, to network. In Portugal, you have a great ecosystem, it’s very dense as a country is small and people trust each other. Startup Lisboa, Startup Portugal and Unicorn Factory are doing great things to help startups to scale up. If we compare Portugal to Brazil, I would say that here entrepreneurs are thinking globally, due to the country size. While in Brazil the market is so huge, that we develop things within Brazil only. I would say that in Portugal it’s easier to speak English, than Portuguese.
What Portugal needs to perform better?
— Attract and raise capital, for sure.
What are your next plans?
— With a huge need for Weme is Brazil and Latin America, I have to focus on these countries as a CEO of Weme, so I think I will be a lot of time present there. At the same time, Portugal remains the main residence for me and my family, with a great quality of life and serving as the entering point to European market.