A Letter to the Ecosystem

Why emerging markets?

We believe the future is in emerging markets.

This is not a grand statement of the macroeconomic future. But, rather a deeper transformation of how consumers and businesses interact with the world and with each other. From Brazil to Vietnam, they are using technology to leapfrog existing infrastructure at an unprecedented pace.

Whether building innovative solutions on top of brand new payments systems or utilizing artificial intelligence to serve segments of the market previously thought unreachable, we live in a unique moment for emerging market founders.

Emerging markets unite

At the core of our thesis is one simple belief: emerging market founders have more to learn from each other than from Silicon Valley. We believe there is tragically little connective tissue bridging emerging markets together. Founders in Indonesia can learn more from Mexico (and vice versa) than they can from their peers in the United States. At Class 5, we aim to build this connective tissue.

By investing in key themes such as financial infrastructure and cross border commerce across different emerging markets, we aim to further catalyze this emerging market technology renaissance. What works in one market (or doesn’t) often works in other similar markets around the world. And, at Class 5 we aim to facilitate this flow of knowledge to help entrepreneurs build faster and more effectively.

Built for founders

We are former emerging market operators ourselves. We built Class 5 to provide the sort of value that we had wanted in our days as operators. But, we also recognize the critical importance of integrity and intellectual honesty. We aim to live by these values, and will work hard to earn your trust. Class 5 wants to be the first phone call you make when you need capital, advice, or a helping hand. You are the reason we are here today, and we are here to support you. We hope to be so much more than just a checkbook, we consider you to be our partners, and we hope you view us as the same. Let’s build something big together.

Sincerely,

Joel and Zach