Bio
Federico Antoni is a French-Mexican venture capitalist and Stanford lecturer, exploring the future of entrepreneurship in developing economies. He is the founder and Managing Partner of Hi Ventures (formerly ALLVP), Mexico’s pioneering early-stage fund, where he has backed transformative startups and emerging AI-first companies in finance, commerce, and human capital.
Combining operating experience in retail, e-commerce, and venture building with over a decade of investing in Latin America’s rising startup ecosystem, Antoni has led investments in fintech, the future of commerce, and increasingly AI-driven companies across the region.
Educated in applied economics at Paris Dauphine and holding an MBA from Stanford GSB (2004), his career includes leadership roles at L’Oréal and Edoardos — then a publicly listed retailer where he served as CEO — followed by more than a decade building the venture ecosystem in Latin America through Hi Ventures and earlier accelerators.
He began teaching entrepreneurship at ITAM in 2008 and later at Stanford GSB, where he has been a lecturer since 2014. His work bridges frontier technology and developing economies — from founding Fondeadora, Latin America’s largest crowdfunding platform (acquired by Kickstarter), to pioneering Hi Ventures, and now to research, including the influential “State of AI in Latin America” report.
At Stanford, Antoni has authored multiple case studies and is expanding his teaching to include AI’s impact on global entrepreneurship. He also mentors through the Kauffman Fellows program and Endeavor, and shares insights on technology, venture capital, and AI adoption in emerging markets through publications, podcasts, and his blog, Antonico.
Over the past decade, Hi Ventures has grown into a leading early-stage platform behind many of the region’s most promising startups. Today, his focus is on the AI-driven evolution of Latin America’s economy, building on lessons from this first wave of ecosystem growth to chart the next chapter.
Lecturer Antoni is a creative investor, passionate about helping founders create lasting impact in emerging economies.