About
Juan Cruz De la rua co-founded Checkars (YC W20), which was acquired by Kavak, where he later served as CEO/General Manager of the company's Mexico operation, built its Middle East business with launches in Turkey and the UAE, led the EMEA regional hub in Madrid, and directed LatAm expansion into Chile, Colombia, and Peru. He previously worked at Google and OLX in strategy, product, and business development roles. He is currently a co-founder at an early-stage company and invests in and partners with early-stage founders in Latin America through Satya.
Founder at CheckarsYC W20
Intro paths
YC
Juan went through Y Combinator (Winter 2020) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
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In turn, Juan can intro founders to Checkars's investors below.
Checkars's investors · 2
Co-founders at Checkars
JM
Jaime MacayaFounder
Experience
- StealthCo-Foundercurrent2026 — present
- Satya LatamPartner & Co-foundercurrent2026 — present
- PEF CommunityMembercurrent2026 — present
- EndeavorMentorcurrent2025 — present
- Kavak.comMexico CEO2024 — 2025Mexico
- Kavak.comEMEA CEO2021 — 2023Madrid, Istanbul, Dubai
- Kavak.comCo Founder & COO Argentina2020 — 2021Argentina
- Kavak.comCo-Founder & COO, Checkars (acquired by Kavak)2017 — 2020Argentina
- OLX GroupBusiness Development Lead - Cars LATAM2016 — 2017Argentina
- OLX GroupBusiness Strategy Specialist2015 — 2016Buenos Aires, Argentina
- ITBAAssistant Professor2016Argentina
- GoogleMarketing Associate2013 — 2015Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Club TramaCo-Director2013 — 2014Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Dionysos s.r.lLogistics Analyst2009 — 2011Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Skills & more
Teamwork42Team Leadership32Analysis20Strategic Planning22Negotiation16Team Building32Online Marketing17Project Management24Project Planning22English45
Languages English · Portuguese · Spanish
- TOEIC — ETS
- International Baccalaureate Diploma — International Baccalaureate
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education — University of Cambridge
From Juan's professional profile.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Juan Cruz De la rua?
- Juan Cruz De la rua co-founded Checkars (YC W20), which was acquired by Kavak, where he later served as CEO/General Manager of the company's Mexico operation, built its Middle East business with launches in Turkey and the UAE, led the EMEA regional hub in Madrid, and directed LatAm expansion into Chile, Colombia, and Peru. He previously worked at Google and OLX in strategy, product, and business development roles. He is currently a co-founder at an early-stage company and invests in and partners with early-stage founders in Latin America through Satya.
- Where does Juan Cruz De la rua work?
- Juan Cruz De la rua is Founder of Checkars.
- What companies did Juan Cruz De la rua found?
- Juan Cruz De la rua founded Checkars.
- Where did Juan Cruz De la rua go to school?
- Juan Cruz De la rua studied at Y Combinator; Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (Industrial Engineering); City College of San Francisco.
Same school
Also attended Y Combinator2,000
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+ 1,994 more
Also attended Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires52
Agustina Soriano SergiSenior Associate — Ventures at Energize VenturesGabriela MacagniInvestor at MatterScale VenturesAgustín RotondoInvestor at MatterScale VenturesMatías GarridoInvestor at MatterScale VenturesJorge AguadoCo-founder & General Partner at Newtopia VCMateo GuigueInvestment Analyst at Newtopia VC
+ 46 more
Also attended City College of San Francisco15
Crystal TownsendManager at Buckhill CapitalMonique GuimondHead of Portfolio Strategy at LowercarbonAltynai RaevaSenior Fund Accountant at Griffin Gaming PartnersKristen SinclairAssistant to the CEO at Mulago FoundationLiana LanESG Impact Investing Analyst at HIP InvestorZachary WorthingtonExecutive Vice President, Operations, Talent, and Finance at HIP Investor
+ 9 more
Also attended Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata2
Shared employers
Also worked at Satya Latam1
Also worked at Kavak.com10
Adam ValkinInvestment Team at General CatalystHarrison LieberfarbPartner at Canvas VenturesHéctor SepúlvedaFounder & Partner at NazcaFederico RaneroVenture Partner at NazcaDiego Gálvez de YturbePartner at Mouro CapitalNicolas BermanPartner at Kaszek Ventures
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+ 4 more
Also worked at OLX Group19
Jeremy LevinePartner at Bessemer Venture PartnersFabrice GrindaCo-founder & Managing Partner at FJ LabsNenad MarovacInvestor at DN CapitalWilliam GuillouardOperating Partner at FJ LabsAriel LebowitsCFO at FJ LabsBit SantosPartner, Portfolio Operations at Kickstart Ventures
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+ 13 more
Also worked at ITBA8
Federico MarqueGeneral Partner at GRIDXCristian PereyraPartner at SquadS VenturesSusana MartinsBusiness Advisor & Manager of Startup Services at WEtech AllianceNéstor H. OliveiroR&D Manager (Advisory Team) at Grow Venture PartnersMatias WoloskiAngelAlan KarpovskyFounder at Mendel
+ 2 more