Full Biography
Born in Medellín, Colombia, David Vélez is the founder and CEO of Nubank, one of the world’s largest digital banking platforms. Nubank is based in São Paulo and operates in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, with technical hubs in Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, and the United States. Under Mr. Vélez’s leadership, Nubank grew from a small digital banking start-up to the region’s largest bank by value and the fourth-largest company in all of Latin America. Nubank has brought an array of financial services to tens of millions of under-served Latin Americans who previously had no bank accounts or access to credit.
Before founding Nubank in Brazil in 2013, Mr. Vélez was a partner at Sequoia Capital where he headed the firm’s Latin American investments. Prior to joining Sequoia, Mr. Vélez worked in investment banking and growth equity at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and General Atlantic. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Vélez has joined Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett, and others in signing The Giving Pledge, a commitment by successful members of the business community to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy
