MIAMI, Feb. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Michael DeSimone and Kris Green, early e-commerce pioneers and experts in the cross-border ecommerce space, have taken on leadership roles at iguama, a Latin American online cross-border mall featuring popular U.S. brands and products. DeSimone has joined the Board of Directors of iguama and Green has joined the Advisory Board to guide the start-up’s business and operations teams.
Founded in 2014, iguama is a cross-border shopping club offering top brands to Latinos from U.S. retailers not traditionally present in Latin America. Using end-to-end technology tools, iguama manages the entire store-to-customer transaction process, allowing U.S. brands to sell products internationally with ease.
“Michael DeSimone and Kris Green have been a prominent force in the cross-border industry, inventing new ways to help top U.S. retailers successfully expand in the global marketplace. We are very pleased they have decided to take on this leadership role at iguama. Their experience, knowledge and resources will be invaluable in directing our business plan,” said Diego Fernandez, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of iguama.
DeSimone is the former Chief Executive Officer and President of Borderfree, a technology logistics company that allows businesses to sell products internationally. For more than eight years, DeSimone led the company from a struggling startup to a global enterprise that IPO’d on NASDAQ. Borderfree was successfully acquired by Pitney Bowes in May 2015 for $395 million.
Over his career DeSimone has been a part of sales, e-commerce and marketing divisions of companies such as E4X, Travelex and Citi. He also has received numerous honors, including finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was most recently selected as one of SmartCEO’s Future 50. During his tenure at Borderfree, the company was ranked No. 17 on Crain’s New York Business Fast 50 List and No. 86 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list.
Green is the former Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales at Borderfree. Green joined Borderfree in 2007 and alongside DeSimone, helped build the world’s leading cross-border ecommerce platform product. Green has more than 15 years experience building, selling, and marketing technology solutions that facilitate cross-border trade and in eight years at Borderfree, helped recruit and power global e-commerce for more than 200 iconic and coveted brands and retailers in the U.S. and United Kingdom. He is a recognized authority on international ecommerce best practices and successfully globalizing ecommerce businesses.
“I am honored and pleased to be working with team iguama,” said Desimone. “The global e-commerce sector, particularly in Latin America, is on the verge of major expansion. Retailers have been longing for a partner they can trust to not just smooth over Latin American ecommerce transactions, but to also drive significant consumer demand and awareness. That’s the combination that team iguama will be the first to truly deliver.”
Green echoed Desimone’s sentiment. “Latin America has been a region that U.S. retailers have struggled to succeed in from a distance. Iguama has finally given the Latin American consumer the hyperlocalized shopping experience they want and made it effortless for U.S. retailers of all sizes to be a part of it”, said Green.
About iguama
Established in 2014, iguama is the first and only e-commerce cross-border shopping club that allows the rest of the world (starting in Latin America) to buy top quality brands from U.S. stores at affordable prices. The company’s core business model is to market club memberships and not to profit on the products it sells or on international costs associated with each transaction, making it very simple for U.S. stores to sell products internationally. All of the complexity in cross-border transactions is handled by iguama, which includes: local marketing, customer service, total in-country calculation of price, efficient logistics and payment acceptance. Based in Miami, iguama is backed by venture capital firm PeopleFund. Visit www.iguama.com for more information.
About PeopleFund
PeopleFund is a global pioneer in value added investments focused on technology, internet and media. They are uniquely positioned to add significant value to companies by leveraging their in-house management and technology expertise. PeopleFund’s investment approach allows them to partner and invest in early through growth stage venture investments, private equity and public companies. By partnering with management and entrepreneurs, PeopleFund has generated industry leading returns for our investors. For more information please visit: www.peoplefund.com
