Ariel Lambrecht

Ariel Lambrecht is the co-founder of Mara, a startup aiming to improve grocery shopping in Brazil. Established in 2021, Mara's goal is to make quality products accessible to everyone at wholesale prices, with free next-day delivery at nearby pick-up points. Ariel graduated in Mechatronics and Mechanical Systems Engineering at USP in 2007. At the time, building a startup wasn't a common pursuit, but Ariel was driven by his passion for problem-solving through entrepreneurship. After a trip to Germany, where he discovered that people were ordering taxis through their phones, Ariel returned to Brazil and began building what would become Brazil's first unicorn: 99. From 2012 to 2018, he and his co-founders expanded 99 until its acquisition by DiDi Chuxing when the company was valued at over $1 billion. Right after 99, Ariel ventured into micro-mobility with Yellow/Grow, offering bike and e-scooter sharing. Now, with Mara, Ariel continues his entrepreneurial journey, believing that, with technology and creative product solutions, it is possible to solve the complex margin and supply chain issues in the grocery industry, making quality products more accessible to underserved communities.