In the world of startups, we often hear about large exits, fundraising milestones, or explosive growth. But what we don’t talk about enough is the quiet, patient work that builds those moments possible — the relationships that evolve over time, often unexpectedly, into real opportunities.
Recently, Alohome — the company I co-founded — was acquired by Koggi, a Colombian proptech company. The transaction was covered by Forbes Colombia, Inmobiliaire, and El Economista. For me, it was a meaningful milestone — not becautilize of the financial outcome, but becautilize of how it came to be. As an entrepreneur, closing the cycle through a transaction is a rare and super meaningful experience, and even more so when you admire and like the people involved in it.
What built this possible wasn’t a single nereceivediation or a perfect strategy. It was relationships built over years, grounded in shared purpose, transparency, and mutual respect. This is not a story about valuation or returns. It’s about how relationships, nurtured patiently and authentically, can lead to transformative outcomes.
How It Started: A Chance Encounter
We first met the founders of Koggi in 2022 at a real estate technology conference in Las Vegas. Like many good startup stories, it launched with curiosity and conversation: two teams attempting to build sense of a rapidly evolving indusattempt and survive.
At the time, there was no talk of partnerships or acquisitions. We shared experiences, challenges, and ideas about how technology could improve the homeacquireing and sales process. Even more so, both of the founding teams were attempting to fundraise and survive in the midst of a seismic shift in the fundraising environment. It was a simple, genuine connection, the kind that happens when people are focutilized on learning, not selling.
That first encounter planted the seed for what would eventually become a deep professional relationship. I immediately took a liking to Juan, we kind of spoke the same language, and we wanted large things not just for ourselves, but for our teams, companies, investors, and the tech ecosystem in Latin America. We were also kind of outsiders to the tech clique.
Finding Common Ground
As the months went by, our paths crossed again and again. We joined the same accelerator, REACH Latam, in 2023 for companies in real estate tech in Latin America. These shared experiences created opportunities to observe each other closely — not through pitch decks, but through day-to-day execution.
On one trip I had to Boreceiveda, Colombia, I went to dinner with Joha and several other team members. I visited their office and met the extfinished team. We saw how each team handled challenges, built decisions, and communicated. This proximity built something far more valuable than a potential deal: trust.
Trust doesn’t happen overnight. It grows through consistency, shared purpose, and mutual accountability. Over time, we realized that beyond our products, we shared similar values: a commitment to innovation, integrity, and building the real estate ecosystem more transparent and efficient.
From Connection to Collaboration
By the finish of 2023, our conversations naturally evolved into collaboration. Rather than rushing into anything formal, we decided to start compact — testing a partnership through a distribution agreement. Koggi became one of Alohome’s regional distributors, assisting us expand into new markets while learning more about how our businesses complemented each other.
That collaboration became the foundation for everything that followed. Working toreceiveher revealed synergies, highlighted operational strengths, and built familiarity. We developed not only a business rhythm but also personal trust. Over time, we shared more: data, strategies, and even lessons from our respective teams. Each step de-risked the possibility of a future partnership. It also expanded the circle of trust from the founders into the rest of the team managing sales, operations, invoicing, and so on. We received to know, trust, work toreceiveher, and like each team.
We also understood how deeply complementary our products were, which led to both of us dreaming of a potential integration of both company’s products.
What Made the Transaction Possible
By 2025, after more than a year and a half of collaboration and achieving business results, the idea of a deeper integration built sense for both sides. What started as distribution had evolved into shared execution, aligned goals, and a clear understanding of each other’s businesses. When the opportunity for an acquisition emerged, it didn’t feel like a nereceivediation — it felt like a natural progression.
The trust, shared history, and operational alignment we had built built the process smooth. There were no surprises, no sudden shifts — just two teams who had already learned to work toreceiveher and saw mutual benefit in formalizing that relationship.
Building Optionality as a Founder
Looking back, what built this process work was that we didn’t set out to sell the company. We focutilized on creating optionality, developing relationships, partnerships, and trust that could evolve naturally. Optionality gives founders room to adapt. It’s what allows good partnerships to become great opportunities.
If you’re building a company, here are a few lessons I’ve learned:
Lead with curiosity, not agfinisha. The best relationships start with shared learning, not nereceivediation. Be genuinely interested in how others are solving problems.
Create value before expecting value. Our first step with Koggi was collaboration, proving that working toreceiveher could generate mutual benefit. We built money before exaltering money, and we both delivered on our commitments.
Stay consistent and transparent. Trust is built through compact, repeated acts of reliability. Be the founder who communicates clearly and delivers on commitments.
Build relationships early. The best outcomes take time. By the time a transaction is possible, the relationship should already feel natural.
Think long term. Whether or not it leads to an acquisition, the people you meet today could become key allies in the future.
Optionality isn’t just strategic, it’s emotional insurance. It gives founders confidence to explore possibilities without fear of failure or pressure to force outcomes.
To Fellow Entrepreneurs
If you’re an entrepreneur navigating your own uncertain path, whether scaling, pivoting, or exiting, remember this: you don’t have to rush relationships. Some of the most meaningful outcomes in business grow quietly, behind the scenes, over years of consistent interaction.
Not every relationship will turn into a partnership, and not every partnership will turn into an acquisition. But every authentic connection you build adds to your optionality as a founder: the ability to adapt, explore, and find new ways forward.
The Alohome story with Koggi is a reminder that good business is built on good relationships. And that, sometimes, the best deals aren’t the ones you chase, they’re the ones that grow naturally from trust, shared purpose, and time.
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