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From Denmark to 47 markets: How We Are Building EVOLVE & What Comes Next

Two years, 47 markets, 84 expert sessions and a global collective transforming from community into the most trusted house of commerce experts.

It all started with a blog,back in June of 2013 when I moved to Denmark.
No plan. No funding.
Just curiosity and the idea that connection should come before commerce.

In 2017, while expanding VTEX into new markets, I began calling those conversations Evolve.
Not as a brand but as a belief.

My Interview back from 2018 with Christian Constantinescu, founder of Noriel, and NALA, major players in Romania.

My interview with Bogdan Axinia, in 2018 former CTO EMAG…

I did multiple interviews like the ones above

I think you get the idea

Instead of pitching, I listened.
Instead of selling, I connected.

And that simple principle curiosity before conversion became the DNA of what EVOLVE is today:

A global collective of senior commerce leaders who believe in depth, generosity, and long-term thinking.

This week, in our AMA session, Gustavo and I opened up about the full story how we built EVOLVE, what we got wrong, what worked, and what’s next.

Lesson 1: It started as a movement, not a business

EVOLVE began as chaos.
Two-hour Zoom calls, a few random guests, and a WhatsApp group that somehow brought together people from 10 countries.

No calendar. No process. Just energy.

It worked because the intent was right no one came to sell. Everyone came to share.

Gustavo said:

That’s when we started designing the structure short sessions, expert-led, focused on real conversations instead of long presentations.

The chaos had a heartbeat.

Lesson 2: From people-first to structure-first

In the early days, we built for everyone.
Brands, agencies, tech vendors.

It didn’t work.

The moment we shifted our focus from companies to people, everything clicked.

People who were in transition.
Leaders between chapters.
Founders with stories, not slides.

That shift turned EVOLVE from a network into a collective.

And structure followed naturally, onboarding calls, profiles, introductions, and a clear cultural code:

Give before you ask. Connect before you pitch.

That’s how trust was built

Lesson 3: Quality through qualification

In the beginning, anyone could join.
Now, every member goes through an intro process.

We don’t filter by title.
We filter by intention.

Curiosity. Generosity. Global perspective.

This clarity allowed us to grow intentionally 
from 20 members to over 460 senior professionals across 47 markets.

That’s what makes EVOLVE small in size, but big in substance.

Lesson 4: When trust turns into results

EVOLVE is built on one simple truth: proximity creates opportunity.

Over the last months, that truth has turned into dozens of real results:

• Rodrigo Ceron, former Head of Marketing at Comscore, connected with Cornelia from SAS now helping SAS expand in Latin America.

• He also connected with Raquel from Braze, who’s leading Braze’s regional growth they’re already building something together in Mexico.

• Rafa Berti received an investment opportunity.

• Gary Chow connected with Iñaki from Spain, and they’re co-creating a project across markets.

• Mikaela Eigelreister from ISM found Bechara, who’s developing her business in the Middle East.

• Mayssa and Damian are now collaborating on new ventures.

Every week, more stories like these appear partnerships, collaborations, and friendships that would’ve never existed otherwise.

These aren’t “networking outcomes.”
They’re proof that when you build with trust, business follows.

And EVOLVE is that “Trust” layer for that to happen, organically, all over the World.

Lesson 5: From community to structure

The next chapter of EVOLVE is about clarity and scalability.

We’re formalizing what already works:

• Chapters — regional groups in U.K, Brazil, Egypt, UAE, USA, Germany, Romania, Poland, led by members who embody the EVOLVE mindset.

• Dinners,Mixers - small, curated gatherings for 20–25 people at partner locations, often co-hosted with our sponsors.

• In-person meetups — Ran by our members independently, but following our playbook.

• Private Club — our global membership for senior professionals, focusing on learning, introductions, and visibility.

This structure isn’t about hierarchy.
It’s about focus.

Each chapter operates locally but stays globally connected through our shared calendar, weekly expert sessions, and member introductions.

Lesson 6: The evolution toward media

EVOLVE is no longer just a community.
It’s becoming a media company, built by experts, for experts.

Our goal is to document the ideas, conversations, and shifts shaping global commerce not as content for clicks, but as content that compounds trust.

Through the newsletter, expert sessions, and upcoming interviews, we’re building the library of global commerce leadership told by the people shaping it.

This media direction is our next growth engine:
education, storytelling, and amplification, powered by authenticity.

Because visibility, when done with integrity, scales impact.

Where we focus next

As we move into 2026, we’re deepening our footprint across a few key regions:

Brazil — One of our largest and most connected community.

CEE ( Romania, Poland, Czech) — strong presence, incredible engagement, and aligned partners.
United Kingdom — HQ for many of our commerce and product leaders.

United States — Home to senior voices from Amazon, Meta, and DTC founders.
MENA — rising region, strategic partnerships forming through ISM and members on the ground.

Each market has its own rhythm but together, they form the EVOLVE ecosystem.

The next phase

EVOLVE has always been about long-term thinking — and the next phase reflects that.

We’re creating a rhythm between education, community, media, and gatherings four pillars that reinforce each other:

• Education matters because it creates transformation

• Community creates depth.

• Media gives visibility.

• Gatherings build trust.

And together, they form something larger than any of us: a global house of commerce leaders who believe in doing things right, not fast.

Purpose compounds

Looking back, every pivot the sessions, the dinners, the forms, the boundaries brought us closer to our North Star:

To become the most trusted and global house of senior commerce experts, the Michelin-level standard for excellence in our field.

Because in a world obsessed with growth, we choose substance.
In a market driven by noise, we choose clarity.
And in a digital age, we choose humanity.

That’s EVOLVE.
And we’re just getting started.

Curated. Personable. Global.
That’s EVOLVE.

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