João Gonçalves
Stockholm, Sweden
Professional profile
CMO and Chief Growth Officer with 15+ years of experience scaling tech startups and digital-first businesses across Brazil, Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Track record of building and leading high-performance marketing and growth teams (up to 70 people), with direct P&L responsibility of up to USD 50m and more than R$ 1B (approx. USD 200M) invested in media across my career. Proven ability to architect go-to-market strategies, drive multi-channel demand generation and deliver measurable revenue growth across B2C and B2B models, from Series A to post-unicorn stage. Currently based in Stockholm, working with founders and leadership teams across EU and LATAM markets.
Experience
JoGo Growth · Fractional & Interim CMO / Chief Growth Officer (Founder)
2019 - Present · Stockholm, SE
CMO and CGO fractional and interim engagements for venture-backed startups and scaleups across Europe and Brazil, from Series A to post-unicorn stage. Clients include N26, Flash, Loft, Isaac, unico, Caju and Oobit.
Selected engagements
- N26 (FinTech, German unicorn) - Designed and operated digital acquisition channels for N26's market entry in Brazil. Structured the local growth engine and operational framework for high-velocity execution. (2023)
- Flash (HRtech, Series B/C) - Architected the Growth Marketing structure and scaled digital acquisition by over 200%. Led agency pitch process for the campaign that positioned Flash as market leader. (2021-2022)
- Loft (PropTech unicorn) - Led paid media and referral/MGM programmes with direct P&L impact. Conducted analytics on marketplace dynamics and behavioural economics studies to inform acquisition strategy. (2021-2022)
- EF English Live (EdTech, European) - Restructured the Marketing unit in Brazil, delivering 30% budget reduction without impacting business volume. Led embedded agency selection and integrated brand campaign. (2020)
- Isaac (B2B EdTech SaaS) - Optimised multi-channel performance marketing (Google, Meta, LinkedIn), achieving 20% + efficiency gains for this B2B edtech leader. (2023-2024)
- Oobit (Crypto/FinTech, Series A, Tether-backed) - Led Brazil GTM strategy and digital acquisition. Focused on brand narrative development, creative briefing and end-to-end channel operation. (2025)
Other clients: Tembici (mobility), unico (IDtech), Foxbit (crypto), Gringa (luxury recommerce), SOMOS (Education), Caju (HRtech), Oobit (Finance), Lisbon School of Design (Education), Barkyn (Pet).
QuintoAndar · Chief Marketing Officer (Marketing & Growth Director)
2017 - 2019 · Sao Paulo, BR
Brazilian proptech founded by two Stanford MBAs; reached unicorn status in 2019.
- Grew customer acquisition by 900% through digital channels in under two years and launched referral marketing channel, reaching 15% of total acquisition mix and driving 30% CAC reduction.
- Built and scaled marketing team from 3 to 70 people; built supply operations team from 8 to 150.
- Led expansion in Brazil and supported fundraising narrative for Round C (General Atlantic) and Round D (SoftBank).
Catho (SEEK Group) · B2C Director / General Manager, Consumer Business Unit
2015 - 2017 · Sao Paulo, BR
Leading jobs B2C marketplace, part of SEEK Group (ASX-listed, Australia), with 1,000+ employees.
- P&L ownership of USD 50m annual consumer business.
- Led 9 teams and 400 people; restructured team in 2016 with 20% cost reduction while maintaining revenue levels.
OLX Brasil / SnT Classifieds (Schibsted, Adevinta, Telenor) · CMO
2011 - 2015 · Brazil, LATAM, Southeast Asia
Leading global consumer B2C marketplace, number one in Brazil with 100m+ users; brands include OLX, bomnegocio.com, ZAP and VivaReal. 1,800 employees, revenues USD 250m+.
- CMO of founding team at bomnegocio.com (2011); led Marketing with budgets of USD 50m+ for four years.
- Created award-winning campaigns across brand and digital acquisition (Caboré 2014, Best Advertiser).
- Led Marketing transition through OLX/bomnegocio merger: new team structure, new brand identity, full ops rebuild.
- CMO at SnT Classifieds (2013-2014): multi-market remit across LATAM (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela) and Asia (Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan).
Early Career
2003 - 2011
Country Manager at ActualSales Group (PT/BR, 2007-2009), an international lead generation agency operating across three continents. Co-Founder at People Router and Roigine (PT/SP/BR, 2009-2011), two early-stage ventures in lead generation B2C marketplaces and agency services. Founder at educa.plenitus (PT, 2003-2006), a regional tutoring business sold in 2017.
Education
London School of Economics / Duke Corporate Education · Leadership & Change Management
2012 · London, UK & Barcelona, SP
Executive programme for selected leaders of Schibsted Classified Media. 80 hours.
Nova School of Business and Economics · MBA
2007 · Lisbon, PT
Full-time one-year programme. Exchange at COPPEAD, UFRJ, Brazil.
Universidade de Coimbra · BSc Theoretical Physics
2003 · Coimbra, PT
Merit scholarship 1999. Best Graduate July 2003, grade 17/20 (distinction). Exchange at University of Helsinki (2001).
Additional information
Languages
Portuguese (native), English (fluent), Spanish (basic).
Advisory & Mentoring
Mingla (Stockholm), Advisor in marketing, strategy and unit economics, 2026-present. Nordic Angels (Stockholm), Member, 2026-present. LALA (Latin America Leadership Academy), Mentor, 2024-present. Unicorn Factory Lisboa, Mentor, 2023-present.
Awards
Caboré 2014, Best Advertiser (bomnegocio.com). Schibsted Innovation Award 2013, Value-based online acquisition. Best Graduate in Physics, Association of Former Coimbra Students in Lisbon (2003). Merit Scholarship, Faculty of Science and Technology, Coimbra (1999).
Speaking & Publishing
Columnist, Startups.com.br (leading Brazilian startup publication). Topics: growth, unit economics, go-to-market, capital efficiency. Speaker on growth and marketplace scaling.
Interests
Fado de Coimbra (singer, 1998-2006, international missions to France, Macau, Canada, Japan). Equestrian sports. Father of two daughters.