Two questions that look different actually share the same root: "how do I defend a financial projection in front of international investors?" and "how do I control a procurement spend that's already past USD 300M?". Both demand the same thing — a traceable management model, not an estimate defended on trust.
Sergio Cerda Castro, COO and founding partner of Consultora Ruta Maestra, faced both at different points in his career — before the firm existed.
Raising capital with a defensible model
As PMO at Spora SpA, he managed a USD 5M capital round, closing commercial agreements in the United States, the UK, Japan and Hong Kong. Raising international capital demands more than a good narrative — it demands a financial model an investor can review line by line, with every assumption justified in writing. It's not an exercise in persuasion. It's an exercise in withstanding scrutiny.
From raising capital to controlling spend
He now leads strategic procurement at LATAM Airlines, with spend under management exceeding USD 300M and savings above USD 10M in 2025. It's the same judgment applied in reverse: instead of convincing someone to invest, it's about structuring a negotiation process traceable enough that the savings can be demonstrated, not just declared.
"The value is that the analysis already went through a three-scenario verification methodology before a single peso was invested."
Why this matters for your mandate
When a company evaluates a business-line expansion or needs to raise capital, the most common mistake isn't a lack of ambition — it's presenting a projection nobody can defend in front of a board or a skeptical investor. The Ruta Maestra Method applies this same discipline from the first intake: revenue, fixed and variable costs, available capital and real business objectives, built in traceable tables — never as a loose meeting estimate.