Private Commercial Diplomacy for Latin America
When the Latin America opportunity is real and the window is closing, access isn't enough—execution is.
Franco Calderón operates in the rooms that matter—ministers, C-suites, and family offices—to move markets before the news cycle catches up. This is commercial diplomacy that turns positioning into signed outcomes, powered by the Latin America Commercial Diplomacy Scorecard— the only intelligence mapping US diplomatic activity directly to deal timing across 25 markets.
Government trade services open the door. We take you through it — where they cannot go:
Franco Calderón is a commercial diplomat and Latin America market access advisor with 20+ years navigating US–Latin America business, government, and diplomatic relationships. He is the founder of Latambusiness.org and creator of the Latin America Commercial Diplomacy Scorecard — the only publication mapping US ambassador status directly to deal timing across 25 markets.
I have spent twenty years doing one thing: getting US and global companies into Latin America's most important negotiating rooms and markets. Not as a lobbyist, not as a consultant with a country guide — as a commercial diplomat who has connections to the Ministers, the Investors and the regulators who shape the market before the news hits.
My work sits at the intersection of Latin America commercial diplomacy and Latin America dealmaking. I know which US ambassadors in Latin America are steering the deal-making-diplomatic ship most conducive to lucrative business opportunities for US and global companies interested in Latin America.
When a C-level asks "is now the right time to expand into Latin America?" — my answer is not a country commercial guide. It is a conversation built on two decades of knowing exactly who to call, in which ministry, and what to say when they pick up. That is commercial diplomacy. That is the level of nuanced capabilities and expertise you get when you engage Franco and Latambusiness.org in your Latin America expansion strategy.
Five integrated commercial diplomacy service lines across 20+ Latin American markets.
Identify the right markets, the right timing, and the right entry path — before you commit a dollar or a flight.
We open doors that take years to unlock on your own — C-suites, ministries, regulators, and decision-makers across the region.
Translate complex, country-specific regulatory environments into actionable steps — without costly surprises.
Actionable intelligence from on-the-ground networks — not desktop research. Delivered before the news cycle catches up.
The relationship doesn't end at market entry. Protect what you've built — and keep the right doors open as the political and diplomatic environment shifts.
What Moves a Deal in Latin America
Is Not a Membership or a Methodology.
The global strategy firms with Latin America practices make deals — significant ones. The question is not whether they can. It is whether they will do it for your company, in your market, at your scale, on your timeline. Their engagement floor starts where most serious mid-market ambitions end. Their depth concentrates in three or four markets — the rest of the region is covered by teams rotating in from larger offices. The principal who sold the engagement is rarely the person doing the work. And none of them publish real-time diplomatic intelligence that maps US ambassador activity to deal timing — because that is not their business model.
The institutional networks — hemispheric business councils, think tanks, bilateral chambers — put you in a room with a minister alongside hundreds of other member companies, including your competitors. The world's largest multinationals hold those memberships. They still hire private advisors. Membership buys presence. Latambusiness.org delivers outcomes — for one client at a time.
Built on over two decades of placing US and international companies successfully across Latin America — from retail groups to energy firms to infrastructure companies. Commercial diplomacy in action.
Franco's network opened doors in three weeks that our team had been trying to unlock for two years. The ministry access was immediate — and real.
We needed someone who understood both the boardroom and the regulatory landscape. LATAM Business delivered both — in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, simultaneously.
The 90-day roadmap was not a document — it was a working plan that held up under real conditions. The regulatory navigation in Chile alone saved us six months of missteps.
How we work: Engagements range from 90-day Latin America market entry sprints to multi-year operational partnerships. We work with mid-market and enterprise companies that need more than a generic consultant — and who understand that the right commercial diplomacy advisory relationship is the difference between traction and stagnation.
Start the ConversationFrom first consultation to long-term Latin America market expansion — a structured commercial diplomacy process that moves at the speed today's most successful businesses expect.
We operate across 20+ Latin American markets. Our engagement is always country-specific — the right market, the right moment, the right entry path. Schedule a consultation to discuss your target market and sector.
Your target market. Your sector. Your timing. Schedule a consultation and we will tell you exactly what we see — and whether the window is open.
Schedule a ConsultationThe United States has filled 11 of 25 Latin American and Caribbean ambassador posts as of March 2026. Washington has made Chinese infrastructure displacement, cartel disruption, and migration control its three strategic priorities in the Western Hemisphere. Latambusiness.org tracks the activities of US diplomats in Latin America, because their actions — or lack thereof — have direct implications on business for US and global companies interested in Latin America. We add a fourth priority, Commercial Diplomacy & Dealmaking. All together, this work becomes the Latin America Commercial Diplomacy Scorecard.
— Franco Calderón · Latambusiness.org
The complete Latin America Commercial Diplomacy Scorecard — every US ambassador post, every active trade framework, every deal timing signal — is delivered to qualified clients. Request access below.
Request Full Scorecard AccessTell us your target market, your sector, and what you've already tried. We'll tell you what we see — and whether the timing is right. One conversation, no commitment.
Reviewed personally by Franco Calderón · Response within 48 hours · All inquiries confidential