How Horatio Built a Nine-Figure Outsourcing Empire Without Venture Capital

Herrera, a former Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley professional, founded the company alongside Columbia MBA classmates Alex Ross and Jared Karson. The trio avoided outside funding, relying entirely on personal savings to open their first office in the Dominican Republic. They aimed to transplant Silicon Valley-style tech campus culture into the nearshore outsourcing sector, moving away from the dark, dingy environments that historically defined the industry. Today, Horatio maintains a 40% year-over-year growth rate while serving over 125 clients across healthcare, fintech, and ecommerce.

Central to this expansion is a strategic approach to artificial intelligence. Rather than deploying off-the-shelf bots to slash costs, Horatio offers AI consulting services to help clients navigate complex, regulated workflows where privacy and accuracy are mandatory. Herrera maintains that technology should empower staff rather than replace them, a philosophy that has helped retain early employees who have since climbed into leadership roles. With operations now spanning the U.S., Colombia, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, the company continues to focus on fostering internal talent as its primary engine for sustained growth.