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40-year-old entrepreneur convinces Sigman family to invest $20 million in luxury construction material
🇦🇷 Argentina /Energy & Infrastructure

40-year-old entrepreneur convinces Sigman family to invest $20 million in luxury construction material

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Pablo Baldoma, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, is developing a luxury construction material called Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) with a $20 million investment from the Sigman family.
  • Cambium Timber aims to create demand for CLT, a strong and aesthetically pleasing wood panel used for high-end construction, by adding value to forest resources and reducing waste.
  • Baldoma, who previously founded five tech startups, sees CLT as a disruptive material that can revolutionize the conservative construction industry in Argentina.

Pablo Baldoma, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, is set to revolutionize Argentina's construction sector with a $20 million investment from the influential Sigman family for his company, Cambium Timber. The venture focuses on producing Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), an ultra-strong and aesthetically appealing wood panel used in luxury construction globally.

The main risk of this project is that the demand isn't there; we have to create it.

— Pablo BaldomaBaldoma discusses the challenge of establishing a market for his new construction material.

Baldoma acknowledges the primary challenge is creating market demand for CLT, a material he likens to marble in its desirability. "The main risk of this project is that the demand isn't there; we have to create it," Baldoma stated. His company is building an industrial facility in Corrientes province to produce these large panels, aiming to add value to the timber industry, which currently discards about 50% of harvested wood.

We have to add value to the wood and use the whole tree. When we started working in the forest industry, we observed that 50% of everything harvested in the forest was left as waste.

— Hugo SigmanSigman explains the motivation behind adding value to wood resources.

This initiative aligns with Hugo Sigman's broader vision of industrializing wood and maximizing its use, as expressed when inaugurating a biomass energy plant. Baldoma, an economist by training with a background in tech entrepreneurship, brings a disruptive mindset to a traditionally conservative industry. He previously founded and sold five technology ventures, with his last one based in San Francisco.

It is not cheaper than masonry or bricks, although we will seek to be competitive.

— Pablo BaldomaBaldoma addresses the cost comparison of CLT with traditional building materials.

Baldoma presented his project to Leandro Sigman, son of Hugo Sigman, whose family is among Argentina's wealthiest and has significant forestry and energy investments in the region. The CLT project aims to be competitive with traditional materials like brick and masonry, positioning itself as a premium, desirable building solution.

I founded and sold five technology ventures, the last one was based in San Francisco.

— Pablo BaldomaBaldoma shares his entrepreneurial background prior to entering the timber industry.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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