Entrepreneurial Thinkers with Rob Ryan

In this episode, Rob is joined by Andrea Orrego, Founder of Atelier. She’s a third-generation architect turned tech entrepreneur hailing from Lima, Peru, now living with her family in Colorado, whose journey in architecture and entrepreneurship has not only crafted inspiring spaces but also redefined the notion of an entrepreneurial life and personal resilience. She’s an advocate and strong voice for fellow underdog founders.

In this engaging conversation, Andrea and Rob delve into a variety of compelling topics. They explore the genesis of Atelier App, Andrea's brainchild, and how it is reshaping the world of architecture, interior design and the Home Goods industry in Peru. Sustainability in design is another key focus, as Andrea shares her vision for a greener and more environmentally conscious approach to architecture, emphasizing the importance of using sustainable materials and partnering with green focused vendors.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are themes close to Andrea's heart, as she’s a self described “underdog” and non-traditional founder and she discusses their vital role in the future of entrepreneurship.

Feel free to follow and engage with ANDREA here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaorrego/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreaOrrego 

Personal Website: https://www.andreaorrego.com 

Business Website: https://www.atelier-app.com

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, executives and anyone interested in the human stories behind the entrepreneurial economies of the Americas, from every corner of the United States to the furthest points in Latin America.

Plug in, relax and enjoy fun, inspiring, educational and empowering conversations between Rob and his friends, so that you can build the future atop their wisdom!

¡Cheers y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

In this episode, Rob is joined by his friend, the remarkably talented Juliana Garaizar, a true trailblazer in the world of venture capital and sustainable innovation. The two enjoy a wide ranging, personal conversation which dives into the topics which Juliana feels most compelled by everyday - Climate innovation, the fundamental value of multi-culturalism and more broadly the importance of Diversity and equality of access in capital and entrepreneurship. She brings an economists lens to the big problems we face and she challenges some standard norms and beliefs of how we should take personal responsibility for solving them.

Juliana's impressive professional and academic background is a testament to her dedication to making a difference in the world at large, and to the value she places on serving under-represented communities. As an active Angel Investor and Kauffman Fellows, she has consistently played a pivotal role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the Venture and Private Capital markets. Currently serving as the Founding GP at Malaika Ventures, the Lead Investor of Rising America Fund within the Portfolia Funds and the Chief Development and Investment Officer and Head of the Cleantech Incubator at Greentown Labs in Houston, Texas, after having received MBA’s at the London School of Business and HaaS School of Business at UC Berkeley, (GOBears) Juliana's influence is truly unparalleled!

But it's not just about business for Juliana; she's a deep thinker, voracious reader, incredible mom and a supportive partner to her two kids, husband, and friends. She leaves a trail of people who love and respect her wherever she goes, including Rob. Her multifaceted journey, inspiring career, and dedication to making a positive impact make this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of investment, innovation, and leadership. Tune in to gain invaluable insights and be inspired by Juliana Garaizar's extraordinary story.

Feel free to follow and engage with JULIANA here:

Superpower Book: https://www.audible.com/pd/1508294666?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, executives and anyone interested in the human stories behind the entrepreneurial economies of the Americas, from every corner of the United States to the furthest points in Latin America.

Plug in, relax and enjoy fun, inspiring, educational and empowering conversations between Rob and his friends, so that you can build the future atop their wisdom!

¡Cheers y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

In this episode, Rob is joined by a dynamic new venture investor, Michael Shor, hailing from Miami, Florida. Michael is SHOR Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund with a unique penchant for backing "ruthlessly iterative founders."

In this captivating conversation, Michael delves into his unique investing philosophy, shedding light on his preference for disruptive ideas over conventional ones. You'll gain valuable insights into his portfolio, as he shares stories of his investments, juxtaposed against also really opening up about his own journey with ADHD and how he nows views this as his superpower!

What truly sets Michael apart is his unwavering commitment to family values, and “people,” which serves as the bedrock of his venture capital decisions. It's a thread that runs through every aspect of his life, from his growing family to his leadership in the local Jewish community in South Florida.

Michael specializes in nurturing pre-seed and seed stage startups, offering vital support through investments typically ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. But Michael's entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds. His knack for creating value for partners extends far beyond venture capital. He's dabbled in real estate ventures and consumer electronics.

Feel free to follow and engage with MICHAEL here:

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, executives and anyone interested in the human stories behind the entrepreneurial economies of the Americas, from every corner of the United States to the furthest points in Latin America.

Plug in, relax and enjoy fun, inspiring, educational and empowering conversations between Rob and his friends, so that you can build the future atop their wisdom!

¡Cheers y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

In this episode, Rob is joined by the dynamic and high energy Shirin Salmenia, CEO of PlayWerks. Shirin is an indefatigable example of knowing what your dreams are and then being relentlessly single minded in pursuit of them. Her early career found her working on some of the most iconic toy brands in American history. Shirin is more than just a successful entrepreneur, she’s an anchor of the Los Angeles entrepreneurial economy. She epitomizes a #LongLA having moved to the city when she was 2yrs old and having turned down early career opportunities to move away from LA. She’s building at the Uber creative intersection of interactive media, gaming, technology, childhood development and public policy. Shirin is a fierce advocate for women, women of color, women entrepreneurs and young people.

Before founding PlayWerks, Shirin spent several years as the Research Manager and Bratz Brand Manager at MGA Entertainment, where she seamlessly blended her expertise in child and youth marketing with her deep understanding of the toy industry. She also played a pivotal role in the development of MGA's Play Lab. Shirin's journey into the toy industry began at Mattel, Inc., where she worked in Worldwide Consumer Research for the Barbie/Girls Division. Shirin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child/Family and Consumer Sciences from California State University, Northridge and is deeply involved in various organizations and initiatives locally, including Women in Gaming, the LA FILM School Video Game Department, Girls in Tech, Women in Film, Next Gen Femmes, and the Entertainment Division of the Jewish Federation.

Feel free to follow and engage with SHIRIN here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirin-laor-raz-salemnia-a95381 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/shirinsalemnia?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirinSalemnia 

Website: http://shirinlaorrazsalemnia.com

Consulting booking: https://findyournorth.co/advisors/shirin-laor-raz-salemnia

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

In this really special behind the scenes episode, Rob is joined for two incredible conversations by the powerful Mexican women who have shaped this show for you over the last 3+ years.

Rob says goodbye to his friend, and our (now former) co-host, Ileana Jaime Felix, as we announce her departure from the show, after helping give birth to it in the midst of the Pandemic Summer of 2020. She’s on to big exciting professional opportunities and some new personal projects in her life and we collectively decided, now was the time to wish her well while we move ahead to create the best podcast possible telling the human stories we love discovering for you!

To that end and with the help of our super talented Show Producer, Diana Bernal, from Mexico City, we dive into a really cool look “inside” how we make this show. We talk technology, processes, guest experience, funny stories and Diana’s love for storytelling, audio, film and tv.

We finish up this whirlwind tour of our last 3 years and 83 episodes, by sharing a tiny sneak preview announcement of some really exciting news for Rob and our business coming soon.

We're so grateful to you, our loyal and growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy. We're here to inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

In this special episode, Rob is joined for an impromptu conversation, by a guest who needs no introduction: the one and only Sergio Borromei aka Maxolydian aka the Cowboy Coder. We get together in this informal conversation between Los Angeles, a City globally renowned for it’s creativity, and Maxolydian’s recording studio on his Ranch outside Santiago, Chile. We celebrate a big announcemnt in his music career.

This special moment took us all the way back to his first episode #7, from nearly 3 years ago today, August 18, 2020, where we explored the captivating crossroads of "Creativity and Entrepreneurship." So we’re resharing his story, which unfolded like a symphony, starting as an 11-year-old classically trained musician and evolving into a university graduate/junior software engineer in an Argentine Bank. The crescendo? The awe-inspiring 2020 sale of his and his partners company, Lagash, to the LatAm giant, Mercado Libre. Music and software converged seamlessly in Sergio's world, igniting a blaze of inspiration for our audience to discover their latent creative talents while empowering young entrepreneurs to harness their passion to fuel success.

Tune in to this episode whether you're a die-hard fan of his music, of his previous appearance with us or as a new listener about to embark on an unforgettable auditory adventure, this episode promises to reignite your passion for creativity, entrepreneurship, and the boundless possibilities that emerge at their intersection. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and captivated all over again.

Feel free to follow and engage with SERGIO here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxolydian/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MuIsCqqh1Btq8etQ0Nx3t?si=qb1nvdu8RPavZoSkzQoFdw

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA! Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future! ¡Salud y gracias!, Mentors Today's Team

In this special end of our Summer Break Series episode, Rob updates us on some of his own summer fun, shares a sneek peak into the future of MentorsToday in 2023-24, and recaps and adds his own takes on the three Summer Break series episodes we just reshared on the critical topics of: Storytelling, Venture Capital, and Mental Health.

Rob explores the power of storytelling and why it’s essential for entrepreneurs and he breaks down 3 practical tips that highlight the importance of authenticity and connecting on a deeper level with your clients, investors, and partners through your story.

He then recaps the always hot topic of venture capital, providing a concise overview of funding options for startups. Rob shares his ‘4 circles” of capital raising thesis he’s used to help thousands of entrepreneurs plan their next moves and he encourages folks to keep in mind that not all businesses are meant for venture capital investment.

Lastly, but most crucially, he summarizes and adds personal context to the ever present worries over entrepreneur’s mental health. He shares practical strategies and tools to cope with stress and pressure, adds a few personal anecdotes from the episode with the one and only Andrea Campos and encourages listeners to prioritize self-care and seek support when needed.

Rob also shares some exciting new developments for MentorsToday in the coming months, all centered around various different ways to connect more deeply and live, with you, our audience, everywhere you are.

Feel free to follow and engage with Rob here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAmRobRyan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robryan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamrobryan/

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

It’s summertime 2023, and just like you and your family are taking some holiday time off to travel, lay by the pool or hangout at the beach, we’ve decided to give our team a short Summer Break too. But since we know you’re still listening, we thought we’d re-share three terrific episodes in July, on the 3 hottest topics which Rob gets asked about most often in our work at GrowthHax. Storytelling, Venture Capital and Mental Health & Wellness.

Today, we drop in to explore the always important business and life topic of our “Mental Health.” Coming out of this pandemic, adjusting to new lifestyles, reacting to the FOMO of making up for lost time and as always, the pressures to grow businesses to investor expectations, today we revisit Andrea Campos, CEO at Yana, one of the fastest growth Mental Health and wellness platform companies in Latin America, which originally aired in Episode 60, on February 21, 2023. So sit back, open a cold drink, put on that sunscreen and enjoy a masterclass refresher in Venture Capital.

In this episode, Rob and Ileana are joined by Andrea Campos, CEO/Founder of Yana (You are not Alone) the Spanish language, AI driven mental health and wellness platform in Mexico y LatAm. Andrea shares her unique story of an exceptionally strong, resilient, accidental Mexican entrepreneur,  who struggled with depression and anxiety, dropped out of University and obsessively sought solutions to her own mental health needs. Ultimately she discovered that she was far from alone in the need for better mental health support. That journey led to Yana, which took six + years of trial and error as a solo founder, before exploding in popularity to 12 million + downloads during the last three years! Her company is one of the fastest growing in LatAm, has raised Venture Capital from some of the regions most reputable investors, but it's her incredibly humble and authentic personal story that will be inspiring to any listener. 

Feel free to follow and engage with ANDREA and YANA here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-campos-guerra/?originalSubdomain=mx

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acamposguerra/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreacamposg

Website: https://yana.com.mx/

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

It’s summertime 2023, and just like you and your family are taking some holiday time off to travel, lay by the pool or hangout at the beach, we’ve decided to give our team a short Summer Break for the next few weeks too. But since we know you’re still listening, we thought we’d re-share three terrific episodes in July, on the 3 hottest topics which Rob gets asked about most often in our work at GrowthHax. Storytelling, Venture Capital and Mental Health & Wellness.

Today, we drop in with “Venture Capital”, a topic that every entrepreneur, investor obsess over no matter what time of year it is, taught to us by Federico Antoni, one of the Old Guard original Venture Capital Investors in Mexico and Latin America, which originally aired in Episode 34, on May 2, 2022. So sit back, open a cold drink, put on that sunscreen and enjoy a masterclass refresher in Venture Capital.

In this episode, recorded in the Fall of 2021, Rob and Ileana are joined by one of the OG Latino American and Mexican Venture Investors, Federico Antoni, founding partner at ALLVP. He has been a leading catalyst and passionate advocate for the entrepreneurial economies of the region for the last 10+ years and joined our show to share his unique perspectives gained over those years when there were very few peers alongside him. If there were a theme of this episode with Fede though, it was not about Fede at all, it was all about "the people, the people, the people." He joins Ileana and Rob to discuss some of the best and brightest young founders in the region. He shares his unique perspective on how the region has arrived at this moment, and what will be required to thrive, as both founders and investors, in the coming years.

In 2012, Federico founded (ALLVP), the first institutional early-stage venture capital fund in the Mexico.  Federico has successfully raised two Funds focused on Seed, Series A, and Series B investments.  His team has overseen 25 investments to-date, with some of the most reputable and leading companies in the region, across four sectors: FinTech, Digital Consumer, Healthcare, and Smart Cities. Federico, who is a husband and proud father, is a frequent TechCrunch contributor, is also an Entrepreneurship and Management Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he received his MBA in 2004. He also holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Applied Economics from Paris Dauphine.

Feel free to follow and engage with FEDERICO here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/federicoantoni

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mantoni

Website: https://www.allvp.com

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team

It’s summertime 2023, and just like you and your family are taking some holiday time off to travel, lay by the pool or hangout at the beach, we’ve decided to give our team a short Summer Break for the next few weeks too. But since we know you’re still listening, we thought we’d re-share three terrific episodes in July, on the 3 hottest topics which Rob gets asked about most often in our work at GrowthHax. Storytelling, Venture Capital and Mental Health & Wellness.

Today, we start with the “Storytelling,” critical topic for anyone in today’s modern world, as taught to us by Yogi Roth, an Award winning Film Maker, Author and Sports Television commentator in USA, which originally aired in Episode 26, on January 24, 2022. So sit back, open a cold drink, put on that sunscreen and enjoy a masterclass refresher in storytelling.

In this episode, Rob and Ileana welcome a great, long time friend of Rob's, Yogi Roth, from right here in Los Angeles. Yogi is an accomplished professional storyteller, across multiple mediums including his primary work as the Analyst, for American college football, at the Pac 12 networks.

Ileana, Rob and Yogi talk about how critically important effective storytelling is to every entrepreneur and their company and their customers/audience. Yogi highlights that no matter how overused the word "storytelling" may seem in popular culture, it is a required skill in today's content heavy world. He drops some incredible wisdom through his specific coaching on "how to" and "why" as well as his 3 pieces of mentor advice, but he also wows us with some of his own life stories. Just listening to how he communicates on this episode will be an enduring masterclass for anyone who is trying to craft "their story".

Yogi was an American college football player at the University of Pittsburgh, then championship coach at University of Southern California, before embarking on his film/television/writing and media careers. He is an award winning Independent Film Maker (Life in a Walk/link below), NY Times best selling author, and regular television creator/producer, with a new Film releasing in 2022. He's an avid surfer, Yoga practitioner and is a loving husband and dad to his wife Amy and their two boys, here in Los Angeles.

Feel free to follow and engage with YOGI here:

Website: ⁠http://yogiroth.com⁠

Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/YogiRoth⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/yogiroth⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/yogiroth⁠

Other links: ⁠http://www.lifeinawalk.com/⁠ & ⁠https://kindtail.com/⁠

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team