It's More Than Grit

In this episode, Mariana is joined by Sarah Calhoun, founder of Red Ants Pants, a Montana-based retailer meeting the needs of working women across the country. Together, they discuss the power of serendipity, the value of mentorship, and the experience of starting a business in a state with more entrepreneurs per capita than any other in America. They also delve into the challenges of expanding from rural Montana—navigating the dilemma of manufacturing abroad, transitioning from brick-and-mortar to digital platforms, and raising sufficient capital. Additionally, they reflect on mistakes made along the way and examine the profound impact a single person can have in strengthening a community.

Mariana and Andrew are joined by Billy Blaustein, the co-founder and COO of Vammo, a Brazilian electric mobility company.

The trio discusses Billy’s journey from consulting to entrepreneurship, his experience launching a business in Brazil, and his mission to electrify the vehicles of Latin America.

Andrew and Mariana sit down with Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, a pioneering nonprofit venture capital fund. Jacqueline shares her journey from Wall Street to working in Africa’s most underserved communities, offering insights on how entrepreneurship, combined with the power of markets and philanthropy, can drive meaningful and lasting change in the fight against poverty.

In this episode, Mariana and Andrew are joined by the "mother" of cognitive experience design, Joanna Pena-Bickley. Joanna is a design engineer who created one of the first video streaming players, invented AI-powered Alexa devices for Amazon, and recently founded her own company, Vibes.AI. The group discusses Joanna's journey to becoming a pioneer in generative AI, her outlook for the future of artificial intelligence, and her advice for aspiring Latina entrepreneurs.

In today's episode, Mariana speaks with Moses Lo, the founder and CEO of Xendit, a leading fintech company known as the Stripe of Southeast Asia. They discuss the growing entrepreneurial landscape in the region and the importance of resilience when building a business.

In this episode of It's More Than Grit, Mariana and Andrew sit down with Adolfo Babatz, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Clip. He discusses the early days of founding Clip, the challenges of attracting and retaining talent, and the efforts to promote financial inclusion in Mexico. As the founder of Mexico’s first payment unicorn, Adolfo also offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Adolfo Babatz is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Clip, Mexico's leading commerce and digital payment platform. Clip enables merchants in Mexico to accept all forms of payment, empowering them to engage and transact with their customers in a better way. Previously, Adolfo led the team that opened PayPal in Mexico before becoming Customer Engagement and New Product Development Manager for PayPal Latin America. Babatz currently sits on the board of Endeavor Mexico, the leading global community dedicated to catalyzing high-impact entrepreneurship in Mexico.

In this episode of It's More Than Grit, Eduardo della Maggiora, Founder and CEO of Betterfly, joins Mariana to discuss his journey of driving social change through Betterfly, a life insurance platform which helps individuals manage their well-being. He shares insights into the challenges entrepreneurs face in Latin America and talks about balancing Ironman training with leading his company.

Eduardo is the Founder and CEO of Betterfly, a leading technology company in the fintech and insurtech space, which became the first social unicorn in Latin America in 2022. He began his career at J.P. Morgan before moving to Tanzania to volunteer teaching English and Mathematics to primary school students. In 2022, he was awarded "Entrepreneur of the Year" in Chile by Ernst & Young; in 2022 and 2021 he was recognized among the 500 most influential people in Latin America by Bloomberg; in 2020 he was named “Entrepreneur of the Year 2020” by UDD; and in 2014 he was named one of Chile’s “100 leaders under 35” by El Mercurio. He has also represented Chile in six occasions at the Ironman World Championships.

In this episode of It's More Than Grit, Mariana and Andrew sit down with Dr. Parag Khanna, Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo. They discuss Southeast Asia's dynamic entrepreneurial landscape, highlighting Singapore as a global startup hub. Dr. Khanna also analyzes the intersection between entrepreneurship, AI, and climate.

Dr. Parag Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and best-selling author. He is Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, an AI-powered geospatial predictive location analytics platform. Dr. Khanna was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He was born in Kanpur, India and grew up in the United Arab Emirates, New York, and Germany.

In this episode of It’s More Than Grit, Mariana and Andrew sit down with Raj Koneru, CEO and Founder of Kore.ai, to explore Raj’s entrepreneurial journey. Raj discusses the challenges facing entrepreneurs in India, as well as the opportunities and risks associated with AI. He also offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the technology landscape.

Raj Koneru has been at the forefront of innovative solutions for global enterprises for more than 25 years. He is the CEO and Founder of Kore.ai, a leading provider of advanced AI technology. Before starting Kore.ai, Raj was the CEO and founder of Kony, a leader in cloud-based mobile app development. He also co-founded iTouchPoint, Seranova, and Intelligroup. Raj studied at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.

On this episode of It's More Than Grit, Linda Rottenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, joins Mariana and Andrew for a discussion on Linda’s journey to Endeavor. She highlights the qualities of a good entrepreneur and the regions she is most optimistic about. As a leader of the global entrepreneurship movement, Linda also shares advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Linda Rottenberg is one of the world’s premier voices on global entrepreneurship, technology, and business transformation. As Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, Linda helms the leading global community of, by, and for entrepreneurs. Endeavor selects, supports, and invests in founders across 40 countries. Linda also serves as President of Endeavor Catalyst, the rules-based investment arm of Endeavor, with $500M in AUM.