#57 Diego Noriega: Lessons from Founding 24 Companies

In this episode of Startuplinks, Ray interviews Diego Noriega, founder of SquadS Ventures. Diego shares his experience as an entrepreneur and mentor in the ecosystem, highlighting his obsession with entrepreneurial success and his focus on building healthier startups and founders. He discusses the importance of passion and madness in the startup world, as well as the key touchpoints and turning points in his entrepreneurial journey, including the failure of his parents’ mental health clinic and his experience as an entrepreneur at Devon.

Diego talks about his transition from mentor to company builder and his focus on the growth and expansion of companies. In particular, he focuses on the value propositions for Junior Founders, the importance of having a calling to be an entrepreneur, and how SquadS Ventures teaches methodologies and tools for learning. He also mentions the compensation structure for founders and the importance of developing a personal brand as an entrepreneur.

He also discusses the challenges of innovation in Latin America and the lack of success stories in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In the final part of the conversation, Diego emphasizes the importance of having a growth mindset, focusing on sales and business growth, and developing an aggressive commercial mindset while always maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude. He also criticizes the lack of focus on growth and sales among support organizations and chambers of commerce, and offers advice to young entrepreneurs, such as finding their purpose, prioritizing the personal over the professional, and always being positive and optimistic.

Key takeaways

• Passion and madness are key elements in the startup world.
• Failure can be a transformative experience and an opportunity to learn and grow.
• Support and mentorship are essential to entrepreneurs’ success.
• Focusing on growth and expansion is crucial for early-stage companies. Having a calling to be an entrepreneur is important for success in business.
• SquadS Ventures offers concrete value propositions for Junior Founders, teaching methodologies, playbooks, and tools for learning.
• The compensation structure for founders includes fixed compensation, variable compensation based on sales, and an equity component.
• Developing a personal brand as an entrepreneur is essential from day one.
• The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Latin America faces challenges with innovation and a lack of success stories.
• Having a growth mindset and executing brilliantly are important for entrepreneurial success. Develop a growth mindset and focus on sales and business growth.
• Be aggressive in sales without making empty promises.
• Support organizations and chambers of commerce lack a focus on growth and sales.
• Find your purpose and become the best version of yourself.
• Prioritize the personal over the professional.
• Be the most positive and optimistic person in the room.

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