Networks in Action: Driving Economic Growth Through Community Ecosystems

Key Insights & Timestamps:

• [00:00]: Podcast begins
• [01:03]: Builders + Backers’ Texas Community Fund with Director Marisa Vickers
• [05:04]: Startup scrappiness & what experiments are being run with $5k pebble funding
• [08:02] Your network is your net worth with Tech Bloc CEO Ileana Gonzalez
• [14:43] Curating an investment ecosystem for LatAm & San Antonio startups
• [20:01] Putting San Antonio on the investment map with Alamo Angel’ Sebastian Garzon
• [24:27] Investing in LatAm companies & the importance of a diversified, global portfolio
• [30:20] Future innovations in entrepreneurship with Wealth Visionaries Collective’s Arooj Sheikh
• [32:48] Creating optimistic future conversations by studying ancient civilizations

Guest Spotlight:

Marisa Vickers, Director of Global Brand Growth at Builders + Backers

Combining her roles as VP of the Board of Directors for Texas Venture Alliance and Director of Global Brand Growth at Builders + Backers, Marisa is forging a future for Texas entrepreneurs with the upcoming Texas Community Fund. With her eyes on diverse leaders and female founders, Marisa and Builders + Backers are catalyzing innovation by providing $5,000 in funding for experiments to founders, business owners, and entrepreneurs to test their tech and show their products work.

Key Takeaways:

• Builders + Backers CEO Donna Harris is helping Marisa and her team mobilize funding in Texas and has officially started fundraising for the Texas Community Fund
• The Texas Community Fund will take $1 to $3 million to fully support, and those funds come from tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government
• Recipients of the initial $5,000 use this funding to conduct experiments with their startup or business. This funding can later be increased to $10,000 if the startup enters a growth phase. Funding is controlled for certain uses, and the hope is that this money will increase opportunities for innovators to prove their ideas to investors and customers.

Resources Mentioned:
Builders + Backers | buildersandbackers.com, Texas Venture Alliance | texasventurealliance.org

Connect with Marisa Vickers:

• LinkedIn

Guest Spotlight:

Ileana Gonzalez, CEO at Tech Bloc

With a background in entrepreneurship as an operator, Ileana is focused on building a community that connects startup founders and investors in San Antonio and beyond. Through both in-person and virtual events, Tech Bloc activates the innovation ecosystem in San Antonio to make the city a tech hub that appeals to founders nationwide and internationally in LatAm. San Antonio is a global city and Ileana hopes Tech Bloc’s curated events and investment matchmaking will make the difference in success that the city needs to thrive alongside the likes of Austin and Houston.

Key Takeaways:

• Activating the San Antonio ecosystem involves connecting San Antonio founders and investors to the rest of Texas and beyond, especially focusing on countries close in proximity like Mexico.
• Tech Bloc aims to go back to basics and curate the resources that entrepreneurs and investors need to make deals in San Antonio strong and more profitable.
• In terms of demographics, resources, and access, San Antonio should be considered a top city for LatAm founders alongside Miami. San Antonio has the resources and is a more cost-effective city than Miami, which can help LatAm startups grow faster and de-risk investments.

Resources Mentioned:
Tech Bloc | satechbloc.com

Connect with Ileana Gonazlez:

• LinkedIn

Guest Spotlight:

Sebastian Garzon, Executive Director at Alamo Angels

Born in Columbia, Sebastian brings a global perspective to his work with Alamo Angels. Alamo Angels, previously the San Antonio Angel Network, is a network of 140 accredited investors. Most recently, Alamo Angels have focused on their partnership with Velocity Texas and investment opportunities in Latin America, where innovation is ramping up and tech talent is exceeding expectations.

Key Takeaways:

• San Antonio has become an underrated hotspot of medical innovation and life science investments, with 4 prestigious medical research institutions headquartered in the city.
• Alamo Angels is backed by and integrated with Velocity Texas, which allows them to have more resources for marketing and accounting than a traditional angel network.
• Latin American (or LatAm) investments are a huge opportunity for Alamo Angels and they see a promising future in the tech talent and skills coming out of LatAm. Alamo Angels can invest in LatAm companies when those companies form an entity in the US or the Cayman Islands.

Resources Mentioned:
Alamo Angels | alamoangels.com

Connect with Sebastian Garzon:

• LinkedIn

Guest Spotlight:

Arooj Sheikh, Founder & Futurist at Wealth Visionaries Collective

Visionary entrepreneur Arooj Sheikh brings a unique approach to important conversations about funding and investing in the future we want to build. With Wealth Visionaries Collective, Arooj builds a community of family offices, institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and other high-level capital allocators. WVC creates a vision of an optimistic and abundant future where capital allocation is discussed intelligently and purposefully.

Key Takeaways:

• Wealth Visionaries Collective hosts in-person and virtual events that aim to educate and inspire capital allocators to open up greater pools of capital to things that shape the future positively.
• Conversations about past civilizations help event participants and community members understand the predictability of human behavior, even in the face of exponential technologies.
• Maintaining an optimistic view of the future is vital for investors and capital allocators because it inspires action and helps to shift the perspective of others in favor of investing in technology like AI that changes the world and shapes future societies.

Resources Mentioned:
Wealth Visionaries Collective | arooj.me/wealth-visionaries-collective

Connect with Arooj Sheikh:

• LinkedIn
• Arooj.me