“Every year more talented founders are challenging the traditional industrial framework with innovative endeavors”

LinkedIn: Rodrigo Villar Esquivel
Twitter: @rorrovillar

What do you do currently?
I am the Founding Partner at New Ventures. New Ventures is a platform that promotes the growth of green and social entrepreneurs through acceleration, investment and promotion.

How and when did you get involved with the Mexican entrepreneurial ecosystem?
I founded New Ventures 12 years ago as an acceleration program for green entrepreneurs. Through the years, New Ventures evolved to a more complex platform trying to keep growing the Impact Investing ecosystem in the region. New Ventures Group today is integrated by:

• Adobe Capital – Impact Investing Fund
• FLII – Main Impact Investing forum in Latin America
• Las Páginas Verdes – Sustainable goods and services directory
• Tiper – Sustainable Lifestyle Media Platform
• Ecofest – Largest green festival in Latin America
• New Ventures Acceleration Programs – More than 50 companies are accelerated through different programs in Latin America

How would you describe the ecosystem in Mexico?
The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Mexico is evolving very rapidly. Every year more talented founders are challenging the traditional industrial framework with innovative endeavors. Capital is now available and the incentives are much more aligned. The ecosystem still lacks good success stories.

What do you expect in the next 12 months?
Within the next 12 months many startups will start scaling up with the recent flow of new capital, programs and media coverage. Hopefully, success stories will start to emerge, secondary transactions will be backing up this success.

What are the main challenges?
The main challenges for the ecosystem is to prove that success stories are not just nice media story telling but financially profitable.

What change or result would bring the greatest benefits for the ecosystem?
We need to innovate in the way capital investments are deployed. There are very few exits and we have to remember that we are not Silicon Valley. Quasi Equity, mezzanine and convertible loans might be a good solution for the ecosystem.

Describe your typical day
My day starts backing up my wife to get our twin boys prepared to go to school. After dropping the kids at the school bus, I usually go for a morning run at the Viveros de Coyoacán. My days are always very different. New Ventures is a bit chaotic in that sense. I am wearing too many hats and I am involved in many boards. I love to pass from one meeting that could be a deal flow meeting with the team to a editorial meeting of Tiper.

Who is your favorite entrepreneur?
Elon Musk.

A recent book do you recommend?
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

A recent movie do you recommend?
Fight Club.

iOS or Android?
iOS.

Favorite App?
Duolingo.

Favorite social network?
Facebook.

Ideal vacation?
Snow skiing with my family.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?
Fundraise a $50 million target for our Adobe Fund II.

One word that describes you?
Intense.

Previous interview: Mario Valle