On Monday, July 24th, UVG’s “Semana Emprende” (Entrepreneurship Week) began with a presentation given by Sofía Castillo, a Forbes recognized entrepreneur and co-founder / CEO of Core Code. The presentation was delivered to UVG students and was entitled “The importance of starting a business when you’re young”. Core Code is a tech company that offers a variety of tools for Central American companies to support and advance the technological skills of their staff.

During her presentation, Ms. Castillo shared her story as a young entrepreneur, and offered advice on how to address the complex challenges entrepreneurs face at start-ups, including self-doubt due to being young or lack of experience. To overcome these obstacles, Ms. Castillo advised that one must transform uncertainty into a positive mindset by asking questions like, “What do I need to be the person who can achieve this?”

Ms. Castillo also shared that, in her experience, adopting a mentality of learning and experimentation has been fundamental to advancement in her chosen field. Ms. Castillo also shared that, when beginning a new project, she maintains the mindset of “this works, otherwise we pivot or we set sail for something new”, which also aligns with her overall recommendations of transforming doubt and uncertainty into positive approaches.  She believes that being an entrepreneur means looking to do new things, in new ways, while seeking to impact the world in ways that have not been previously achieved.

Ms. Castillo shared three additional tips for people who are interested in becoming, or already are, entrepreneurs: 

1. Clean the room: remove items from your environment that divert focus from the primary objective. 
2. Explore your mission and superpowers: experiment with your talents to  learn how you can contribute to your team.
3. Identify your support: surround yourself with people who are aligned with your vision and values.

Ms. Castillo concluded that in order to excel in any field, approximately 10,000 hours must be invested, for which she urged all young people to start their venture right away.

Another highlight of the event was a talk given by Brenda García, Manager for the Exporter Route at AGEXPORT. Ms. García provides support to entrepreneurs and small business owners to access international markets. In her role,  she has supported more than 400 entrepreneurs on their path into international markets through assessments, training programs, assistance to obtain permits and licenses, and providing access to their e-learning platform.

Ms. Garcia offered three crucial steps to entrepreneurs looking to start a business: 

1. complete all legal registration requirements for the venture, 
2. enhance product or service quality and obtain  relevant certifications, 
3. develop strong knowledge of international commercialization 

Ms. Garcia invited entrepreneurs with an interest in expanding their business internationally to request more information about her program (brenda.garcia@agexport.org.gt).

To conclude the activity, Jorge Mario García, Director of the ASPIRE project’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation component, invited UVG students to continue participating in the activities throughout “Semana Emprende”. This week-long activity was organized by the UVG Emprende Club and the ASPIRE project. Mr. García hopes the week provides participants with inspiration and tools for their own entrepreneurial journey.

About ASPIRE

ASPIRE is a five-year, $15 million project, funded by USAID, and implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT). This partnership leverages existing assets and brings together new methods of expansion for the innovation, research, and entrepreneurship capacities of higher education institutions in Latin America. The project will create a replicable, world-class model for how higher education institutions and their collaborators in the private sector, government, and local communities can address local and regional development challenges.