Founder and CEO of Start up Buenos Aires (SUBA), Lisa Besserman is an active face in the global startup community. Lisa invested her entire life savings to fund Startup Buenos Aires which is now a self sustaining organization and a self funded company. SUBA is a community led organization that has completely transformed the startup ecosystem in Latin America. It has created a strong community, collaborative opportunities and tools for entrepreneurs, which hadn’t existed just a few short years ago.
Lisa was awarded the 2015 “Business Innovator of Latin America” by the Council of the Americas and was named among Business Insider’s “Top 100 most influential tech women on Twitter.”
Lisa says, “I initially moved to Buenos Aires on a short term basis, working remotely for a previous company, to avoid the New York City winter. Since it was originally only meant to be a 2 month trip, I decided on Buenos Aires because I wanted to go someplace warm and needed to be in a similar time zone to conduct business in the United States. As soon as I arrived to Buenos Aires, I fell in love with the city and realized an incredible opportunity to create a startup community, which is how the idea of Startup Buenos Aires was born.”
This interview is an attempt to capture what it takes to become a foreign entrepreneur against all the odds and how she has created a ripple effect in Latin America as far as the startup culture is concerned.
Pre-startup days
Lisa was directing the operations for a mobile app development startup in New York before conceptualizing the idea of Startup Buenos Aires. Passionate about traveling, she has been to about 50 countries and has worked with charities all around the world.
The Journey
Lisa says, “When I arrived to Buenos Aires, I didn’t have any contacts of friends in the city, so I thought the best way to meet likeminded people would be to get involved with the local startup community. I was surprised to see however, that there was none. All of the elements existed for a strong and vibrant startup ecosystem, however everything was severely fragmented and the landscape was difficult to navigate. Additionally, I was constantly meeting talented entrepreneurs, all lacking resources and a support system. I began to organically connect people within my network to the resources they needed, this is how the idea of Startup Buenos Aires was born. It was meant to be a place where people could go to connect and gain valuable resources for startup growth and advancement.”
After the first step came the requests, offers, volunteers and partnerships which made her start up a sensation virtually overnight. She further explains, “We realized we needed to focus on 3 major platforms in order to provide the most to members – education, community and resources.”
Lisa describes how her start up hosts educational courses and workshops for entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts. The classes range from learning how to code, to pitching to investors, to running a successful crowdfunding campaign, etc.
Lisa adds, “Community is where we tie the community together, both online and offline.” The start up hosts and curates events, and has created thus far the city’s only start up calendar, where people are able to submit events, host events and attend all under one roof. Additionally, it frequently partners with international organizations to bring global initiatives to the country of Argentina, such as hackathons, pitch competitions, start up week, etc. Startup Buenos Aires Team
The Obstacles Faced
When asked about the obstacles she faced in the pursuit of her success, she says, “Being a first time entrepreneur was a difficult role to assume. I’m what you would call an “accidental entrepreneur”. I had no previous desire or training to become an entrepreneur, however, I saw a problem and was crazy enough to think I could solve it. I believe that’s what being an entrepreneur is to the core, seeing a problem and doing everything you can to discover a solution.”
According to her, living in a foreign country and trying to navigate a new business culture without speaking the language was truly one of the biggest challenges. However, she acknowledges the fact that she had a strong team behind, and a community who understood foreign entrepreneurship. “Having a strong support system and leadership team is essential when it comes to overcoming obstacles as an entrepreneur”, she adds further.
Transforming the startup ecosystem
Startup Buenos Aires has changed the startup scene in Latin America, by bringing global startup initiatives, projects and investment opportunities to the region.
Lisa Says, “SUBA has brought so many opportunities to Latin America, it’s impossible to name. I guess I’m most proud of the growth and development we’ve accomplished in a short amount of time. Less than 3 years ago SUBA was just an idea, a crazy dream of mine, and now it’s a world recognized global organization that represents the startup, tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Knowing we’ve touched many lives, and have brought countless opportunities to the city makes me proud everyday. It’s an accomplishment of a lifetime.
Empowering girls to become leaders
When asked about what needs to be done to inspire more women to startup, she says, “I believe it should start at a young age, and we need to start empowering girls to become leaders and teach them to find their voice, and hone in on certain skills. Once we’re at that point, it’s important to create strong networks of women who support one another and provide mentorship. Women are notoriously strong leaders with innate multitasking and analytical skills. If we were to strengthen the bond between professional women and support one another in our endeavors, the world would see many more successful female role models and leaders in business and technology.”
Lisa’s inspiration
She attributes all her success to her mother who is the driving force behind all her accomplishments. She recalls, “Before I was born, my father was involved in a car accident that left him disabled. My mother held our family together emotionally and financially. She is the hardest worker I’ve ever seen, who fully dedicates herself to everything and everyone she loves. She’s raised three kids, taken care of our disabled father, and her mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s, while working full-time and supporting our entire family. Incredibly, she did it all with a smile and inspired us to not only accept challenges, but overcome obstacles to achieve our dreams. She’s the most positive and kind-hearted person I’ve ever met, and for these reasons she’s the most positive influence in my life, who I attribute my success to.”
Lisa’s advice to the readers
Lisa remarks, “One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to do things and ask for nothing in return. This can apply in life or business. Do things because it’s the right thing to do, and you want to help, not for a self serving agenda. You’d be surprised how many great things come back to you when you do things for the right reasons, and the desire to genuinely help someone in need.”
She further regards travel to be utmost fruitful. She shares, “See the world, experience other cultures, and gain an understanding of the world in which we’re living. It will surprise you how much valuable knowledge you can learn from travelling abroad. Travelling has opened my eyes and perspective in unimaginable ways and has provided me with a new insight of the world. Travelling has enriched me in ways both personally and professionally, that I’ve constantly utilized in my career and life.”
The Road Ahead
Envisioning SUBA to grow and have a strong presence throughout the rest of Argentina and Latin America, and to become a catalyst of the region’s growth, in terms of global startup ecosystems is what Lisa aspires to attain in the future.
SUBA website: www.startupbuenosaires.com
