E138: Why Portugal's Best Companies Haven't Been Built Yet | Ricardo Mesquita, Endeavor

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Perception Paradox. My name is Živilė and I'm your host. And today we're up for another treat, a great episode with an entrepreneur and founding managing director of Endeavor Portugal, a global community of high-impact entrepreneurs present in 45-plus markets, Ricardo Mesquita. And Ricardo is, together with Endeavor Portugal, on a mission to help build a strong, supportive, and globally connected entrepreneurial ecosystem in Portugal by selecting and servicing high-growth entrepreneurs by providing global exposure and increased international reach to top funders and their companies. They are fostering opportunities to pay it forward to the local economy and nurture the entire ecosystem. And prior to Endeavor, he has launched and managed new ventures in Europe and the United States, and helped design and deliver corporate innovation programs and boot camps in multiple geographies. Interested in the intersection of technology, education, and data, his daily learning happens by working with diverse and multidisciplinary teams engaged in doing a great job through the power of initiative and collaboration. He's a self-starter and a lifelong learner, also an active mentor, investor, and advisor. So I remember one of the things that struck me when we met with Ricardo, I think we were attending the 500 Global dinner in Lisbon during the Web Summit, he was also so multicultural. Like, that's insane, his experience living literally all over the world. We touch base kind of three topics, three themes. One of them is about his global experience and local approach because, you know, he has this operator, investor lens, ecosystem builder, and really a great overview what actually makes companies and ecosystems work. And also, like, we touch base on the ecosystems and communities. It doesn't just happen when people gather. We need, like, people to engage, to contribute, to connect, pay-pay it forward, and Ricardo is an ambassador of that, so that's one of the topics, uh, we're definitely covering. And one more, we dive into building businesses in Portugal, and especially why now, and Portugal beyond, in general, the lifestyle narrative and what's happening, what are the initiatives right now, and how can it become, uh, a country creating a great space for founders to build. So yeah, an episode packed full of some great wisdom, content, and I hope you enjoy it. So let's dive in. [laughs] [upbeat music] Real people, real stories, and real challenges that break the status quo. I'm your host, Živilė, and welcome to the Perception Paradox. [upbeat music] Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Ricardo to the podcast. Hi, Ricardo. How are you today?

Hey. Hey, Živilė. I'm good. How are you?

I'm good. You strike me as a person who is, like, between continents. You're always on the road. You're always kind of creating, building, gathering people. Tell me, how do you do that? Like, what's your secret? Why do you look fresh right now even though you had, like, literally [laughs] incredibly busy two weeks?

Uh, well, I wish I was as fresh as, uh, as, as you say I look. It's... I think it's, it's practice. I think practice helps