From Air Force Mechanic to $25M Fintech Founder
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Your Pitch Deck Probably Sucks...
For most first-time founders, the idea of a pitch deck sounds easy, but I often get decks with "v43" in the filename, implying it's the 43rd iteration of a deck 😖
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The Underdog Founder with Edrizio dela Cruz
Join us as we sit down with Edrizio dela Cruz, founder of Arcus (formerly Regalii), a fintech company that revolutionized bill payments in Latin America. Edrizio shares his journey from Air Force mechanic to Wall Street, and ultimately to successful tech entrepreneur. He offers candid insights into founding, funding, and selling a startup. It's a real underdog-to-man-on-top story.
Edrizio emphasizes the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and maintaining conviction in your vision, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Drawing from his experience, Edrizio provides great advice for founders at various stages of their journey, making this episode a must-listen for any tech entrepreneur.
- 02:54 Edrizio's background and the genesis of Arcus
- 06:28 The Y Combinator experience and early funding challenges
- 11:34 Pivoting the business model and subsequent growth
- 16:22 Navigating the Series A fundraising process
- 24:54 The decision to sell to Mastercard
- 29:17 Behind-the-scenes of the acquisition process
- 31:19 Edrizio's post-acquisition journey and new ventures
- 32:30 The Founder School and supporting diverse tech founders
- 37:36 Common mistakes early-stage founders make
- 39:37 Edrizio's unique approach to pitch deck
ABOUT EDRIZIO DELA CRUZ
Edrizio dela Cruz is a Dominican-born entrepreneur and fintech innovator. After immigrating to the US at age 12, he served in the Air Force as an airplane mechanic before transitioning to Wall Street and then pursuing his MBA at Wharton. Edrizio founded Regalii (later rebranded as Arcus) to address inefficiencies in cross-border money transfers and bill payments in Latin America.
Under Edrizio's leadership, Arcus raised over $25 million in funding and was ultimately acquired by Mastercard. His journey from immigrant to successful tech founder has been documented in his book, "The Underdog Founder."
Currently, Edrizio runs The Founder School, a 12-week program dedicated to helping diverse tech professionals launch successful startups. Drawing from his experience in founding, scaling, and selling a tech company, he's passionate about creating opportunities for underrepresented founders in the tech ecosystem.
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