San Francisco, California

Through the Innova Lab program by the Secretaría de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico, Canacintra Chihuahua and Startup Chihuahua, we embarked on a journey to the heart of entrepreneurship: Silicon Valley 🌟

At Ferter, we take pride in being part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Chihuahua. We had the opportunity to attend the Startup Grind Global event, one of the world's largest communities of startups, founders, innovators, and investors. Additionally, we visited SRI, a global leader in R&D, as well as Plug and Play Tech Center, a global innovation platform and startup accelerator, and Y Combinator, one of the most renowned startup accelerators and venture capital firms in the world.

It's both an honor and a source of motivation for us to connect with entities that strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem. 🌱

Here are 7 key takeaways from our experience

⏱️ Act Quickly, Adapt Constantly: In a dynamic business environment, the ability to quick action and adaptability is crucial. Delaying until you feel fully prepared risks falling behind; by then, others may have already taken the lead. Take action and do it quickly.

🔄 Stay Relevant, Explore Uniqueness: It's crucial to keep pace with trends to stay relevant in the market. Not losing the ability to explore opportunities to find uniqueness and consistently deliver value.

🤝 Embrace Mentorship, and Welcome Feedback: Highly recommended to seek mentors and accept constructive feedback without taking offense. A mentor is crucial. Just as top athletes rely on coaches, entrepreneurs benefit from mentors who offer guidance and support.

🌟 Lead with Vision: Visionary leadership and the ability to learn on the fly to stay competitive. Leaders may not have all the answers; they learn as they go, but must maintain a clear objective.

📚 Craft Compelling Narratives: Incorporating customer-centric design strategies and developing clear business cases, coupled with the art of storytelling, to effectively convey the real value of their business.

🚧 Address Issues Early: The cost of development escalates over time; it's wiser to address issues early on rather than waiting until you have a fully mature product.

📊 Maintain Realistic Perspective: As venture capitalists, it's our duty to keep our heads on straight and do our homework (no shortcuts allowed!), we must maintain a grounded perspective. While entrepreneurs excel at inspiring us with their ideas, it's our responsibility to realistically evaluate factors such as the scope of opportunities, the capabilities of the team, and the size of the market, we can make informed investment decisions and support the success of both the entrepreneurs and our investments.

‍“Visión without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare”