05. Lucas Olmedo (Fligoo)

In this episode I talk to Lucas Olmedo, founder and CEO of Fligoo. 

Fligoo is a global technology company established in San Francisco in 2013. With more than 7 years of experience in Advanced Analytics and Decision Science, Fligoo develops intelligent solutions based on a proprietary algorithm framework used by global leaders in the Financial Services, FMCG, and Retail industries. With offices around the globe in San Francisco, New York, Sao Paulo and Cordoba, Fligoo is currently one of the fastest growing Artificial Intelligence companies in the world.

In this episode, we deep dive in his trajectory. We talk his upbringing in Argentina, his decision to move to San Francisco, and the challenges he's facing while building Fligoo.

Here are some of the questions I asked him:

• How was growing up in Argentina?
• When did it became clear to you should found a company?
• When building a startup, most Americans look up to the typical successful tech entrepreneur. Reid Hoffman, Ben Horowitz, Paul Graham, etc. Did you look up to any entrepreneur from LatAm?
• How was founding Fligoo?
• At one point, you decided to move from Argentina to San Francisco because the local market there was too small. How was that decision?
• How challenging was the process of settling in San Francisco and starting to build the company from there?
• One of your partners is from Peru. You have multiple Brazilian employees. And offices in San Francisco, New York, and London. How did building a globally diverse company from day one influenced your thinking?
• San Francisco is great because of the people who live there. However, that comes with a cost. Hiring is more expensive, the best employees have multiple offers, and the rent and cost of living are high. Did you ever regret moving to San Francisco?
• Walk us through some of the most challenging problems you faced while building Fligoo.
• Who are the mentors who are guiding you in the current challenges you're facing?
• You're probably a different CEO today than you were when you start Fligoo. What did you learn since then?
• Which topics, subjects, and hobbies you dedicate your free time to?
• You'll focus on Fligoo for the next years or decades. However, which kinds of projects do you picture yourself putting energy on besides Fligoo in the future?