Hey Changemakers,
A few years ago, I took a leap, left my tech job in Silicon Valley and moved to Vietnam.
It was thrilling, uncomfortable, and a little wild—basically everything they don’t tell you about finding your way as an aspiring entrepreneur.
Being surrounded by bold ASEAN leaders building meaningful businesses and commanding colorful lives made me think.
What is that one key ingredient to entrepreneurship?
In school, we are always taught to craft the perfect plan, have the right business model, follow the 10-step success formulas.
We’ve completely forgotten why we started building in the first place—to chase what excites us, to make an impact, and to create something that pushes beyond the status quo.
In the end, every breakthrough needs one thing more than anything else… Fearlessness.
But FIRST
If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks:
|
|
🎨
Best tools for building your passion project
Read More →
|
|
|
We met Carmina Bayombong back in OCE 2023 cohort. She is the founder and CEO of InvestED and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
Her story inspired me to change how I approach business. Maybe they’ll do the same for you.
At 23, Carmina Bayombong made a choice that few would dare to consider. With just $500 in her bank account, she left her secure job to build a company that would make education accessible to thousands of Filipino students.
Her dream? A scaled solution to one of her country’s biggest challenges. The journey was anything but easy.
Carmina came from a middle-class family with no wealthy backers, she couldn’t rely on family funds or school connections like many others. Venture capital was also scarce in the Philippines.
In 2016, most investors demanded massive equity—often up to 30%—for a modest contribution of $5000. “Idea stage” funding simply wasn’t a possibility, especially for a young founder without any social capital or elite credentials.
So, she took matters into her own hands, working up to four jobs at once to keep her startup, InvestED, alive. Living on $200 a month for two years, Carmina pushed forward without outside funding or the safety nets most American entrepreneurs take for granted.
Then came an unexpected offer: her mother offered her life savings—$10,000—to allow Carmina to work on InvestED full-time.
Carmina initially refused, knowing this was her mother’s retirement fund. But her mother persisted, believing that InvestED’s mission mattered more than her savings.
That night, Carmina gained not only her first investor but also the strength to move forward.
Today, InvestED has disbursed over $2 million in student loans, raised $4.5 million in funding, and is on track to become a key player in the $3 billion Philippine student loan market.
Carmina’s journey underscores a powerful truth: fearlessness in the face of limited resources and systemic obstacles is the lifeblood of true innovation.
“That moment with my mother will stay with me forever,” Carmina reflects. “Words can’t express how hard it is to have a big vision with little support, but journeys like this are worth it. I know mine is.”
Now let’s be real for a sec.
In America, we’ve got everything handed to us. Food shows up at our door. Work gets done on our laptops. And if we need a small loan? We turn to credit cards.
But here’s the thing: we’ve gotten soft. We don’t climb mountains anymore. We play it safe, taking minimum risk by pushing numbers on PowerPoint slides.
When was the last time you actually struggled?
Did something so scary that you felt like giving up?
Woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because your mind’s racing with ideas so big, they literally pull you out of bed?
What if success isn’t even the goal? Just trying is.
Like what you read? Share with friends!
PS. This summer, we are going to tackle pressing global issues and drive innovation in regions (such as your own community) where it is needed the most. Want in?
We run a summer cohort for ambitious youth (high school and undergrads) to work directly with world-class founders while learning from Silicon Valley leaders.
You can also explore purposeful opportunities through our Impact Internship Opportunities Database.
Get Curious.
|
Lena
https://www.openclassroomexperience.com/
