“Uno…dos…tres,” my Father would calmly count with his eyes fixed on the Colombian sky. Each number marked a second’s passing after the searing brightness of a lightning bolt. ”…cuatro…cinc-THERE!”…he would assert as the sound of Thunder reached us. Teaching me how to measure the strike-distance of lighting using time, my Father planted a seed of curiosity within me, at an early age.
As the millennium dawned, my parents made a pivotal decision, one that would take our entire family past the lighting and the mountains, past the Colombia skies, and into the sea-bounded world of South Florida.
What defined those early years in a foreign land was not just the pursuit of the American dream but the relentless effort, unwavering consistency, and sheer grit displayed by my Mom and Dad. They toiled day and night, working tirelessly to provide for my Siblings and I.
In those years, our mouths were always full of food, but more importantly, our eyes and minds were filled with the invaluable example of resilience and determination.
From those early days in Miami, I learned that drive and determination, combined with a good plan, can bridge any gap, which is a lesson I’ve carried with me throughout my life and career.
Reaching for a sky of Opportunities
Realizing that my parents’ consistent efforts indeed paid off filled me with a great sense of motivation and ambition. Their success was a testament to the belief that dreams were not distant stars but tangible constellations, waiting for us to reach out and grasp them.
Channeling my early fascination for the “Sonic Boom” that aircraft create as they brake the speed-of-sound barrier, I completed a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at at the University of Florida. While classrooms became my launching pad for technical knowledge, expanding my horizons and honing my problem-solving abilities, the most valuable lessons laid beyond the textbooks and lectures.
It was sharing living spaces and life experiences with individuals from different cultures and walks of life what enriched my understanding of the world. Conversations carried the fragrance of diverse perspectives, and I was immersed in a mosaic of traditions, beliefs, and customs. I realized that academic prowess was only part of the equation; it was the emotional intelligence developed through these unique experiences that would shape my journey ahead.
From Zero Gravity to Elevated Pressure
My undergrad era ended in a high note, literally. Imagine this – floating aboard NASA’s Parabolic Flight Plane diving through the skies, experiencing the weightlessness of space…it was part of a research experiment to classify Liquid Nitrogen’s behavior under zero-gravity.
After coming back to earth and graduating, I ventured into the corporate landscape, joining ExxonMobil to mange and optimize Rotating Equipment. It was in Gulf of Mexico’s harsh operating environment where I learned about the art of long-term thinking. Every piece of machinery had to be engineered with the foresight that it would continue to function for the next two decades.
Despite the wealth of knowledge I gained at ExxonMobil, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity about the dynamics of smaller, agile companies. This curiosity led me to Energy Recovery, where I helped evolve their flagship product, originally designed for the desalination industry, into a high-pressure fracking application.
Unparalleled Curiosity, Unlocked.
My journey continued at Energy Recovery as the R&D Program Manager, where I had to navigate the natural tensions that arise among different stakeholders – engineers, visionaries, investors, executives, and more. Balancing their diverse perspectives while aligning their incentives toward collective wins required my collective attention.
In an unexpected turn, an entirely new world began to capture my attention – the world of Bitcoin. This digital phenomenon awoke an intellectual curiosity in me like never before. It was more than just a cryptocurrency; it was a revolutionary concept that seamlessly blended technology, sociology, economics, and philosophy, for the first time in our history created Scarcity in the eve- growing vastness of our digital realm.
Bitcoin pulled me out of my intellectual comfort zone and thrust me into uncharted territories of thought. It challenged conventional notions about currency, decentralization, and the very essence of trust. Exploring this transformative technology became a personal mission, one that added a unique layer to my professional journey.
From Decentralization to Telecommunications
As my journey unfolded, I found myself at a fascinating intersection of decentralization and technology – a place where the core ethos of Bitcoin would be leveraged to revolutionize an industry ripe for change: Telecommunications.
It was here that Decentralized Wireless came into existence, introducing a groundbreaking approach to deploying, maintaining, and optimizing physical infrastructure in a decentralized, inventive-driven model.
This venture marked a significant milestone in the realm of blockchain and crypto technologies, as it boldly disrupted the conventional telecommunications model. For the first time, these emerging technologies were harnessed to redefine connectivity, and I was captivated by the possibilities.
Motivated by my passion for technology, innovation, and a deep-seated desire to create a better-connected world, I embarked on this transformative journey. My objective became clear – to utilize the latest advancements in technology to enhance connectivity on a global scale.
Creating a better connected Future
In 2022, I joined LongFi Solutions as co-founder to make my objective a reality.
Today, LongFi Solutions creates passive income streams for real estate asset owners through the deployment of small-cell antennas.
The result is a clear win-win scenario: Property owners see a substantial increase in their Net Operating Income (NOI) as they earn passive income from these strategically placed antennas. Meanwhile, cellphone users experience enhanced connectivity, enjoying more reliable service in more places, all at a more affordable rate.
As I look ahead, my commitment to creating a better-connected world remains unwavering, and I’m excited to see how this vision will continue to shape the future of telecommunications.
Today, I am more certain than ever that, Together, we will create a better-connected Future.
