• Entrepreneur: we look for leaders capable of inspiring generations of founders to come – the future Marcos Galperin (of Mercado Libre, the Argentine marketplace worth almost $100B) or Hooi Ling Tan (of the $18B South East Asian superapp Grab). Role models who pave the way for others are the basis for Endeavor's magic, so it all starts with the human. Ambition, transparency, openness, and capability are non-negotiables.
  
  
• Business: Will this business scale fast enough to create large-scale wealth and jobs? Entrepreneurs can put anybody under a spell, so when we find a remarkable individual, we look to pair that with the kind of numbers that carry a company far. Defensibility, scalability, and a clear growth strategy are essential.
  
  
• Timing: Is it ready to scale tenfold? Entrepreneurs like to think in the future, whereas panelists (seasoned mentors responsible for evaluating the candidates) often ground themselves in the present. By the time they get to the final step, founders have been thoroughly vetted on the first two sides, so timing plays a much bigger role. Does today's reality match the vision? Is the market ripe for the growth they're shooting for? Can the entrepreneur successfully articulate all that and benefit from our support?

The Selection Triangle highlights the three critical dimensions of high-impact entrepreneurs, but it is not always an equilateral shape. That's because the “who” is at the center. No business survives on charisma and no candidate can hide behind a charming smile.

The journey brings founders face-to-face with mentors and panelists from around the world and is meant to add as much as it evaluates.

Through several panels with the Endeavor team and mentors, entrepreneurs are forced to think critically about their vision, model, strategy, and metrics.

It all culminates in the International Selection Panel (ISP), where each candidate is individually interviewed by six mentors in our global community with diverse backgrounds that complement the company's industry, geography, or both. All six must reach a unanimous decision.

For the first time, we’re seeing the ex-employee of an existing Endeavor Entrepreneur become one themselves in Nigeria. Ridwan Olalere previously worked at  Flutterwave, an Endeavor-supported company that is now worth $3B as Africa’s most valuable scale-up.

Ridwan and his cofounder, Rian Cochran, started LemFi, which has already captured 5% of Africa’s remittance inflows and expanded beyond the continent. LemFi has one million registered users in diaspora communities across Europe and North America, who send $1B monthly to emerging markets including China, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

 
Not only is Ridwan a part of a “startup mafia” — early employees of successful startups who leverage their expertise as operators to start and scale their own startups — but LemFi employees are already forming their own companies. Truly the Endeavor Multiplier Effect in action!

What did you think of this month’s newsletter?

Please let us know what you think by replying directly to this email. We read every reply.

➡️ Struggling with distractions? Nir Eyal reveals a four-step method to stay focused in the age of remote work and AI.

➡️ Discover how Mercado Libre is keeping Amazon at bay in Argentina, despite Amazon’s new shipping rates.

➡️ Meet the Colombian Endeavor Entrepreneur driving some of the most-streamed series of the past decade.

➡️ Catch our very own Allen Taylor on the J Curve Podcast as he discusses how US IPOs can unlock billions for Latin American startups.