michael Julve
from sleeping on the floor to successful exit
Michael Julve, Cofounder of Builtfirst and GoGrow
Winning Venture Studio worked with Michael Julve Cofounder of Builtfirst in the 12 months before he and his company went on to successfully exit to AppDirect, the world’s leading commerce platform.
Growing up, Michael Julve would have never guessed he would start two tech companies, and would have sold one at the age of 28. He thought it was more likely that he would be a third generation police officer, like his father and grandfather before him. Which is exactly why he now advocates for non traditional and under represented founders, because they have the drive to over perform. As the son of Latino immigrants, Michael gained an understanding of the need for tenacity and resilience when starting all over again, in a new country.
Before his startup journey and while working in a used car lot to pay his tuition, while under multiple scholarships, Michael graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University. He also went through serving in the US Marine Corps Reserve for 6 years as an Intelligence Specialist, and credits this as being key to his entrepreneurial journey.
Immigrant Roots
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On podcasts like Entrepreneur, Michael outlines an inspiring case for why venture capitalists and angels should be looking to immigrants and minority founders for the next wave of potential unicorns. Michael relies on data, citing; in 2022 immigrants had created more than half (319 of 582, or 55%) of America’s startup companies valued at $1 billion or more. Drawing on this, Michael champions similar results for the coming generations, reasoning that with more investor focus and backing, the future is looking to diversity.
Michael underscores the importance of human grit in overcoming adversity and challenges and why these qualities are parallel and prevalent in both immigrants, and the highest performing entrepreneurs. In his formative years, Michael worked 2 jobs while sleeping on the floor, and underscores why grit is an entrepreneurial mindset. When speaking in the tech community, he tells success stories of the most inspiring immigrants, veterans, women and POC business owners, and how they have blazed a path for the new generation rising now.
Why Adversity is Key for Innovation