Who Are the Ambitious Rebels?
By Consuelo Valverde
My path here began long before I entered venture.
When I graduated from college at the age of 20 and moved back to Mexico, I was looking for a job as an electrical engineer. All job postings were for men 25 years and older—and I was neither. People tried to put me in a box. I resisted. And ultimately, I had to create my own opportunity. I founded a PC manufacturing company. That experience shaped everything that followed.
I became an ambitious rebel.
Since then, I’ve been an entrepreneur at the intersection of science, technology, and big challenges that impact the lives of millions—building companies, launching science museums, creating innovation centers, and helping grow ecosystems. Each venture taught me something fundamental: the world’s biggest problems require people willing to break the mold.
At Endurance28, we back ambitious rebels early on. Entrepreneurs that are like me, that resist being put in a box, solving some of the world’s biggest challenges in climate, health, and digital economy. The world needs these entrepreneurs more than ever.
Why Now?
The next decade will demand resilient, clear-minded builders who rebel against the status quo. We’re facing climate disruption, healthcare crises, and digital transformation at unprecedented scale. The solutions will come from unexpected places—from founders who don’t have access to traditionally strong, mature ecosystems or dominant VC networks. Instead, the ambitious rebels possess something more valuable: the motivation of a greater cause and the relentless commitment and grounded confidence to solve our most pressing problems, often creating their own opportunities along the way.
They question the status quo to create transformational change, standing on conviction while moving with discipline and resilience.
The ambitious rebels don’t just build companies, they create the future. And we are here to back them.
The Spirit of the Ambitious Rebel
What defines these entrepreneurs? It’s not just ambition—it’s a particular kind of rebellious spirit combined with unwavering execution. Here’s what we see:
- Underdog founders motivated by a greater cause. They don’t build companies for fame or quick exits. They’re driven by problems that keep them up at night, challenges that affect millions of lives.
- Resilience. When the world says no, they find another way. When funding dries up, they bootstrap. When they don’t understand their customers well enough, they iterate until they do.
- Grounded confidence. Not arrogance, but deep conviction backed by evidence and execution. They know what they don’t know, but they’re certain about their mission.
- Hunger. An insatiable appetite for progress, for solving the next piece of the puzzle, for making meaningful impact.
- No fear of failure. “You can’t have a huge success unless you will probably fail,” says Gary Cantrell, creator of The Barkley Marathons. The Ambitious Rebels understand that failure is learning, and that success represents the 1% of your work which results from the 99% that is called failure.
- Relentless commitment. They possess a quiet force that refuses to yield—showing up, again and again, long after motivation fades and the world has stopped watching.
- Growth mindset. They’re always learning, always evolving, always pushing beyond their current capabilities.
- Values and work ethic from childhood. Their foundation was built early—often through adversity—creating an unshakeable core and a tireless work ethic that sustains them through the entrepreneurial journey.
How Ambitious Rebels Execute
The ambitious rebel’s approach to building companies is unconventional. They operate with a different playbook:
- Frugal fundraising rounds. They raise what they need, when they need it. Capital efficiency isn’t just financial discipline—it’s strategic advantage.
- Skip funding rounds. Sometimes the best round is the one you don’t raise. In some stages, especially for high-margin businesses, revenue can be better for growth than raising a VC round.
- Fame isn’t motivation. They’re not building for TechCrunch headlines or conference stages. They’re building for impact.
- Open-minded approach. Rigid plans break. Flexible execution wins. They pivot when the market demands it, but never lose sight of their mission.
- Adaptive execution. The market teaches them daily. They listen, learn, and adjust course while maintaining forward momentum.
- Do more with less. Constraints breed creativity. Limited resources force innovation and efficiency that well-funded competitors can’t match.
- Decisive action. Analysis paralysis kills momentum. They gather quality information quickly, make decisions confidently, and adjust course when needed.
- Rapid learning. Every customer conversation, every failed experiment, every small victory teaches them something vital about their market and their solution.
Our Commitment
At Endurance28, we recognize ambitious rebels because we are ambitious rebels. We understand the lonely moments, the resource constraints, the pressure to conform to traditional paths. We know what it takes to build something meaningful from nothing.
Our support is deep and enduring. We don’t just write checks—we stand alongside these founders through the inevitable ups and downs, providing the patience, perspective, and partnership that ambitious rebels need to change the world.
The ambitious rebels aren’t just entrepreneurs—they’re the builders who see opportunity where others see obstacles, who create breakthroughs where others accept limitations.
The ambitious rebels are who we back. This is why we exist.
