Rompiendo Precedente: Bismarck Lepe on Breaking Barriers from the Fields to Google to Founding Mi Salud Health
In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan is joined by Bismarck Lepe, a serial entrepreneur who has shattered conventions at every stage of his life. From growing up as the child of Mexican migrant workers to becoming a Stanford graduate and an early Google employee, Bismarck shares his incredible journey of resilience, innovation, and leadership. He discusses his early entrepreneurial ventures, the lessons learned at Google, and the groundbreaking work of his companies, including Ooyala, WiseLine, and MiSalud. With profound expertise in business, technology, and seizing opportunity, Bismarck provides an inspiring perspective on how vision and perseverance can transform industries.
Guest Bio and Links:
Bismarck Lepe, founder and Executive Chairman of Wizeline, is a seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor. As an early Google employee, he left to start Ooyala, an online video platform that sold for $400 million to Telstra in 2014. Passionate about economic growth and education, he has helped transform Guadalajara into a thriving tech hub through Wizeline Academy and StartupGDL, generating over 1,500 jobs and attracting significant investment. Under his leadership, Wizeline expanded to seven countries, with talent spanning 15 nations. For over a decade, he has been a key force in fostering Mexico-Silicon Valley collaboration in technology and entrepreneurship.
Listeners can learn more about Bismarck Lepe on LinkedIn @BismarckLepe
MiSalud Health - Designed For Spanish-First Teams on the Move
Show Notes:
(0:00) Intro
(2:45) Leah introduces Bismarck Lepe,
(4:00) Bismarck’s early life and background
(8:30) Educational journey and parental sacrifices
(10:15) Starting roots in Southern California and Mexico
(14:00) Learning English through Sesame Street & Mr. Rogers
(17:00) Cultural identity & navigating assimilation
(23:30) Path to Stanford University and a life-changing conversation
(30:30) Joining Google and the Acquisition of YouTube
(35:00) Founding Ooyala
(35:30) Early failures and lessons learned
(41:00) The 2008 financial crisis and its impact
(46:00) WizeLine - building tech talent in Mexico
(51:15) ”Talent is evenly distributed around the world. It's just opportunity and experience that isn't.”
(53:30) Founding MiSalud - revolutionizing healthcare access
(1:04:30) Changing perceptions of Mexico & Latinx talent
(1:06:30) ”Here we were, as a brand, we were a vehicle to change the perception of Mexicans. People weren't talking about soccer players or tequila or mariachi, they were talking about intellectual property that Mexicans were building.”
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Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.
Connect with Leah:
Website: breakingprecedent.com/
Instagram: @labunleashed
