Odds on Open

While many bright minds have their sights set on Silicon Valley, founder Earl Valencia’s vision is set elsewhere: emerging markets, regions like Southeast Asia or Africa where the population is young, where standard national GDP growth is between 5-10%, and where there’s “ so much opportunity still to make change,” he says. Plentina, Earl’s last venture, did exactly that. He raised $5 million for the buy-now-pay later startup servicing emerging markets, and exited successfully in 2024. Before his work as a startup founder, he’s worked at places like Bridgewater Associates, Charles Scwab, and Cisco. The lessons from all these experiences come together in his latest book, Startup Mindsets (Random House SEA). On the Build to Last podcast, Earl shares with Ethan how—and why—he built a career around emerging markets and what it takes to succeed in a region where the only way is up. You can find Earl on LinkedIn, or purchase his book here.

For Kirk McKinney, the idea for starting a business “was an accident.” One a bicycle trip to the dump in his hometown of Westwood, MA led to the business concept for Junk Teens, a youth-led junk removal business he founded at age 15. Five years after their launch, Junk Teens is now making over $1.3 million in annual revenue, and Kirk has been featured in places like the Boston Globe, CBS News, and Entrepreneur Magazine. On the Build to Last podcast, Kirk shares his junk-to-riches story. He also talks about his long-term vision for Junk Teens, the values that propel his business forward, and (as a student at Babson College) the dilemmas and challenges of a student-entrepreneur. Find Junk Teens on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.