Pedro Lopez: From Entrepreneur to VC

In this episode of the Connect Podcast, Shane kicks off the VC & Private Investor series with Pedro, Managing Partner of Freezone Capital. Pedro has spent 30 years as an entrepreneur, building 20 companies across industries like biotech, marketing, cannabis, and space tech. After selling his company builder, he shifted into venture capital — with a bold focus: funding deep tech startups at the earliest stages in the Global South. Pedro shares insights on reverse innovation, coaching leaders, surviving disruption, and applying frameworks like Jobs-to-be-Done and Exponential Organizations. The conversation blends personal lessons, global perspectives, and practical advice for founders and investors alike.

What You’ll Learn

• Pedro’s Entrepreneurial Path: From fixing problems in high school to launching 20 diverse companies.
• Transition to VC: Why selling his company builder led him to back pre-seed and seed deep tech ventures.
• Reverse Innovation: How IP and talent returning to the Global South is disrupting the Global North.
• Coaching 15,000 Leaders: The magic of mindset shifts and “penny drop” moments.
• Surviving Disruption: Why value creation matters more than hype when adopting AI or fintech.
• Jobs-to-be-Done: How Clayton Christensen’s framework helps founders understand customer needs.
• Exponential Organizations: Salim Ismail’s model for scaling with MTPs, algorithms, and community leverage.
• Meeting Peter Diamandis: A dinner with John Travolta, Carlos Slim, and Peter that changed Pedro’s trajectory.
• Policy & Regulation: Why regulation lags behind reality — and what that means for AI in finance.
• AI Readiness: How to know when a business is prepared for AI transformation (hint: process mapping first).
• Investing in Startups: Why non-technical investors must surround themselves with “geeks who know.”
• Innovation Traps: The dangers of hype-driven AI adoption and leadership blind spots.

Key Takeaways

• Curiosity > Planning. Pedro’s career shows that exploration and fixing problems often create more value than rigid roadmaps.
• Reverse innovation is real. Talent returning to the Global South is building world-class tech — and investors need to pay attention.
• Mindset shifts drive growth. Leaders transform when they break old patterns and embrace new perspectives.
• Value > Hype. Adding AI only makes sense if it creates measurable customer or operational value.
• Frameworks matter. Jobs-to-be-Done explains customer needs; Exponential Organizations helps scale with purpose.
• Regulation will lag. Expect AI policy to take a decade or more to catch up with practice.
• Startups must geek out. Getting obsessed with the tech is a natural (and necessary) part of learning.
• Breathe before reacting. Simple advice that applies to entrepreneurship, leadership, and life.

👉 Pedro’s reminder: “If your business was built on 20th-century principles, it won’t survive in the 21st.”