The Inspiring story of Gonzalo Espinoza Graham
Gonzalo Espinoza Graham’s journey is a crazy story of curiosity, grit, and a constant desire to challenge the status quo. I'd HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking out his website https://www.gonzalobuilds.com/ as this blog only skims the surface. During our conversation, Gonzalo shared insights into his unique path—highlighting the importance of mindset, team-building, and staying true to one’s vision in the face of adversity.
Early Beginnings
Gonzalo’s story starts in Peru, where opportunities seemed scarce, especially in tech. “I grew up in Peru, and there's very little opportunity. No one really starts thinking there unless it’s something very simple, like a restaurant or something basic. There’s no real tech there,” he recalled. Despite these limitations, two pivotal moments sparked his interest in technology and innovation.
The first moment came during a trip to NASA in Houston. Gonzalo had the chance to see a rocket up close, and it was an eye-opening experience. “I saw the rocket, and I was like, wow, that feels very important. Yeah, I want to work on that,” he said, describing how the scale and significance of space exploration inspired him to pursue engineering. The second moment came when he watched the Iron Man movie. The character of Tony Stark, the tech genius and entrepreneur, ignited a desire in him to follow a similar path. “Honestly, I was like, wow, this guy’s pretty cool. I want to do something like that,” Gonzalo remarked. This was the catalyst for his decision to study engineering, with a dream of working on cutting-edge projects like rockets.
The Move to Canada: Discovering a World of Possibilities
After deciding to pursue engineering, Gonzalo initially chose Mechanical Engineering after Googling “What do you need to build a rocket?” That search led him to mechanical engineering, which seemed like the most logical choice. He moved to Canada, where his older brother already lived, making immigration easier. He applied to the University of Waterloo and was accepted, an experience that would prove to be transformative.
“When I arrived at Waterloo, the change in mindset was huge. People were building things,” he explained. At Waterloo, students weren’t just studying—they were creating. He saw teams constructing a Formula SAE car, a student competition where participants build race cars from scratch. “It was entirely new for me. People were building actual things, not just reading about them. They were hands-on creating real projects,” Gonzalo said. This culture of innovation sparked a new fire in him, and it set the stage for his first venture into entrepreneurship.
From Submarines to Startups: A Journey of Team-Building and Innovation
In his first year at Waterloo, Gonzalo joined the Formula SAE team but was relegated to a seemingly mundane project—the headrest for the race car. “They didn’t let me work on the race car, so I was stuck with something boring like the headrest. But I wanted to build the race car!” he laughed. However, this experience led him to another project that would prove even more formative: a human-powered submarine racing competition. Inspired by the challenge and the opportunity to lead, Gonzalo pitched the idea to the dean, who offered him the resources to start the team at Waterloo.
“This became something I did throughout my undergrad,” Gonzalo reflected. “It taught me a lot about building a team, recruiting people, keeping them engaged, and also how to find funding.” The experience also gave him a deep understanding of the human element of startups. “In a startup, people work for money. But in a student team, there’s no money. So you have to engage them through the mission, not just the resume,” Gonzalo emphasized. This focus on motivation, vision, and shared goals would become a key lesson that would inform his later startup ventures.
The Road to Tesla: Reaching for the Stars
After completing his undergraduate studies, Gonzalo’s dream was to work at SpaceX. “The dream internship was SpaceX. I wanted to make rockets,” he said. However, due to ITAR regulations, which prevent foreign nationals from working in certain defense-related roles, his dream was dashed. Undeterred, he shifted his focus and pursued other opportunities. One such opportunity was Tesla, where he began an internship during the Model S refresh and Model X ramp-up.
One of his proudest moments was filing his first U.S. patent, a major achievement for someone just starting in the industry. But more than the technical experience, it was the culture at Tesla that left a lasting impact on him. “Tesla’s mindset is all about moving fast and getting things done,” Gonzalo shared. “Everyone has high agency. It’s all about doing whatever it takes to make things happen, and that’s something I carry with me into every startup I’ve been a part of.”
Transitioning to Entrepreneurship
By his senior year of college, Gonzalo was ready to take on the startup world. Armed with his experiences at Tesla and his time spent in student competitions, he pivoted toward the burgeoning electric aviation industry. “I knew electric cars were going to be huge, so I thought, what’s next? Electric planes,” Gonzalo explained. He launched WatFly, a project aimed at building a flying car, which he described as an electric aircraft that would be affordable, easy to operate, and accessible to the average person.
The initial steps were modest. They built a quarter-scale prototype, which helped them raise $50K to move on to a half-scale model. “This model is typical for moonshot startups. You start small, prove that you can build something, and then scale up as you gain momentum,” he explained. Despite several attempts to get into Y Combinator (YC) and two interviews, the company was unable to secure funding. Gonzalo shared, “We applied three times to YC. Each time, we were rejected. They saw potential but didn’t think we had what it took at that moment.”
However, the company faced another major setback. As COVID-19 took hold, it became impossible to travel and attend key events like Oshkosh, where they had planned to showcase their aircraft. “Our dreams were shattered,” Gonzalo said . “It was hard to watch everything we worked for come to an end.”
The Pivot to Food Delivery
With the collapse of his aviation startup, Gonzalo found himself looking for new opportunities. It was during the early days of the COVID lockdown that he had the idea to start a food delivery company. “I tried to order a cake for my birthday, but Instacart said it would take a week to deliver it. I thought, this is ridiculous. I need to fix this,” he said.
At first this started with an Gonzalo and a friend developed a food delivery service using a Telegram bot, allowing people to place orders for immediate delivery. This eventually turned into a e-bike delivery service company called Ninja Delivery. It took off quickly, and they raised $3 million in funding. “We fast-followed a European company called Gorillas, which was doing 10-minute deliveries using electric bicycles. We did the same thing but localized it to our market,” he said. Despite the traction, the company struggled to make the unit economics work. Ultimately, the company was acquired, but the experience was a crucial learning step.
The AI Pivot: A New Opportunity in a Changing World
In 2022, when ChatGPT and other AI technologies began making waves, Gonzalo saw an opportunity to pivot once again. “We had seen GPT-2 and GPT-3, but when ChatGPT launched, it became obvious that AI was going to be huge,” he said. He and his team began brainstorming ways to build a business around AI. They eventually decided to focus on a problem they had personally experienced: the logistical challenges of managing warehouses for food delivery.
Reflecting on his journey, Gonzalo offered valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “You should always work on problems that you’ve experienced yourself. That’s how you build something you care about and can truly invest your energy into solving.”
As of now, Gonzalo is leading his latest AI-focused venture, Double, that recently got into the Winter 2023 YC batch. drawing from all the lessons he has learned over the years. His journey, marked by experimentation, failure, and eventual success, highlights the power of resilience and the importance of staying true to one’s vision, even when the path is unclear.
Conclusion: Embracing the Unknown
Gonzalo’s story is a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship is not just about building companies but about embracing failure, learning from it, and constantly evolving. His ability to pivot, his focus on team-building, and his relentless pursuit of solving real-world problems have been the cornerstones of his success. As he continues his journey, there’s no doubt that Gonzalo will keep pushing the boundaries of innovation, using his experiences to create solutions that matter.