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After ten years at the head of the Endeavor Argentina foundation, Guibert Englebienne left the position, although the succession remained practically “in the family.” In his place, Martín Migoya, partner and co-founder along with Englebienne himself of Globant, was appointed.
In his first interview as head of the organization that promotes entrepreneurship in the country, Migoya highlights the process of continuity and assures that, beyond the economic crisis, the rise of the dollar and the skyrocketing of country risk, This is an ideal time to start a business. “The receptivity to the entrepreneurial message is enormous. Today we have very fertile ground to be able to inspire many young people and many other entrepreneurs,” he said in dialogue with THE NATION.
-What are the objectives in this new role?
-The new role of Endeavor for me has a kind of continuity with what we have already been doing. Endeavor is a foundation that is not only beautiful, but has an extremely noble mission. And when something works well, you have to keep making it work well. My goal is to continue expanding the entrepreneurial message. The board continues to think more or less about the same things, regardless of who its president is. And I believe that this moment is special, because the receptivity for the entrepreneurial message is enormous. Today we have very fertile ground to inspire many young people and many other entrepreneurs. The only way for Argentina to move forward is with more entrepreneurs building successful companies. Or at least trying, if it doesn’t work out. Because that is part of the life of the entrepreneur: sometimes she goes out, sometimes she doesn’t. I am convinced that this is the way. Generate work and have people who have initiative.
-What are the key factors to start today?
-The first thing is to see what team surrounds you. Obviously the idea has to be there and it has to be a global idea, which allows us to look for markets abroad. Expand beyond Argentina. And, above all, have a purpose. What part of the world do we want to improve? What do we want to change? Then you have to do it in a sustainable way. Sustainable in every sense. Of course, economic sustainability must be sought, but it also has to be sustainable in human terms and in terms of the environment. You also have to have a lot of resilience. Things go right and they go wrong. If you think big, it is more likely that they will turn out better than if you think small. But sometimes you need to think small as a path to reach something bigger. And, finally, you have to work very hard. Nothing that is seen as success is something that rains from the sky, but is the result of work, of hours of effort of many people. And coordination.
-What conditions would have to be met in the country for there to be a wave of investments?
-I believe that Argentina’s recovery is going to come hand in hand with credit. If there begins to be credit, there begins to be a much more digestible situation. Credit is going to return and, when it returns, the reactivation will come and then the investments will come. But to achieve that, it is essential to create a stable macroeconomic environment. I see the Government there well, trying to make freedom prevail everywhere. So it’s like a little staircase. First comes a more stable macroeconomic condition, then comes credit expansion. Let’s think that Argentina has a very, very small private credit with respect to its GDP, which means that it can grow infinitely. Obviously, we entrepreneurs have to invest and we have to start thinking about big things.
