Endeavor

// Endeavor Miami Impact Report 2019 "Scaling is a balancing act between pacing oneself to avoid running out of breath financially, and progressing quickly enough so as not to lose momentum..." Chief Investment & Development Officer at Cisneros Group of Companies Aldo Polak Cisneros Group of Companies One of the largest privately owned media, entertainment, telecommunications and real estate conglomerates in the world. Mr. Polak is the Chief Investment & Development Officer at Cisneros, where he oversees the development of the portfolio businesses of the overall group and evaluates, recommends, and executes investment decisions. Prior to Cisneros, Mr. Polak spent over 15 years as an investment banker, most recently heading Latin America at LionTree, a global investment and merchant banking firm. He currently serves as an independent director for Evertec, is on the board of LatinoU and is involved with Endeavor as a panelist and mentor to entrepreneurs. Mr. Polak earned his MBA from Stanford University, and his MS Chemical Engineering and BS Chemistry degrees from UDELAR in Uruguay. Why did you decide to become a mentor with Endeavor Miami? "I learned about Endeavor when I was in business school, close to twenty years ago now, and over the years I've met several of its entrepreneurs, mentors and panelists, as well as entrepreneurs-turned-mentors. Since then, I've gotten to know a number of Endeavor supported startups that have evolved into fully developed businesses, and seen how the organization had a meaningful role in the process, helping them innovate, gain scale, expand internationally; all critical stages of growing a business that require significant planning, and solid execution. The Endeavor ecosystem and its symbiotic model have turned the organization into a global reference in entrepreneurship advice. It was an honor for me to join Endeavor Miami as a mentor." What is the best advice you would give to a company looking to scale? "Scaling is one of the most challenging stages of building a business, it requires meticulous planning, and careful execution. Scaling is a balancing act between pacing oneself to avoid running out of breath financially, and progressing quickly enough so as not to lose momentum, a first-mover advantage, or ingenious innovation in the face of competition. Even when those take place, a lot of unexpected challenges will come your way. Seeking advice from those who've done it before will spare you a lot of headaches, no matter how talented and driven you are. Endeavor provides that kind of support, and much more, in my view." Top 6 Mentors

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