Ivan: "Being an entrepreneur feels really different than being an ordinary kid"

SEEDS students are more than entrepreneurs - they are innovators, problem-solvers, the leaders of the future. Thus, when tasked with starting a business venture, they are constantly thinking of ways to improve opportunities for not only themselves and their families, but the world around them. For SEEDS student Ivan, it was important to come up with a product that would use the resources around him. 

The goal of this small business, Tiestos Perzonalizados, is to recycle materials into pots and other household items so that they can be reused, rather than wasted. His idea came to him in the classroom, when he and his friends were brainstorming more effective ways to recycle. What was once an idea shared among friends, is now a thriving business, thanks to the skills he learned in the SEEDS classroom.

But he learned more than entrepreneurship in the SEEDS classroom. He learned how to express himself and now he can talk in front of a camera without being so nervous.

According to Ivan himself:

“I love the opportunity to belong to SEEDS. They gave me the opportunity to be an entrepreneur, and now I love being an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur feels really different than being an ordinary kid - you have more responsibilities and you have people to count on like my classmate.”

Ivan is one of the most recent graduates from the SEEDS program from Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. SEEDS is a STEAM-based entrepreneurship education program for youth in Puerto Rico. SEEDS allows students to tackle real-world business problems and engage in a mentorship program with leaders in business from on and off the island. 

To find out more about Tiestos Perzonalizados visit the SEEDS business page here to watch their business pitch and ways you can support Ivan and other students. Also check out a feature of their business on Univision here! 

View their interview in Univision’s Despierta America!

Your support and generosity allows for more women and youth like Ivan and Karializ across Puerto Rico to launch their businesses with the support of mentors, business leaders, and their peers.