My fate has been inexplicably linked to startups ever since I met Dewey Tietz – a serial entrepreneur and respected businessman. 

“Be the most curious person you know. Never stop looking and asking. Everybody has a talent they can be passionate about. Find out who you are at a young age and find your passion. Find what you love and you’ll be happy and you’ll have the best chance of having a great life.” – Dewey Tietz

 After presenting my business idea at a business plan competition a few weeks into my first semester of business school, one of the judges on the panel took a special interest in me because of my international background. His name was Dewey Tietz, a serial entrepreneur and respected local businessman, who believed that students with a passion for something were the key to the community’s future success.

He was the first to throw me into the world of startups. First, by inviting me to visit “idea meetings” at the local business incubator he co-founded where entrepreneurs would present their quirky ideas in the hope of feedback and mentorship. Second, by sitting in on meetings of an angel investing fund where entrepreneurs presented their business plans in their search for funding and guidance.

Dewey’s passion for startups left an impression on my heart that I continued to foster throughout my academic studies. I became an integral part in growing social entrepreneurship organizations at university in the Netherlands because Dewey convinced me that entrepreneurship was a key ingredient to a city’s economic development. His words have been a guiding source of inspiration in my journey across the world in search of my passion. No matter where I went in the world, I was always driven back to startups. Even though Dewey passed away only 2 years after meeting him, his words will continue to inspire.