How growing up on a military base made me a better founder

“I was a super curious child, always outside and exploring. I grew up in a military complex because my dad was in the army and it was safe for me to just wander. I think that environment really helped me develop a good perspective on life.

I remember playing next to helicopters, watching them take off. Sometimes they would fly back with wounded soldiers, who had been out in the jungle fighting the guerillas in Colombia. I would see them being carried into the hospitals. I saw friends lose their dads in the war and that was pretty hard. It really taught me appreciation and not to take things for granted.

My parents were good at making it clear that we were very lucky, growing up in a safe environment in what was a really unstable Colombia back in the 80s and 90s. In middle school and high school, I failed pretty much every math, science, and English class, but I was always outstanding in drawing and art, and things that were not structured.

After finishing high school, I knew that I had to pursue a career in something creative. I chose to pursue industrial design because I had no idea what to study, but I knew which university I wanted to go to in Colombia. And that was probably the most creative degree I could pursue outside of arts, which I knew was going to be really tough for me to get a job. I applied for it and got in.

In the beginning, I had no idea what to expect, but I ended up loving it. Doing my degree, I had to ask a lot of questions, ask a lot of why’s, and be able to understand why people behave in some particular way. So that was pretty much the backbone of many things.

The key reason why I’m doing what I’m doing today, starting my own business, is because I always question everything. And I’ve done that since I can remember, from my years in the military complex to my years working for big companies. That questioning of how things are done, that curiosity, is what has taken me to where I am today. And that’s something I bring to my work every day. To always try and understand the why.”

Gerardo Contreras Vacca of Remote Social, a consumer tech company, providing the ultimate destination for remote and hybrid teams to come together online to build connection and culture through play and shared experiences.

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