Yulkendy Valdez of Visible Hands: Five Things I Learned As A Twenty-Something Founder

An Interview With Doug Noll

Authenticity. There was a period where I let go of branded company T-shirts and tried to put on a suit. As much as I love a blazer, especially if it’s a bright color, on some days, I want to wear a quarter zip or a hoodie. Sometimes, I want to put my hair up or down. I don’t wear makeup, so it sometimes makes me look extra younger. It is difficult yet exciting to figure out how to brand yourself, not just the company.

As a part of our series called “My Life as a TwentySomething Founder”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Yulkendy Valdez.

Yulkendy Valdez is a Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneur and public speaker. She is currently a Product Manager at Visible Hands, a pre-seed and seed VC firm and accelerator for underrepresented founders. She speaks on global stages from Lyon to St. Gallen on the Future of Work, Women of Color in Technology, and the start-up ecosystem.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What is your “backstory”?

Thank you for having me as part of this series. I shut down my company at the end of 2021, and reflecting on my start-up journey and the lessons learned has been very therapeutic.

It all started on July 5th, 2016; I was on my way to work for a consulting internship when I found out about the death of another Black man at the hands of the police. This time it was Alton Sterling, and I was in tears. Hours later, I found myself sitting in a fancy office looking at editing what felt like Slide 50 of this presentation we were developing for one of the leading automotive manufacturing companies. At that moment, I realized I couldn’t care less if the bullet points were aligned correctly. I dropped out of the corporate world and decided to become a full-time entrepreneur at the age of 22.

As an Afro-Latina growing up in Missouri, these systematic inequities hit close to home, and I wanted to spend time building something that could make an impact. This led to Forefront — a Latinx-led DEI consulting agency with clients from SAP to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. In 2020, we became tech-enabled and pivoted to help companies hire Gen-Z talent, most of whom are young people of color. Unfortunately, by the end of 2021, we ended up closing our company due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 sales cycle, and at that point, my co-founders and I were in our late 20s, and we just had different needs than when we were younger. However, those were the best five years of my life, a total of 7 if you count our early days piloting in our college dorms, and I am so grateful that I got to build a company early in my career.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company? What lessons or takeaways did you take from that story?

There was never a dull day as an early-stage founder. I remember when we got our first check for $5000 to cover our summer expenses after graduation from college. We went to a Startup Weekend, which was very popular back then, and it was where you get to build a company with other talented people in under 48 hours. The event took place in New York, but it was run in partnership with the tech ecosystem out of Paris. We end it up being introduced to a French investor, and in a matter of one week, we found ourselves pitching in his loft after greeting his butler.

Imagine two bright-eyed recent college graduates from low-income immigrant families in this setting. We were about to pee our pants, but I pitched from the heart. He loved the Dominican Republic, so we tried to lean in on that since that’s where I am from. He also was very socially minded, and I am thankful we encountered him early on as he also invested in unicorns like Airbnb. After 30 minutes, he wired the money to our brand-new bank account. The lesson there was that you never know where your initial supporters or champions will come from — and most importantly, it’s crucial to build relationships early on and not be afraid to make an ask.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Team, team, team. You hear many investors say that, and now that I am on the VC side myself, it makes much sense. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and so many applications come our way that while the ideas start to look alike — what stands out is the experiences and chutzpah of the founding team.

I built my company with my co-founder, who, like me, was a first-generation college graduate from a low-income background. He was the opener, and I was the closer. Since he was extroverted, he could meet 20+ prospective customers in one week and start building genuine relationships. As an introvert, I leveraged my listening skills and empathy to foster deeper relationships with our customers.

We used our youth as an asset and advantage. We learned it was okay to ask for help, and by being open and vulnerable, many potential customers and investors were willing to take at least the first meeting. One of the most memorable stories is when we were leaving the offices of one of the Big Banks, and in the elevator, we saw someone that happened to be the Vice Chair of one of the leading American multinational chains.

Yes, elevator pitches happen literally! We had 30 seconds before we arrived at the next floor to make our pitch. My co-founder pointed her out, and I made the ask. In a week, we met with one of the leading corporate leaders in the United States. I think it’s important to identify business partners that complement us, make us feel safe, and can execute in high-stake moments.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Mentors have been pivotal in my journey, and having people you can completely confide in. Early on, I cold-emailed an entrepreneur and co-founder of a leadership development company called Emzingo, Ramon Marmolejos. Ramon is Dominican, but on top of that, someone that was so open right away and made me feel completely safe. My business partner, myself, and Ramon often discussed sales development and business models over plantains and empanadas.

I am also thankful to sponsors, and personal champions, who are a powerful tool for referring customers. For example, without Danny Allen, an executive at SAP now retired, we wouldn’t be where we are today. SAP became our first customer, which helped us build a legitimate case study out of our college dorms.

Are you working on any exciting projects now?

I now work at a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm, Visible Hands, where I primarily coach and support entrepreneurs to reach their next stage. If you are an underrepresented founder building something great, please feel free to learn more at www.visiblehands.vc.

I also do a lot of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting, where I worked with organizations looking to build better workplaces for the next generation of talent. You can learn more at www.yulkendyvaldez.com.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Success to me is impacting at least one person wherever I go. Through my research with Women of Color in Technology (TED.com) and speaking on global stages, I can share my story, and young women like me can see in action how much our voices and genius genuinely matter.

Most importantly, I spend my time collaborating with partner organizations such as Camelback Ventures, Founders and Funders of Color, Anita Borg, etc., working together to level the playing field for BIPOC, women, and non-binary founders.

Do you have a favorite book that made a deep impact on your life? Can you share a story?

I have a few. 1) Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, 2) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Who by Junot Diaz, and 3) The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. These are all books I read in my third or last year of high school. I didn’t read much in college and after graduation, except for sales books, since I was focused on running the business.

As much joy as my entrepreneurial experience brought my life, it also brought many tears and frustration. I remember crying in LA after meeting investors because I felt tokenized as the only Afro-Latina in the room. I remember crying around Hudson Yards in NY after listening to an investor share their criteria for founders (MIT graduate, Google / Meta engineer, etc.) and realizing I might never fit the bill. I am not the default Ivy League graduate with tons of experience in my belt to be able to raise money.

These books kept me grounded in those moments in that there was power in my identity, but I also had the power of choice. Life is much more than business and accomplishments; it is up to us to decide, especially when we are young, what matters to us, and what is worth investing in to prioritize our happiness.

Can you share 5 of the most difficult and most rewarding parts of being a “TwentySomething founder”. Please share an example or story for each.

1 . Fundraising. Right before we received investment for Techstars, I was on a plane to Sweden, where I was also taking time to write my TEDx talk. I remember getting on the flight and feeling all this angst, but ultimately our relationships paid off, and we got so much support from our advisors and mentors. When I learned we got into the Atlanta program, the Managing Director, Barry Givens, now a co-founder of Collab Capital, said,” Wow, we got so many emails about your team.” It reminded me of the power of networking. No matter how not-fun fundraising gets, meeting so many kind and intelligent people along the way is valuable.

2. Building a team. I remember the tough conversations I had with my male co-founder early on to make sure he was someone I could trust in a field where female CEOS still don’t get the same respect and capital as male CEOs. Then, one year, a reputable publication decided to write an article about my co-founder, and I was barely mentioned. It was challenging to navigate this situation as a team, but we slowly built plans to tackle anything from sales meetings to the press regarding gender dynamics.

3 . Sales. Especially as a B2B start-up, selling to large enterprises is no joke. You often must play a role like you are in a play and make yourself seem more experienced or advanced than you are, even though you are still a scrappy founder in your 20s. Faking it until you make it is solid advice until you lose yourself. One cold December Day, we were on Wall Street pitching to one of the leading banks, and we just blew it. Part of the leadership was in person, and other essential stakeholders dialed in via conference. We weren’t prepared to conduct a hybrid meeting, and our presentations and materials weren’t up to par. I remember being at the pizza shop across the giant corporate building and getting a call from one of our champions who shared how disappointed he was that we messed up such a significant opportunity. It was painful feedback to receive, but this awful moment helped us rebrand and come out stronger.

4 . Conferences, happy hours, and meetups. As a founder, you get invited to many events which in turn reduce productivity and increase burnout. I remember dropping everything to get on a flight to DC and try to meet an important client. I had a fantastic time, and I met great people, but when calculating the ROI, it just wasn’t worth it. There were other more lean and repeatable strategies I could have invested in to expand my sales funnel.

5. Authenticity. There was a period where I let go of branded company T-shirts and tried to put on a suit. As much as I love a blazer, especially if it’s a bright color, on some days, I want to wear a quarter zip or a hoodie. Sometimes, I want to put my hair up or down. I don’t wear makeup, so it sometimes makes me look extra younger. It is difficult yet exciting to figure out how to brand yourself, not just the company.

You will run your company for at least the next 7–10 years, so you want to get there by building the best version of yourself as a leader, not someone else’s ideal.

What are the main takeaways that you would advise a twenty year old who is looking to found a business?

1) Raising venture capital seems sexy until it’s not. So instead, focus on your customer and end user, especially at the beginning.

2) As a founder in my 20s, age is both a curse and a blessing. While many might have reminded me of my inexperience, I chose to lean on my age to “ask for help” from top leaders, which helped me build meaningful relationships.

3) You might be young, but mental health issues can affect anyone. Take care of yourself!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)

Issa Rae, I love her work, and I am very passionate about media and storytelling and believe in increasing representation for female writers and producers.

Serena Williams and Jessica Alba are also incredible role models in the start-up ecosystem.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

You can follow me via my LinkedIn, @yulkendyvaldez.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulkendyvaldez/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.