PortCos on Podcasts: Encantos CEO, Steven Wolfe Pereira – Teaching Kids 21st Century Skills, Building a Direct to Learner EdTech Company, and Overlooked Opportunities That Make Real Impact
The Consumer VC with Mike Gelb
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you Samara Hernandez for introducing me to today’s guest, Steven Wolfe Pereira, co-founder and CEO of Encantos, an award-winning edtech company that believes kids learn best through play while teaching kids 21st century life skills. We discuss some of the learnings of working at technology companies and communication companies, the inspiration and insight behind Encantos and how he introduces new brands. Without further ado, here’s Steven.
You can follow Steven on Twitter @wolfepereira. You can also follow your host, Mike @mikegelb.
A couple of books that inspired Steven:
The Element by Ken Robinson
Unscaled by Hemant Taneja
Some of the questions I ask Steven –
- What was your initial attraction to technology and media?
- I can understand how the media background would be super helpful, but what were some of your learnings in enterprise SaaS that influenced your approach to building Encantos?
- Take me to the beginning of when you founded Encantos. What was the insight that led you to start your company?
- Talk to me a little bit about the company’s mission and where you think education might miss or feel outdated in this current climate?
- When you think about giving back and legacy. What do you believe are some modern traits in a business that might have been overlooked/nonexistent 20-30 years ago?
- Walk us through the three brands that you’ve developed under Encantos and how each of them came to be?
- How do you think about creating new characters or building new brands?
- What’s your strategy when it comes to physical products, software products and shows?
- What was your process when you decided to raise venture capital funding?
- Was it harder to fundraise during COVID?
- What’s one thing that you would change about venture capital?
- What’s one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally?
- What’s one piece of advice that you have for founders?
Encantos is hiring – check out open roles!