Dario Otero's guest appearances

Dario Otero

Social Entrepreneur

The tech.mn Podcast

11th Hour

Aneela Idnani

Amanda Heyman

Mary Rick

Caroline Karanja

Amanda LaGrange

Deepinder Singh

Bim Bam Boo

Melissa Kjolsing

Lori Most

Zoë Levin

Danielle Steer

Mondo Davison

Safeena Husain

Jim Smith

Stacy Flynn

OwlTail

*Note* This episode was recorded in December 2019   On Episode 32, Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital, and Jac Stark, community manager for tech.mn, welcome Mondo Davison &amp; Dario Otero of YouthLens 360 to talk about the journey from being educators to entrepreneurs. We discuss the track to identifying as tech entrepreneurs and passing it down to the young people on their team. Dario and Mondo each share the path that brought them to work together on YouthLens 360. Mondo shares the story behind his brand, The Black Tech Guy, and his business, TEAM Studios. Dario talks about the progression of YouthLens 360 as a for-profit business with a non-profit arm. We discuss their collaboration and how they work together. We also delve into one of their latest projects, The Student Conference, and the impact of working with over 7,000 young people in the Twin Cities metro.  Hype Time Every episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Mondo gives a shout out to Jeff Aguy of NCXT and Dario name drops (among many) Sam Ndely of Graveti and MEDA.   Sponsor:Thank you to Arthur Ventures for sponsoring this episode of The tech.mn Podcast. Arthur Ventures invests in B2B software founders beyond Silicon Valley and takes a partner approach to venture capital. They support tech entrepreneurship in Minnesota. You can learn more about them at their website and hear about their latest raise  here.  Socialstech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterYouthLens 360 on Twitter and InstagramMondo Davison on Twitter and Instagram  Links:YouthLens 360The Black Tech GuyGravetiThe Student Conference 

*Note* This episode was recorded in December 2019 On Episode 32, Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital, and Jac Stark, community manager for <a href="http://tech.mn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tech.mn</a>, welcome Mondo Davison &amp; Dario Otero of YouthLens 360 to talk about the journey from being educators to entrepreneurs. We discuss the track to identifying as tech entrepreneurs and passing it down to the young people on their team. Dario and Mondo each share the path that brought them to work together on YouthLens 360. Mondo shares the story behind his brand, The Black Tech Guy, and his business, TEAM Studios. Dario talks about the progression of YouthLens 360 as a for-profit business with a non-profit arm. We discuss their collaboration and how they work together. We also delve into one of their latest projects, The Student Conference, and the impact of working with over 7,000 young people in the Twin Cities metro.  Hype Time Every episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Mondo gives a shout out to Jeff Aguy of <a href="https://www.ncxt.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NCXT</a> and Dario name drops (among many) Sam Ndely of <a href="https://www.graveti.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Graveti</a> and <a href="http://meda.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MEDA</a>.   Sponsor:Thank you to Arthur Ventures for sponsoring this episode of The <a href="http://tech.mn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tech.mn</a> Podcast. Arthur Ventures invests in B2B software founders beyond Silicon Valley and takes a partner approach to venture capital. They support tech entrepreneurship in Minnesota. You can learn more about them at their <a href="https://arthurventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and hear about their latest raise <a href="https://tech.mn/news/2019/12/19/arthur-ventures-raises-155-million-for-continued-investments-outside-of-silicon-valley/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>.  Socials<a href="https://twitter.com/TECHdotMN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tech.mn on Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Kevin_McArdle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kevin McArdle on Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/minneapplejac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jac Stark on Twitter</a>YouthLens 360 on <a href="https://twitter.com/YouthLens360" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/youthlens360/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>Mondo Davison on <a href="https://twitter.com/theblacktechguy?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theblacktechguy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram </a> Links:<a href="https://www.youthlens360.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouthLens 360</a><a href="https://www.theblacktechguy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Black Tech Guy</a><a href="https://www.graveti.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Graveti</a><a href="https://www.thestudentconference.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Student Conference </a>

Controlled Chaos with Mondo Davison & Dario Otero 

Youth Lens 360 is a for-profit marketing company that works with youth.  Youth Lens 360 provides visual communication, product marketing, and branding services through the lens of youth ages 14-24. Dario Otero, the founder of Youth Lens 360, has seen first-hand how the education systems do not support, nurture or value entrepreneurial thinking. “I’ve found in my teaching and leadership experience that underrecognized youth of color have a naturally creative and resourceful entrepreneurial spirit. That gets ignored in traditional education settings,” he explains. “As a result, youth will eventually lose that capacity and enthusiasm for education. They don’t stay engaged when we don’t connect what they are learning to the real world of self-sufficiency or survival.” To address the problem of lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, Dario has developed a model called L.E.A.D., or Learn, Experience, Apply, and Debrief. “LEAD allows youth access and opportunities that ignite their desire to start a business, create a product, or become self-sustaining while they work with entrepreneurs,” Dario explains. “It is about finding themselves as contributors, leaders, and money makers.” LEAD is not about a single path, Dario says. “It is about changing the way we see youth. It shatters the stereotype threat that we have about our youth and changes our focus from what they will do to what they can do. When we see them in a new light, they become the light we need to see. “ The vehicle he uses to empower youth is Youth Lens 360, a for-profit marketing company that provides visual communication, marketing, and branding services. “There is an assumption that because my company has a social impact, we are a nonprofit. However, we are for-profit. It is essential that the youth who work for me and with me make money for their talents. It is a model that I hope a lot of for-profit companies learn and apply. Profit and social impact should not be mutually exclusive. It is imperative today that our communities see how the products and services big business provides also contribute to our health and welfare on a daily basis. We are all in this together, and we can still make a ton of money. Nobody loses. Dario’s passion is to empower youth. He encourages them to set their goals high and to implement a plan to achieve those goals. Dario believes that all youth should acquire the necessary skills to become entrepreneurs. He also thinks that the youth need to be community leaders and mobilize other young people to be successful. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Dario Otero:  “There’s this core group of youth from 19 to 24. There’s a gap there that we try to focus on.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “I’m trying to tap into that untapped potential that so many overlook.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “We started think-tanking with companies.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “To allow young people to step into their brilliance, you need to facilitate that energy.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “The kids just flourished.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “The system of school didn’t understand what we were doing.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “If you’re doing business in 2018, you need a visual.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “I didn’t know I was a social entrepreneur. I didn’t know they had a name for it.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “That even exchange back and forth is where the magic happens.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 Social Entrepreneurship Resources:   Youth Lens 360: https://www.youthlens360.com Youth Lens 360 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Youth-Lens-360-275988726216944/ Youth Lens 360 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youthlens360 Youth Lens on Twitter: https://twitter.com/YouthLens360 Book: Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs: https://tonyloyd.com/book 

Youth Lens 360 is a for-profit marketing company that works with youth. Youth Lens 360 provides visual communication, product marketing, and branding services through the lens of youth ages 14-24. Dario Otero, the founder of Youth Lens 360, has seen first-hand how the education systems do not support, nurture or value entrepreneurial thinking. “I’ve found in my teaching and leadership experience that underrecognized youth of color have a naturally creative and resourceful entrepreneurial spirit. That gets ignored in traditional education settings,” he explains. “As a result, youth will eventually lose that capacity and enthusiasm for education. They don’t stay engaged when we don’t connect what they are learning to the real world of self-sufficiency or survival.” To address the problem of lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, Dario has developed a model called L.E.A.D., or Learn, Experience, Apply, and Debrief. “LEAD allows youth access and opportunities that ignite their desire to start a business, create a product, or become self-sustaining while they work with entrepreneurs,” Dario explains. “It is about finding themselves as contributors, leaders, and money makers.” LEAD is not about a single path, Dario says. “It is about changing the way we see youth. It shatters the stereotype threat that we have about our youth and changes our focus from what they will do to what they can do. When we see them in a new light, they become the light we need to see. “ The vehicle he uses to empower youth is Youth Lens 360, a for-profit marketing company that provides visual communication, marketing, and branding services. “There is an assumption that because my company has a social impact, we are a nonprofit. However, we are for-profit. It is essential that the youth who work for me and with me make money for their talents. It is a model that I hope a lot of for-profit companies learn and apply. Profit and social impact should not be mutually exclusive. It is imperative today that our communities see how the products and services big business provides also contribute to our health and welfare on a daily basis. We are all in this together, and we can still make a ton of money. Nobody loses. Dario’s passion is to empower youth. He encourages them to set their goals high and to implement a plan to achieve those goals. Dario believes that all youth should acquire the necessary skills to become entrepreneurs. He also thinks that the youth need to be community leaders and mobilize other young people to be successful. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Dario Otero: “There’s this core group of youth from 19 to 24. There’s a gap there that we try to focus on.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “I’m trying to tap into that untapped potential that so many overlook.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “We started think-tanking with companies.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “To allow young people to step into their brilliance, you need to facilitate that energy.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “The kids just flourished.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “The system of school didn’t understand what we were doing.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “If you’re doing business in 2018, you need a visual.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “I didn’t know I was a social entrepreneur. I didn’t know they had a name for it.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 “That even exchange back and forth is where the magic happens.” Dario Otero @YouthLens360 Social Entrepreneurship Resources: <ul> <li>Youth Lens 360: <a href="https://www.youthlens360.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youthlens360.com</a></li> <li>Youth Lens 360 on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Youth-Lens-360-275988726216944/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/Youth-Lens-360-275988726216944/</a></li> <li>Youth Lens 360 on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/youthlens360" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/youthlens360</a></li> <li>Youth Lens on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/YouthLens360" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/YouthLens360</a></li> <li>Book: Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs: <a href="https://tonyloyd.com/book" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://tonyloyd.com/book</a></li> </ul>

Developing Young Entrepreneurs, with Dario Otero, Youth Lens 360