Luis Estevez - Founder & CEO of AIMM: Following Your Interests, Career Changes, and Going Back to School in Your 30’s

Luis Estevez  00:00

I also felt like I was playing with house money. Because when you're eighteen or twenty, and you're in college, and you're following this typical path, you have all this pressure and you have like, oh, I'm worried about what my parents think, or whatever. When you're thirty, you're like, I don't care. I'm doing this. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. And I'm just following what I want to do. And I was like, if I need to get a PhD, to get to this point and do this job, that's what I want to do.

Callan Harrington  00:23

You're listening to That Worked, a show that breaks down the careers of top founders and executives, and pulls out those key items that led to their success. I'm your host, Callan Harrington, founder of Flashgrowth, and I couldn't be more excited that you're here. Welcome back, everyone, to a another episode of That Worked. This week. I'm joined by Dr. Luis Estevez. And I'm excited for this episode. Luis is the founder and CEO of AIMM. AIMM enables porous materials to be scientifically tailored to target big problems. More specifically, AIMM is focused on a water filter that can target and treat hard to remove, forever chemicals from water. Prior to founding AIMM, Luis completed his material science PhD at Cornell University, obtained a three year, one million dollar fellowship from the DOD to work at a national lab, and worked at the University of Dayton Research Institute, as a staff scientist. And it is hard to not be inspired when hearing Luis's story. He went through multiple career changes, and each one was very different from the one previous, and it all started when he went back to school in his thirties. And when he talked about these things, it just makes so much sense, the points he makes, the advantages of doing this later in life, a lot of things start to click, and it really made me think, because this is definitely a path that I have followed. But he even took this to another level. And I learned a ton from that. The biggest theme throughout his entire career was listening to that inner voice and following what really interests you. And he had such great insight into all of this and such great points and advice for anybody that's looking to make either a career change, a pivot, whatever that might be. And it ultimately led to him founding his own company. And it was so much fun to listen to and hear. So with that, let's jump right into the show. Luis, welcome to the show.

Luis Estevez  02:48

Hey, thank you. Thanks so much, Callan, and hello, everyone out there.

Callan Harrington  02:51

So tell us a little bit about AIMM. What is AIMM? And where did the name come from?

Luis Estevez  02:55

Yeah, so AIMM is a company I founded in 2019. But the name came from, it's a long version of it, which is Advanced and Innovative Multifunctional Materials. But of course, AIMM just sounds a lot easier. But basically, when I started my company, I you know, like the first thing you have to do is like, okay, I gotta come up with a name. And then being a comic book nerd, growing up, I was like, big into the Marvel Universe. And there's this bunch of scientists and engineers that are trying to take over the world, and it's an evil group. But you know, I was like, alright, those guys are trying to change the world. I'm trying to do that for good. But I was like, I'm gonna take AIM. And they were Advanced Idea Mechanics is what it stands for. And I was gonna say Advanced Idea Materials. And I'm like, it's a little too on the nose. And then I went for Advanced and Innovative Materials, and somebody else had that name. So I just threw in a Multifunctional in there and put a double M at the end.

Callan Harrington  02:59

But we've got supervillain origins throughout the entire thing.

Luis Estevez  03:46

Yes, yes, of course. Yeah, that holds true for sure.

Callan Harrington  03:49

Perfect, perfect. So what led you to founding AIMM just in general?

Luis Estevez  03:53

I say this all the time, I'm pretty much an unorthodox founder in just about every way. And I guess a lot of people come with unique paths to entrepreneurship. But even my path to the path to entrepreneurship was pretty unorthodox and unique. I tried college when I was eighteen, like most people, and I basically didn't find my way. I'm a first generation American. My parents both immigrated to this country from Chile and Spain, and they met here in the States. And so I was born, speaking Spanish, not even speaking English till I hit the school system. Then, you know, obviously picked up English, went through schooling, went to college, because that was what you're supposed to do. I had no idea what I was doing. And I basically played rugby, drank a lot of beer, had a lot of fun for like, a few years and then at some point I realized this is going nowhere fast, like I'm getting straight A's and F's everywhere. My GPA, I think, was 2.0, because it depends on like how committed I was to the class.

Callan Harrington  04:01

So what was it? It was either you liked it, and then you got an A...

Luis Estevez  04:48

Pretty much

Callan Harrington  04:49

If you didn't, it was like just I don't even care.

Luis Estevez  04:51

Yeah, and I just wouldn't even drop it. Like, I didn't even know you could drop classes. Everyone seemed to know how college worked. I had no idea how it worked, other than I knew how to run around and crash into people, and I was alright, that's great. Like, rugby, I loved a lot. And then basically, I don't know, in my twenties, I left college, and I was like, my parents had a restaurant, and they're entrepreneurs, as well. They started their own restaurant, like a lot of immigrants have entrepreneurship in their bones. So I went to work in the restaurant. And so I did that in my twenties. And that seemed to be what I was going to do, which was fine. I liked working in the restaurant. I liked running the restaurant, working on the outside, while my dad worked inside in the kitchen. And then my girlfriend at the time, who eventually became my wife, I talked to her as I started interacting with customers. I was like, you know what, I talk with these engineers and scientists to come into the restaurant. I liked math and science in high school. I should have gone that route in college. I don't know, why didn't. And she's like, well, it's not too late. At this point I was thirty. And I was like, I'm thirty, my time is gone. She's like, no, it's not too late. So I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna give it a shot. So I just left the restaurant business, told my parents, you know what, I'm gonna give this thing a shot, I'm gonna become a mechanical engineer. Because I was into turbines, and cars, and how they worked, and I wanted to work with energy systems like that. And then I was like, I need to find a place far away from New York, where I was-

Callan Harrington  06:06

Too much fun. I get that.

Luis Estevez  06:07

Yeah. And also, the restaurant sucks you in. It's just a nice way to make money. And if my family needs me, I've got to be there. So I'm like, you know, the only way to do this properly is just just to cut the cord completely and just go some to another state. And my wife said, well, I've always liked Maine. So I'm like good, alright, they have a good school there with a good engineering program. That's where we're going. So I just moved to Maine, from New York City, which was a total culture shock.

Callan Harrington  06:28

What was that like? What was that transition like for you?

Luis Estevez  06:31

I was wild. To me, and this is me talking now, realizing I was just like a total New York City person wandering in there, like this place is so inefficient. Everyone talks too much. Like you go to grocery store lines, and everyone's like talking to each other. And it's incredibly inefficient. You get to the counter, you just want to pay and go on. And they're like, telling you, oh, how are you liking Maine? This transaction is over. I paid you money. You've given me the receipt. Like, my wife was like, you gotta like calm down.

Callan Harrington  06:57

I love what you found as inefficient wasn't- it wasn't like, oh, they've got poor public transit. It was, they're talking too much at the checkout line.

Luis Estevez  07:06

Yes, New York City is very you know, you just go about your business because there's millions of people. You can't do that there. But eventually, you know, after getting a lot of, "slowdown young fella," you know, and I was like, okay, this is  a different way of doing things. And I kind of- it took maybe about a month, but then I was like, okay, this is a cool, different way of doing things, and I've learned to embrace and like it. But I mean, it was really wild in the beginning trying to acclimate to this completely different place that was so different in so many ways. Mainers are rugged individualists.

Callan Harrington  07:36

And you were thirty at this time, correct?

Luis Estevez  07:37

I was thirty, yeah, that's correct.

Callan Harrington  07:38

So this was like, you had already done a career, you paused-

Luis Estevez  07:40

Yeah, I guess, kind of. Yeah.

Callan Harrington  07:42

And you changed. And this was your first time out of New York City too? Like, as far as like- Or did you spend any time out? I mean, of course, traveling.

Luis Estevez  07:49

Yeah, it was, yeah. I've traveled but first time living outside of New York City. Yeah. Well, when I went to college, at first, it was in upstate New York.

Callan Harrington  07:55

Okay.

Luis Estevez  07:56

Which is like, if you're from New York City, you're like, oh, my God.

Callan Harrington  07:58

They're two different worlds.

Luis Estevez  07:59

Yeah. But it was still in New York. And then when I went to Maine, that was a complete different place. And it was one of the coldest winters on record. It was just- it was like a very abrupt change of scenery, of weather, of how to handle interactions, everything.

Callan Harrington  08:12

Are you sure you want to do this change? (laughs)

Luis Estevez  08:15

Exactly, exactly. But I went there to jump into a mechanical engineering program. And I hadn't done math in thirteen years or so. So I took some courses in community college first. I took pre calc, and I took a bunch of physics courses just to kind of bone up on all the things I had forgotten from high school. And then I just went headlong into it, terrified at first, because I haven't done this in a long time. But that fear was like very motivating, because then I kind of over prepared. And then after you've worked in the real world, especially the restaurant business, sixty hours a week, and whatever, jumping into university is not that bad. You're like, oh, this is- I don't beat up my body as much. I spend forty hours a week doing my studies, and I'm acing everything. This is great. And I, you know, I got all the partying out of me from my earlier foray into college. So I was just strict, going to school just cranking out work, and just really enjoying it. I was like, oh, it was scary the first year, I would say, and then after that I just really took to it.

Callan Harrington  09:10

So once you kind of took to it. And here's what I find super interesting is, correct me if I'm wrong, right after University of Maine, you went to Cornell, is that right?

Luis Estevez  09:17

That's right. Yeah. So there was a pivotal point when I was pursuing my mechanical engineering degree. And I liked it. It was great. I was really excelling in it. And I got an internship opportunity to go to Los Alamos National Laboratories to do a summer internship, right. I think it was like during my junior year, and they pay really well, so I'm going to take it. This is great. And so I went there, and I got introduced to research, which I had no idea how that worked, and they were like, oh, yeah, you have this project to do. And they gave me a project to do, and I basically had to try to detect these little cracks in aluminum that can be applied to airplanes. The idea was, you could like have the sensors on planes and detect when these cracks happen, and then you would lesson maintenance and stuff like that. And it was this open ended project where they were just like, figure it out. I was like, I can't believe people get paid to do this. This is so much fun. You have this completely open ended thing that you don't know if it's gonna work or not. And you're just throwing all this effort into it, but our project actually didn't work. And actually what we tried to make happen, and I had a team and I loved that too, I was like, other smart people around me, this is great. And it didn't work, but I had a blast all summer, like trying to make this work, and poring over data, and coming up with solutions to problems as they came up. And then eventually, I was like, how do you get a gig like this? This is great. Well, you need to get a PhD. Because, you know, this is like a scientific job. And I was like, okay.

Callan Harrington  10:35

Well, you wouldn't even have cared, right? Because like, it was like, this was a game to you. It was fun. The PhD was gonna be- no matter how hard people probably told you it was, it was probably like, I don't care. Like, I'm doing stuff I'm loving to do. Is that fair?

Luis Estevez  10:47

That's completely fair. That's exactly how I felt. And I also felt like I was playing with house money. Because, you know, it's like when you're eighteen or twenty, and you're in college, and you're following this typical path. I mean, it's helpful in lots of ways. But in one way, you have all this pressure, and you have like, oh, I'm worried about what my parents think, or whatever, because you still are on the young side. When you're thirty, you're like, I don't care. I'm doing this. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. And I'm just following what I want to do. And I was like, if I need to get a PhD to get to this point and do this job, that's what I want to do. So I went back home and I told, still my girlfriend at the time, and I was like, hey, guess what? I figured it out, I'm getting a PhD. And much to her credit, she was like, alright, well recalibrate and figure out. Because, you know, like, what I told her was like, hey I'll get my mechanical engineering degree, I'll get like a nice job, and then we'll have this nice life. And I was like, okay, nevermind, put that on pause for another like five or six years. I need to get a PhD. I need to start applying to PhD programs. So I started doing that, got into Cornell, and they were working on nanomaterials that I really liked. I even changed majors. I went from mechanical engineering to material science, because I was like- I realized that if you can modify these materials on this smaller atomic scale, you can get outstanding properties on like our scale. So, I'm like, cool, you get to change things and make things better, and that's what I wanted to do.

Callan Harrington  12:02

Okay, so you went from A's and F's, right? To a PhD from Cornell.

Luis Estevez  12:08

Yeah, I went from my old rugby buddies. They can't believe it, because they know me from the guy who did kegstands and treated his body like a battering ram every Saturday to this career in science. But I took to it, I loved it. Once you work in the real world, for a while going back to school was a lot easier. The PhD program is a bit of a meat grinder, but even that was like not so bad. Because if you have bad or annoying professors you have to deal with sometimes, your life prepares you for that. You're like, yeah, I've dealt with jerks before. It's like, not a big deal.

Callan Harrington  12:39

One of this one of the things I'm curious about, did something have to break, right? Did you have to get to a point where it was like, I just can't do this anymore? I'm unhappy doing this? Something's got to change?

Luis Estevez  12:49

Oh, you mean, back when I was working at the restaurant?

Callan Harrington  12:52

Yeah. Before you made this change? Was there some moment that happened that was like, I can't do this anymore, I gotta go to Maine and get a degree, and then get my PhD?

Luis Estevez  13:00

That's a really good question. But it wasn't like that. It was more like, I feel like I missed out. I liked what I was doing. I liked being in the restaurant business. I loved interacting with people. I loved our customers. I loved working- again, it's kind of the same job I do now. You work in small teams to solve problems that seem unsolvable. But you just do it to get food to people and give them a good experience. Like I liked it, I dug it. But I felt like I was like, you know what, I was really good at this other thing. And I wish I kind of went that path, because I think I would have been pretty good at it. And I would be able to make- and this is gonna sound a little too grandiose. But I was like, I want to make a big impact in the world. And this is how I see I can do it. At some point, I don't know if it's a midlife crisis, I had an early midlife crisis at thirty, but I was like, I want to make an impact on this world, I'm gonna be on this rock for another seventy years ish. And then I'm gone. Before I'm gone, I want to do something that stays behind. And so I was like, this is a way I can do it, I can actually do something with engineering, and science, and push something along, that's going to stay after me. And then with science, it became even more of an opportunity to that. So it's more like a yearning to do something. Rather than being oh, I don't feel like I like my position right now. It was like, oh, this, I wish I did this. And then my wife, her name is Erin. And Erin was like, you should do it. And I'm like, You know what? I'm gonna do it. Let's see where this ride takes us.

Callan Harrington  14:17

And one of the things that I'm curious about is, was it driven from a fear of regret or a this looks exciting? Meaning, to break that down a bit further, like regret, like, I like doing this, I'm not doing this, I like what I'm doing now, but I feel like if I don't open this door, I'm gonna regret this down the line.

Luis Estevez  14:38

A little bit of that. Yeah, there's a little fear of missing a window, for sure. Because at thirty it seemed like my time had gone and but then I'm like, you know what, if I don't do it now, you know, if I get to fifty, at that point, it's it's like well, now you're heading more in a different path and arc in life, right. So I realized that was like at the end of a window and something that I realized later in life, this is what I want to do. So I was like, you know what, let's do this. So there was a little bit of that. And people thought I was crazy, because we were working in this restaurant and it was very successful. It's still going strong, my family's restaurant. And it's been going strong for thirty plus years now. So it's which is like a lifetime. And a restaurant is they fail after a year or two, usually. The average lifespan is like five years or something. So we had brought this restaurant from nothing really, because I started at age eighteen, we started that restaurant, and then built it up in my twenties to- with my family, of course- to something that's now like an institution in the area it's in. But it was really cool to do that. So people were like, why are you leaving now? Like, it's, now you have this gold mine, and you're making money, and you're doing- you're, you're living a pretty good lifestyle. And I'm like, yeah, I like all that. And I like the work. It's really just, I just had this opportunity. And I was like, you know what, I'm going to take a shot and do this. And there's no doubt in my mind that I have like, a privileged life. I happened to hit the genetic lottery and grow up in a place that has a lot more opportunities than lots of other places. And I have supportive parents, and I have that supportive wife, or girlfriend at the time, and I have this ability to do that. So I was like, I'm gonna do it. Like, I'm just gonna jump right in.

Callan Harrington  16:16

I love it. I love it.

Luis Estevez  16:17

Oh, cool.

Callan Harrington  16:18

So you got your PhD?

Luis Estevez  16:20

Yeah. Yeah.

Callan Harrington  16:20

Then what?

Luis Estevez  16:21

I was doing my PhD, you know, and I applied to a few jobs, and I managed to get an interview and a job offer from Intel. And I was like, oh, that's a really good, it's a really good job. And it was a very good offer. And it's a really nice company to work for. And I started- I wasn't getting these fellowships that I applied for, and I had this one last one, I'm like, I'm holding out for this last fellowship. And then my PI was like, You need to take the Intel job, those things are really hard to get. I'm like, no, I'm just gonna hold off. I'm gonna tell Intel no thanks. It was a nice offer. But this is a job I want. I'm just gonna keep doing, I'm gonna keep plugging away, until I get the job I want. He's like, "you're crazy, I feel like I'm talking to my kids, you need to do this and secure your future." Like, I'm secure now. It's fine. And it just paid off. It worked out really well. I got this postdoctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Labs. And it was exactly what I wanted. Like, I was like, here's what I wanted to work on. They're like, great. That's what we want. We want that capability here at the lab. So here's like a three year deal to come here and do that work. So that took me PNNL and back to the National Lab System, which is I wanted to do.

Callan Harrington  17:20

I think one of the things that you said there that's super- I personally think it's super important, is that everyone's going to have an opinion.

Luis Estevez  17:27

Yeah.

Callan Harrington  17:28

And I think one of the things that I did wrong is that I put more weight into- I didn't use other people's advice as a way to kind of broaden my point of view. I used it as that's what you need to do. And sounds like you went the opposite. And I do that now. And I love that. But I didn't for a long time. It sounds like you did the opposite. And it worked out in your favor.

Luis Estevez  17:50

Yeah. But you know, I kind of did what was expected of me too, early on. I think we all kind of do that. And I think it's just a question of everybody, at some point, hopefully realizes, you know, what, I need to live my life for me, I can't live my life for other people. And I like other people, and I like their input. And I'll take that into consideration. But it happens, it clicks for people at different points in their lives. And for me, it clicked later on in life, like when I decided to pursue first an engineering degree and then PhD. And it's just been like that ever since. I'm like, this is what I'm going to do. And I feel like, if you go that route it almost always leads to success, because you're doing what you want to do. And it leads to like a more fulfilling life. So- but it's hard to figure that out, like, and I think that's what starting late on my path to academia had some definite disadvantages, but the advantages, you kind of have your your shit figured out at that point. You're like, I know what I like. I know what I need to do to make me happy. And I'm going to just do that. And so it gives you like an advantage over. I mean, you think about grad school, because those kids are all twenty-two years old. And I was like thirty-five at the time. I mean, at twenty-two I don't know if I'd be able to handle the stress and the meat grinder that is a PhD program. But at thirty-five, I was like, yeah, whatever. Like this is just a hard day at work. You know?

Callan Harrington  19:07

Especially in the restaurant industry. I spend some time there and it is. It's a grind. Okay, so tell me a little bit. Did you know that you wanted to found a company from the research that you were doing?

Luis Estevez  19:17

Not then. So that really happened when I came here to the Dayton area. So when when I was doing my fellowship, I was finishing up my fellowship, and I'm like, oh, I got to do the next thing, right. So this nomadic lifestyle, my fellowship was at state of Washington, and then one of my colleagues from PNNL, she had worked at UDRI as a battery scientist. Because I came from the working with batteries and power sources and that kind of thing. That was most of my research was involved there. And she's like, there's this place, UDRI, which they don't care what you want to work on. If you can get it funded, they'll let you work on it. I'm like, that's perfect. That's what I want. So, since she worked there, and like, alright, let me get a job there. And so when I finished my fellowship, I got in contact with her and her boss, and then they brought me in as a new hire. And I got to work on the stuff I wanted to work on. And at that point, I was moving away from energy storage and wanting to work on water purification, because I started realizing the materials I was working with, though they're good for battery electrodes and lots of other things I had been working on, they're really ideally suited for water purification, if I could just tweak the chemistry a little bit. I was like, instead of aiming them for no pun intended, aiming them for energy sources, I can aim them towards water purification and really make an impact there. And that stemmed from working a PNNL, and having my own research, and being able to collaborate with other people, and learning from them that oh, these materials that I've worked on, and then I've developed actually have legs for other types of applications. And so that- I can answer your there, all fully ready to like work on this new type of research. And then in Dayton, which has this, I don't know, it sounds cliche, but this entrepreneurial lifeblood running through the city. And I started working at UDRI, with small businesses and small companies, as the institutional support for them, as they would try to take their technologies and take them to start tech startups based off of them. And so we wouldn't be at the bigger institution giving them help. And then I started learning how that process worked, because you start talking to those founders. And then I started realizing the stuff I'm doing can easily be transitioned. Well, not easily. That was all very difficult. But I'm like, this is not just something that I can do, and write scientific papers on, and add to the scientific literature on. Like, this is something that can turn into a product and actually help a lot of people. And the more I dug into water and its issues, the more I started realizing there's like two billion people on the planet that don't have access to local water that isn't contaminated, like usually, typically with feces. And I was like, that's ridiculous, because I walk through UDRI, pulling cold water out of the walls, whatever I want. And there's people, like a third of the planet, that can't do this. And I was like, that's absurd. And so, you know, I was really motivated. I was like, this is how I can make an impact. I can take the work that I've been working on, both myself and with the work I had done at UDRI and transition that into startup. And that became the impetus for starting AIMM, basically.

Callan Harrington  22:19

So how did you do that?

Luis Estevez  22:21

That started with basically, I was I was proposing- I found that the NASA was looking for water treatment devices on their International Space Station. So I wanted to partner with a company to do that and eventually transition that research into that company and then maybe join their company. So I found somebody who had founded a company, and she was a good partner. But somewhere in the midst of writing this proposal, she got a job offer from the Air Force. The Air Force Research Lab, local here. And she was like, it's too good of a job offer, I'm just going to dissolve the company. And I was like, oh my God. I had been writing this whole thing myself, like with the thought that I would transition this technology into her company, and then join her. And I'm like, what am I going to do? I don't know, really what. And then I was like, you know what, I can start my own company. Why can't I start my own? And I was like-

Callan Harrington  23:05

So you weren't even thinking about that, at that point?

Luis Estevez  23:07

At that point, I knew I wanted to eventually start a company maybe. And kind of, you know, I was like, this technology is going to be transitioned out. I just don't know how this- I want this out there, and I want this in products, and I want to eventually work there. But like right now I have this nice job at UDRI and all this other stuff. I knew I wanted to get there. And that almost became the catalytic event that like pushed it all forward. I was okay, let's jump in. Since she dissolve the company, I can start my own company, and I can transition the technology into my own company. Then I'm like, wait, can I do that? Like I'm working at UDRI? So I check with my boss and he's like, I think that should be okay. Let's check with my boss's bosses and everything. And so you go through the whole chain of command, but everybody was like, yeah, this is fine. I'm like, okay, I can start my company. This is great. I can transition it out. And then I started talking to the legal representative or the attorney over at UD further about it, because she's like, well, what's your company do? And I told her what I was doing. She was like, that sounds really cool. Have you talked to the Entrepreneur Center? And I'm like, what's the Entrepreneur Center? She's like, oh, Dayton has an Entrepreneur Center, you should really talk to Jordan Roe. He's like, one of the main people there. And she's like, oh, are you going to be- so you're doing this time to time it with the University of Dayton is pushing out their new tech transfer program? And I'm like, no, what are you talking about? And she's like, oh, my God, like a new tech transfer program is starting here at UD. You should talk to Matt Willenbrink about that. And he's the head of tech transfer, he's an attorney at UD. So I talked to him, and I was like, again, it was like this serendipitous, really lucky thing where as I wanted to form a company and transition this technology out, UD had been pushing for this kind of thing. And it was great. I still have strong relationship with UD and UDRI, and I founded my company in 2018, but really was 2021 when I went full time into it, and I was like, and I've just been going strong ever since.

Callan Harrington  24:52

Did you feel that if you didn't bring this technology- so you went down this path, and this woman took the really good position at Air Force, did you feel that if you didn't do it, another window was going to close?

Luis Estevez  25:04

Yeah, again, it was less a fear of some window closing and more like, I need to do this. Like, it's almost like, it's an opportunity. I was like, this is perfect. I felt like I was kind of working in this kind of half in, half out way to try to transition this technology out. And then, when this happened, I'm like, perfect! I'm just gonna go jump right into it, I'm gonna form my own company, this is the way to do it. And it just kind of- it just made sense. I had really good people above me who are like, hey, you gotta you got to do what's best for you and your dreams. It turned out to be something that worked really well.

Callan Harrington  25:37

Okay, so you got into the business, and you're in it full time now. What were some of those things that you're like, oh, I wish I knew this before getting into this?  Oh, man. Like everything.  What's the first punch in the face that you had?

Luis Estevez  25:51

The biggest punch in the face, and the biggest rough acclamation, and my career at this point had been, my life has been always acclimating, just starting fresh, and starting into a new thing. When I went from restaurant business to mechanical engineering, that's like a bit of a rough transition. And then going from New York City to Maine. And then going from, oh, you know what, I'm going to do a PhD, and then doing that, and then doing my own research. Like running my own research at the National Lab, that was a giant new thing. Like I wasn't working for anyone, I was working for me. So just my whole life had been a series of like, these jumps, but the jump from scientist to entrepreneur,  was like totally different. The first thing I noticed, or the first, I guess, punch in the face, was when I would pitch or put together my slides for my pitch deck. As a scientist, it's a whole different world. Like, as a scientist, you are very, very careful about anything you say, and everything has to be backed 100% with lots of data and very well qualified. You know, you're like, you can't say, these materials or are going to do X, Y, and Z. You're like, our hope is that these materials with- if we're able to do this and solve this problem, can do this. And just because you don't want to oversell anything in science. That's considered really terrible. And then you go into entrepreneurship, and it's completely the opposite. It's like, everyone's overselling it like crazy. And I felt like I was the only one not doing it. And I, you know, I would give these pitches, and I'd be what sounded like a very non inspiring pitch. Well, if everything goes right, you know, I would constantly qualify. And then I was told many times, I had great mentors, and they were like, and it was like, I don't want to mention that I'm from Cornell. Like, that sounds too pompous or whatever. And they're like, no, they want to hear that, that's important. When you're pitching to people, they want to know you've been there, because that means you come with like serious academic credentials. And I'm like, so I had this, as scientists were taught, be humble, always qualify things, never oversell anything. And then I went into this entrepreneurial world, and it was like, sell the hell out of it. And I found out later, like, I would have all these backup slides of like, why what I'm saying is correct, like, the science behind it, and nobody cared. Like, I would prepare all these slides. And I would pitch to like, you know, people, and they're like- and I'm like, aren't you gonna challenge me on that? And they would challenge me on the business end of stuff, and I'm like, oh, that's- So then I started realizing, okay, that's the part I need to shore up, that's the party. So I guess that was like, my punch in the face moment is like being like, okay, you know, what, the fact that you have a PhD, and that, you know, you have this career as a scientist, that's enough. You don't need to bring in all this truckload of data to kind of support your claims. They just figure you got that covered. Like they want to know other things. And so I started, my pitch decks went from plot heavy behemoths to like, slick, less cluttered and cleaner and just get the message out. This is what we're trying to do. We're trying to bring clean water to people, give the problem statement, give the path to market, give the, you know, these are the things they're going to care about. Like the team- yeah, you're a scientist, you got that, whatever, like, don't go too far. You don't need to like bring in all the supporting data, they just figure you got it. So that was the roughest transition for me in the beginning for sure.

Callan Harrington  28:58

What did you find to be the most exciting piece that you didn't realize?

Luis Estevez  29:02

That's a really good question. Yeah, I guess I didn't realize this. You get to work with whoever you want to work with. And I knew that there came a certain amount of freedom, of course, with running your own business. I mean, you're- you choose what to do, right? But I'm like, oh, I get to work with whoever I want to work with. Like, I don't have to- I've been in many positions where, you know, your boss goes to you like, alright, we got this new project, or, you know, I want you to work with this person. You're like, oh, that guy's kind of annoying. Or, like, I don't really trust their work, or like, what it's like, well, whatever, just do it. Or I want you to do this area of research, and you're like, I don't know, I want to do water, let's say, and they're like, no, no, we want you to do this, like this is what's paying us money. So do this. And you're like, okay, got it. And, you know, there's none of that anymore. Like I don't have to work with people I don't like working with, and more importantly, there's not a lot of people like that though. I found that I've been pretty lucky with most of the people around me, but more importantly, I get to work with whoever I want to. So I don't have to make a case for it at my boss, I'm like, you know what there's this guy, a researcher over here at this university, and I really like his work, or this other researcher who works for the National Lab, and she's amazing. And then you have to bring a case, like, they can bring this capability, and I think we can get this kind of funding, and you have to justify it. Now, it's just like, in my head, it's justified. I know this person, I know what they bring to the table, I want to work with them, and I can. It's great. That's my favorite thing about what I do now.

Callan Harrington  30:29

For the brand new founders that are out there, what are some of the uncomfortable truths of being a founder?

Luis Estevez  30:36

It takes your whole life. I don't think this is a secret, but just in case it is, you should know, your life is gone. Like, I liken it to having a kid. I don't have any kids, so I don't know if I'm speaking out of turn to all the parents out there. But to me, it's like basically having a kid. You don't sleep, you work on it constantly, it drags your whole life into it, you have no social life, disappear from other people's lives. They're like, we haven't seen Lou, we haven't seen Luis in forever, like what's up. He's got a startup company, like, he doesn't talk to anybody anymore. And you just become so focused on this thing that you've created, that you're trying to keep alive for like the first year, and it's crying all the time. And you're just like, I don't know what to do. It's the first one I have like, I don't know if- do you feed it? Do you soothe it? Do you? Like the same thing with a company. Like, I don't know, does this- How do we handle this problem? Like you have people who are in your life who are mentors, and you have people who guide you through it, and there's a million books, and there's- it's very similar like the analogy. And I think that's what anybody who wants to be an entrepreneur or founder should go into it thinking, like this is basically at the same level of having a child except that, you know, if the company dies, it's not that big of a deal, I guess. But like, but it's the same kind of commitment, it's the same type of worry, it's the same type of overwhelming consumption. It becomes your whole focus. And then you hope that in a couple of years, it can start paddling on its own. And then you can start to assimilate back into somewhat of a social life and reconnect with people that you've ignored for the last two years.

Callan Harrington  32:07

Have you been able to do that now?

Luis Estevez  32:08

A little bit, it's starting to happen, still feels never, never ending and overwhelming. But I kind of a little bit, I think this year is gonna be a big one of growth and a big one that we're going to- it's going to be a lot busier, but in a good way. And I think in I'd say, two ish years, it's going to get to that point where I'll have like, a lot more employees, we'll have like, we'll be able to, I wouldn't say take the foot off the accelerator or like, take a break. But every once in a while, enjoy having a social life, that would be nice again.

Callan Harrington  32:38

Do you feel that that sacrifice is worth it for you?

Luis Estevez  32:42

Yeah. 100%? Yeah, it's been great. I like what we're trying to do. I mean, obviously, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think it would work. So to me, it's like I keep looking at like, what we're going to do, and how we're going to leave some kind of impact on this world. And I'm kind of really jazzed about it. I really feel like being able to bring clean water. It's not just, it's not just the developing world problem, either. Like, you know, obviously, there's the example of Flint, Michigan, but with natural disasters coming from all the climate change, from all the storms and natural disasters that come from climate change, that that have been increasing frequency and severity. It's just all- like water is going to be a big problem. Like there's no way around it. Like we can't just keep trucking, plastic bottles of water to all these sites. Because that's, I mean, forget about the environmental impact, like that's just not financially sustainable. Like, it'll bankrupt the country, because the storms are going to happen more and more, and they're going to be worse and worse. And they're going to have to get clean water to people. So we haven't even talked about what AIMM does. It's been a fun conversation. Like it's like, oh, yeah, what we do! Like, what we basically do is we have this technology where essentially, you can imagine like your typical household pitcher of water that, not to use the trademark name, but like a Brita pitcher, like what everybody knows, is in everybody's fridge at home. You pour tap water into it, gravity powered, it cleans the the taste of the water, and makes it taste good. We're doing that but with antimicrobial capability. So basically, you can take duck poop infested pond water poured over the top of what would be our pitcher, go through our filter, and then come out as clean, good tasting water, without any nasty microbial contaminants in there, like bacteria and things of this nature. So what we're trying to do is like be able to give both FEMA, the government, but eventually people, the power to to clean their water, in the event of national emergencies, when they're going hiking, when they're going like these are the markets that we're going to hit into, but eventually get to the problem of the developing world of people not having clean water. So that's kind of our path to get there for getting this technology out to as  many people as possible. But that's sort of what we do. And that's what makes me really excited. Like I think of how we can get there and how our tech can get out there. That makes me feel like we've made the right decision, because I know it's going to happen. And we're going to impact people's lives. So I'm kind of excited about it.

Callan Harrington  35:07

I love it. I love it. Last question is if you could have a conversation with your younger self, age totally up to you, what would that conversation be? What advice would you give?

Luis Estevez  35:18

I love my life the way it went. So like I kind of- even though it sounds weird. And it sounds totally unorthodox, going from partying, playing rugby, in college to eventually work in restaurant, and then deciding to follow what I was, quote, unquote, made for, or whatever. But to me, it's like, that's all part of the process. So I don't think I would give myself any advice as far as to change any of that. But I think what I would say is maybe to get to that point that we discussed earlier, where it's like, hey, do this for you. Live your life for you. Don't live your life for other people. And I think that's generally good advice. And and when I figured this out, I found out that- I realized that like, nobody goes, like when you have people that have some terminal disease, or whatever, they never say, I wish I would have done more things for other people. Everyone says, I wish I had done what I wanted to do. Like everybody says that. And so it's like, the sooner you figure that out, the better your life is. So I would probably impart that bit of knowledge to be like, you don't have to be greedy. You don't have to be like just me first. But you should be living your life for you and enjoying everybody and adding to their lives too, but in a way where you're not living for other people. And I think that's the sooner you figure it out, the better you go on this path.

Callan Harrington  36:30

That's excellent. Thanks, Luis. Thanks for coming on today.

Luis Estevez  36:33

Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it very much. I appreciate the questions. I appreciate the time for to let me chatter on about my life. I love it. Thanks.

Callan Harrington  36:39

Absolutely. I hope you enjoyed Luis and I's conversation. I loved hearing Luis's story. I know it's cliche, but it's never too late to make a pivot and follow your dreams. If you want to learn more about Luis, you could find him on LinkedIn in the show notes. Also, if you liked this episode, you could find me on LinkedIn to let me know. And if you really want to support the show, a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify is very much appreciated. Thanks for listening, everybody, and I'll see you next week.