My Story
My Story
“Work hard, have fun, make history.” – Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.
Born in Manaus, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, I always dreamed of living an epic life: I wanted to travel the world, challenge conventions, and leave a legacy. I could never accept what I deemed to be wrong. Something inside of me always compelled me to act.
I organized my first protest at the age of 15. A few years later, I had successfully contributed to a president’s impeachment and a governor’s term invalidation. I had also presided over a political party and had received an international award as a recognition of my work as an activist.
At the age of 21, I ran for office to advocate for the removal of barriers to entrepreneurship in Amazonas, such as red tape and prohibitive taxes. From day one, I decided that my campaign would follow the “lean startup” model. As a result, I spent only R$18,119.00 (around $3,300) and received 7,452 votes – $.45 of investment per vote. An unprecedented result.
After the election, I got out of my comfort zone and joined Princeton University’s Class of 2023. New challenges, new experiences. My goal was to explore different career visions and interests while bearing in mind my passion for promoting innovation and real-world impact in people’s lives.
I realized at Princeton that, instead of promoting entrepreneurship as a politician, I could do so as an entrepreneur myself. After all, I had the example of several inspiring alumni to follow. This encouraged me to learn coding and to pursue experiences that may develop my business acumen.
Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive world – where people are free to follow their passions with dignity and equal opportunities. To that end, I’m particularly drawn to AI, lean manufacturing, and the design of smart cities.
Testimonials
A glimpse at what people who know me well have to say about me.
“Julio was an incredibly engaged student in ‘Living with AI,’ helping our advanced writing seminar come alive. He was one of the most dedicated students I’ve ever had.”
Will Penman, Ph.D.
Lecturer at Princeton University
“I met my friend Julio when he was organizing his first protest. Fast forward 7 years, and I was helping him with his campaign for public office. He always had the drive to make an impact.”
Henrique de Melo
Entrepreneur, henriquedemelo.com