Forbes 30 Under 30: The 26-Year-Old who Co-Founded an AI Company before you'd even heard of AI

Banks Don't Want You to Know This About Stablecoins - Leandro Meneses

In two years, Leandro MeneSes has moved over $1.5 billion in international payments — without using a single bank wire. In this episode, Leandro shares how he went from analysing country risk at S&P in New York to founding Mandioca Payments, a stablecoin-powered platform now processing $200M every month for clients across Latin America and beyond. We get into why SWIFT — the system behind every international bank transfer — is, in Leandro's words, "WhatsApp from the 70s," why a $1M wire from New York to London still takes three business days in 2026, and how stablecoins like USDT are quietly replacing decades-old payment infrastructure. This conversation is for anyone curious about where finance, technology, and global trade are heading next — and for any founder thinking about leaving the security of a big corporate role to build something of their own. What you'll learn in this episode: – Why SWIFT is the bottleneck nobody talks about, and how stablecoins solve it – How Mandioca moved $1.5B+ in two years without competing with banks – Why Wall Street giants like JPMorgan, Goldman, and Vanguard now hold Bitcoin – The "we're always one day from going broke" mindset every founder needs – How blockchain in 2026 mirrors the internet in the 1990s — and what that means for the next decade – What Leandro looks for when hiring, and the leadership principle behind Mandioca's culture

The Mexican Who Brought Krispy Kreme to Spain - Manuel Zamudio

Manuel Zamudio arrived in Spain in 2011, in the middle of a brutal financial crisis, with a plan that almost everyone called crazy: relaunch KFC in a country obsessed with its own food culture. A decade later, KFC has surpassed Telepizza to become the third-largest QSR brand in Spain — and Manuel went on to do something even bigger. He brought Krispy Kreme to Madrid. In this conversation — recorded live at the flagship Krispy Kreme in Madrid, the first outside broadcast for The Free Lunch — Eddie sits down with Manuel to unpack the journey from mechanical engineer in Mexico City, to running brands at P&G, to leading KFC across Spain and Portugal at Yum Brands, to becoming a franchisee, to closing the joint venture that finally brought Krispy Kreme to Spain in 2024. The launch broke records. 26,000 free half-dozens given away across Madrid. People queuing 20 hours before the doors opened. Golden tickets handing out free boxes for a year. And one detail that makes Krispy Kreme Spain unique in the world: it's the only Krispy Kreme on the planet without the word "DONUTS" on the logo. There's a legal reason — and it's a great story. But the deeper conversation is about how you actually build something that lasts. Manuel shares why he believes "companies are not a family," the four values he runs every business by, why he uses the medieval wall of Ávila as a metaphor for company culture, and the rule that keeps his marriage healthy while he and his wife both work in the business. In this episode: — Why he bet on Spain during one of its worst economic crises — The real reason Krispy Kreme can't say "donut" in Spain — How they engineered the most-talked-about brand launch in Madrid — Why companies should never call themselves "a family" — The four values: integrity, determination, positivity, generosity — What it takes to work alongside your spouse (and why she doesn't report to him) — Why brands outlast people — and the responsibility that comes with that TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Intro 02:00 — Cold open: companies aren't families 04:00 — Live from Krispy Kreme Madrid 05:00 — From mechanical engineer to brand manager 06:20 — The P&G years: marketing as a business school 14:00 — Moving to Yum Brands and arriving in Spain 28:30 — Launching KFC during Spain's financial crisis 31:40 — How KFC overtook Telepizza 34:00 — Becoming a franchisee and the road to Krispy Kreme 36:30 — Why you can't say "donuts" in Spain 40:00 — Fresh every day: the Krispy Kreme promise 42:00 — Inside the launch that broke records 57:00 — Building culture: the Ávila wall metaphor 1:01:30 — The four values 1:05:20 — Why companies are NOT a family 1:09:00 — Working with your spouse: the rules 1:14:30 — Brands outlast people ABOUT THE GUEST Manuel Zamudio is the CEO of Krispy Kreme Spain and co-founder of Cárdenas Investment, the operating group behind KFC Spain (where he served as Regional General Manager for Spain & Portugal before becoming a franchisee in 2017), Sano, and Krispy Kreme Spain (launched 2024 as a joint venture with the brand). Born in Ecuador, Mexican by nationality, based in Madrid since 2011.

The Math of Motherhood and Entrepreneurship - The Brutal Reality of Scaling an Empire | Beth Mazza

Can you build a seven-figure business without sacrificing your family?Today’s guest, Beth Mazza, argues that the "starving founder" archetype is a myth that holds back some of the world's best potential entrepreneurs. As a 4-time entrepreneur, mother of four, and co-founder of Female Mavericks, Beth has mastered the art of "Entrepreneurship Like a Mother"—a philosophy built on extreme execution, high-performance teams, and unclenching the need for total control.In this episode, we dive deep into the mechanics of moving from a corporate "safety net" to true financial freedom. We discuss the transition from solopreneur to CEO, the specific math required to hit seven figures, and how the dawn of AI is acting as a massive equalizer for founder-led services businesses.Whether you are a mother looking to launch, a corporate leader feeling the itch to build, or a founder struggling to scale, this conversation is a masterclass in leadership, resilience, and the power of brand.In this episode, we explore:0:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY] - Introduction: Great Product, Team, Culture, and Brand.2:15 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=135s] - Why a company is not a family (and why that’s a good thing).10:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=645s] - The Corporate Illusion: Why your job is less stable than you think.18:30 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=1110s] - The "Control Freak" Trap: How to scale by letting go.25:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=1500s] - The Math of Success: Building 5-year revenue and execution models.34:15 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=2055s] - Raising Money vs. Bootstrapping: What you actually need to start.45:50 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=2750s] - AI for Founders: How technology is changing the game for services.55:20 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxvLkJ0oDY&t=3320s] - Entrepreneurship Like a Mother: The mission for 10,000 moms.

Forbes 30 Under 30: The 26-Year-Old who Co-Founded an AI Company before you'd even heard of AI

AI is Changing Everything: Entrepreneurship, Jobs & the Future of Work | Abraham Lopez | The Free Lunch PodcastWhat happens to your career when AI can do your job better, faster, and cheaper? In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, host Eddie Ross talks with Abraham Lopez , 26-year-old AI entrepreneur and investor , about the real impact of artificial intelligence on business, leadership, and the global workforce.Abraham founded Correcto, an AI writing assistant used by students across Latin America, and ERA Capital, a venture fund investing exclusively in early-stage AI companies (including Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI). He shares how he went from studying at Cambridge to building two companies before turning 26.🔑 Key takeaways from this episode:00:00 Introduction01:31 Abraham's journey: King's College London → Cambridge → AI founder06:50 How Cambridge funded his first startup12:08 Why the opportunity cost of entrepreneurship in your 20s is zero14:08 AI is lowering the barriers to starting a business15:29 How entry-level jobs in consulting and banking are changing RIGHT NOW17:47 Will AI replace most knowledge workers?20:08 AI costs are going DOWN, not up — here's why23:03 Why everyone is suddenly talking about Claude and Anthropic27:20 Where AI agents still fail (and where they work)28:09 Which big tech companies won't survive the next 10 years?32:55 The SaaS crash explained: how investors are repricing software stocks37:29 AI as a strategic tool: the Block/Square layoffs explained40:12 Will AI create more jobs than it destroys?44:18 How AI will transform education and healthcare47:31 The growing inequality problem nobody wants to talk about48:20 Robots, self-driving cars, and the future of physical work50:19 Waymo, autonomous vehicles, and why regulation is the bottleneck54:56 Why leadership must become MORE human in the age of AI01:03:17 Are software engineers being replaced by AI?01:06:36 Claude Code vs Cursor: the future of AI coding01:08:42 AI-generated music: will Spotify survive?01:10:44 Book recommendations: Atomic Habits & How to Win Friends and Influence People📚 Books mentioned:Atomic Habits — James ClearHow to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale CarnegieWhere's My Free Lunch? — Eddie RossAbout The Free Lunch Podcast:The Free Lunch is a podcast about leadership, business strategy, and the forces shaping our future. Hosted by Eddie Ross, each episode features candid conversations with founders, investors, and leaders navigating today's fast-changing world.#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork #AIJobs #StartupFounder #ClaudeAI #Anthropic #VentureCapital #Leadership #AIAgents #SelfDrivingCars #Waymo #TechInvesting #FreeLunchPodcast #AIStrategy #SaaS #MachineLearning #AIStartups #FutureOfAI

He Changed How You Sleep on Planes — Now He's Using AI to Change How You Book Travel

He came up with the sleep service in first class at British Airways. Now he's building AI that predicts what you want to book before you even search. This conversation will change how you think about travel, technology, and leadership. Andy Owen Jones has spent 35+ years at the cutting edge of travel technology — from British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to founding SmartSeer, a company using predictive AI to transform how online travel works. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Eddie Ross sits down with his former Amadeus colleague to explore how AI is reshaping the travel industry, why most online travel agencies missed their biggest opportunity, and what leaders need to understand about probability and uncertainty. Whether you're in travel, tech, or leadership — this one's packed with insights. 🕐 TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Introduction01:22 — Starting at British Airways as a programmer in 198802:32 — The flat bed idea: changing first class from luxury to sleep05:23 — Leaving travel for NatWest and Deloitte06:10 — Learning change management in San Francisco07:30 — Running IT at Virgin Atlantic before Y2K08:06 — Building an online travel agency during the dot-com boom09:01 — Arriving at Amadeus and saving the Tui deal10:23 — How caching and "big data" transformed travel search11:24 — Founding BD4: modelling individual user behaviour14:05 — Moving from certainty to probability-based personalisation16:37 — SmartSeer's pitch: the right product for the right person19:03 — Predictive AI vs generative AI — what's the real difference22:14 — His 2017 AI presentation that nobody cared about23:50 — Will AI be a game changer or a game massager for travel?25:14 — Why online travel agencies never used the data they had29:05 — Is AI actually going to change things radically?32:16 — The real disruption timeline: 2-3 years out34:35 — The age of the niche entrepreneur36:52 — The hidden cost of AI nobody talks about39:28 — Security nightmares and the wrapper startup trap43:35 — Micro-businesses, universities, and the future of work48:13 — Why doctors might train completely differently in 20 years49:49 — Amazon's soulless shops and why humans still matter54:04 — What education should look like now57:16 — Leadership in the age of AI: storytelling, vision, and poker01:01:14 — "Find the right customer for your product, not the right product for your customer" 🔑 KEY TOPICSAI in travel, predictive AI vs generative AI, travel technology evolution, online travel agencies, personalisation, British Airways flat bed history, SmartSeer, change management, leadership in uncertainty, future of education, entrepreneurship, probability thinking 🎙️ ABOUT THE GUESTAndy Owen Jones is co-founder and Managing Director of SmartSeer, a travel technology company using predictive AI to personalise the online travel experience. He previously held senior roles at British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Amadeus, and founded BD4. 🔗 CONNECT Andy Owen Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aowenjones/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyowenjones] SmartSeer: https://www.smartseer.com [https://www.smartseer.com] Eddie Ross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-ross-3350711/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-ross-3350711/] 📌 ABOUT THE FREE LUNCH PODCASTThe Free Lunch is where we have engaging and useful conversations about leadership in all its different forms. New episodes weekly. 👉 SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with leaders who are shaping the future. #AI #TravelTechnology #Leadership #PredictiveAI #TravelIndustry #FreeLunchPodcast #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork #SmartSeer #OnlineTravel