About Ángel Figueroa | Team Architect & Entrepreneur

Vision. Teamwork. perseverance.

My dream growing up was to play soccer. I know, I know, like millions of kids all over the world, all wanting to be the best. For me it was a bit different. What fascinated me was the team. Jumping onto the field with 10 other players to compete against whichever team stood in-front of us.

I was never the best. In fact, I was usually the slowest, least technical player on the field. But I compensated by learning to read the game, coach those around me, and give 100% from beginning to end.

Try, Learn & Go at it again

My other passion growing up was games. Board games like Chess or Risk, and later computer games like Warcraft. I loved the simplicity, the challenge of starting with the same resources as an opponent and having to outsmart them to win. Battles of the wits that, win or loose, you could quickly learn from and go at it again.

BUSINESS IS an EXCITING game

I love how business is simple and complex at the same time.

It has taken me years of working at Corporates, Agencies, and Startups to realize that business has all the elements I love in sports and games. Of course the stakes are higher, failure leads to people losing jobs, which triggers a survival instinct which makes people think of themselves before the team.

And yet, there’s something beautiful in designing a business team. You know your vision, set your goals, and find the right tactics to reach them. It's simple. The hard part is keeping it that way.

Designing teams with the right culture, skills, and tactics is a challenge I love to tackle over and over again.

Aerospace Engineer turned innovation consultant

A bit about me, I'm an Aerospace Engineer from the TU Delft with an MSc in Airline Strategy & Operations. After university, I joined Capgemini's Business Innovation team, where I worked on high-profile business innovation projects at Vodafone and KPN, helping run programs to launch new digital services or transform the way of working of the organization.

At one point, I got bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, and since then, I have been working with startup and corporate venture teams on building the foundation from which to scale up the business.

Coaching startups always brings me back to the importance of the team. If you don't have the right team, you aren't going to make it. 'Luckily' that falls right down the alley of what I like to do most: help team leads design strong innovation teams so they can achieve great feats.

On a personal note

I'm originally from Spain, but at the age of 7, I moved to The Netherlands for my dad's work. I was lucky enough to go to The American School of the Hague and grow up in an international environment. It taught me many important life lessons. Especially that home does not always have to be a physical space.

I traveled around quite a bit throughout the years, coaching startup teams across different continents. And in that journey, I shaped my dream of building Tortuga Haven. A place on a tropical island where entrepreneurs come to rest and reset. A retreat from the day-to-day hecticness to indulge in a routine of good food, sleep and exercise that they understand to be the key to success.

Why? It’s my ideal environment, one in which I see myself having fun coaching people who are genuinely there to recharge, learn, and grow. It would be my new home away from home, my favorite place in the whole world.

If something on my page resonates with you or you see opportunities to work together in the future, don't be shy, and connect with me.

Connect on LinkedIn

Vision. Teamwork. perseverance.

Try, Learn & Go at it again

BUSINESS IS an EXCITING game

Aerospace Engineer turned innovation consultant

On a personal note

Business is simple,the hard part is to keep it that way...

Business is simple,
the hard part is to
keep it that way...