September 13, 2024 – Famous Brands Liquor Derek Sisson and Latin American Cloud & Growth Hacker Gerardo Sandoval

School for Startups Radio

Derek Sisson – Founder and CEO of Famous Brands – Home of Merica Bourbon – Building a Liquor Business

Derek Sisson is a Native Texan, former Force Recon Marine, motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Famous Brands, a renowned creator of exceptional high-quality spirits and beverages embody American values of freedom, unity, and independence. In 2008, Derek began his career in the wine and spirits industry as a wine importer. With his marked success, he created a distribution company which led to the founding of Texas Top Shelf, a trusted partner for alcohol beverage product manufacturing, where he served as CEO. Based on key learnings in that position, Derek created Famous Brands in 2017, kicking off the company by developing the ever-popular Merica Bourbon. Through Derek’s business acumen, Merica Bourbon is now available in 45 states and carried by most leading chains. This year, Derek has expanded the Famous Brands legacy through the launch of Merica Beer, crafted from high-quality ingredients and known for its crisp, refreshing taste, available to beer enthusiasts at a cost-friendly price point. Built on his experience within the special operations community as a member of 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, USMC, and his life as an entrepreneur, Derek has proven he has the leadership skills and drive to catapult Famous Brands to heightened levels of success.
Gerardo Sandoval – Founder of Facilcloud – Latin American Cloud

Gerardo Sandoval is a serial entrepreneur, Cloud Architect, and Data Scientist who has founded several successful startups with clients in over 20 countries. His entrepreneurial journey began at a young age when he created an inventory control system for his home warehouse before he was 14. Although he initially aspired to be a doctor, his passion for technology led him to study science and computing without having a computer at home. At age 16, he founded his first venture, Creative Computer Labs, where he taught computer science classes. Later, he established a hosting company with 35,000 clients and is recognized as one of the main Hispanic influencers in Growth Hacking. He founded Facilcloud, the first elastic cloud in Latin America, and currently helps companies grow using Growth Hacking, a methodology that combines critical thinking, data science, digital marketing, agile iterations, and custom software. He has built startups from zero and written books about Growth Hacking. As a veteran data scientist, he advises on growth and data science issues in SaaS companies, Marketing, online education (e-learning), Insurance, Clean Energy, and Home Improvement.