When the Only Way is Up: Earl Valencia Turned $5 Million in Startup Funding Into Emerging Market Success

While many bright minds have their sights set on Silicon Valley, founder Earl Valencia’s vision is set elsewhere: emerging markets, regions like Southeast Asia or Africa where the population is young, where standard national GDP growth is between 5-10%, and where there’s “ so much opportunity still to make change,” he says. Plentina, Earl’s last venture, did exactly that. He raised $5 million for the buy-now-pay later startup servicing emerging markets, and exited successfully in 2024. Before his work as a startup founder, he’s worked at places like Bridgewater Associates, Charles Scwab, and Cisco. The lessons from all these experiences come together in his latest book, Startup Mindsets (Random House SEA). On the Build to Last podcast, Earl shares with Ethan how—and why—he built a career around emerging markets and what it takes to succeed in a region where the only way is up. You can find Earl on LinkedIn, or purchase his book here.