An Entrepreneurial Spirit

Andres Valdiri has already launched a business consulting company for student-led startups, as well as expressed an interest in becoming part of the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship.

They say inspiration can strike you when you least expect it, and for Valdiri, the inspiration came in the barber’s chair. A victim of a self-described “terrible trim” while in high school, Valdiri came up with the idea of an app to ensure a good haircut. It would utilize artificial intelligence to measure facial proportions and head shape to suggest the best haircut and how to scout barbers by specialty.

While he “regretted giving the barber money,” Valdiri would more than make up for the cost of the bad trim, winning a $1,500 first prize in a regional youth entrepreneurship competition.

As a first-generation American born to Colombian parents, Valdiri has always had an “I’ll do it” attitude along with an entrepreneurial spirit, both serving him well thus far in life. He’s eager to “pay it forward” for the help he got from others who aided him through his difficult early years in school.

“My dad always told me that if you want to be a part of the top 1%, you got to do what 99% aren’t willing to do,” Valdiri said.

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