Journey of Gabriel Tamez: from finance to tech with Localizoo

Gabriel Tamez, a former investment banker and trader, has always been intrigued by programing. This desire and his entrepreneurial ambitions brought him to join Le Wagon Mexico and launched Localizoo!

I needed to build an MVP rather quickly. The last few weeks of the bootcamp taught me that getting a product out in front of customers was critical.

I. Tell us about your background! What did you do before Le Wagon?

My background is in finance. Before LeWagon, I spent 6 years working in NYC as an investment banker and trader. I always wanted to learn to code and had the goal of launching my own business.

II. What did you do after the Wagon?

I was impressed with LeWagon’s track record as a top ranked coding bootcamp with locations all over the world.

III. Why Localizoo? Where did you get the idea?

I got the idea for Localizoo from wanting to adopt a puppy in Mexico City. It became clear to me that there was a large supply of street and shelter dogs and that most of the rescuers involved barely had an online presence. The rescuers were mostly relying on word of mouth to get their dogs adopted. There wasn’t one centralized webapp or website where you could filter for cats and dogs based on your location or mascot preferences.

IV. What were the challenges you encountered?

I needed to build an MVP rather quickly. The last few weeks of the bootcamp taught me that getting a product out in front of customers was critical. I was able to quickly iterate through my MVP to get user feedback and add features that were important to adopters and rescuers alike.

V. How do you use the skills you learned at the Wagon?

Although I did not use rails as the main framework for Localizoo, LeWagon was fundamental in me understanding everything from the database model to visually appealing front-end design. LeWagon provided the base knowledge for me to pick up other coding languages and design frameworks.

VI. A last word for the future entrepreneurs of the Wagon?

Get started building your product today. Do not wait for inspiration. Spend less time focusing on what language to use and start building. Get your product in front of users as quickly as possible so you can iterate based on real feedback!