Lessons from Losing a Mentor: Omar Alvarez on Startups, AI Family Stories & Life | #223 Kinnect

Finding Founders

In this episode, Omar Alvarez, founder of Kinnect, shares his incredible journey from growing up amid gang violence in Chicago to breaking into Nike’s ultra-competitive hiring pipeline—beating a 0.5% acceptance rate. He dives into his experiences as a Division 1 athlete, surviving a Twitter mass layoff before even starting his job, and eventually launching Kinect, an AI-powered platform preserving human stories.

Omar discusses:

• His early life in Chicago and the unique challenges of being a first-generation Latino navigating two worlds.
• How he broke into Nike despite having no elite school background or industry connections.
• The pivotal moment at NikeTown Chicago that changed his career trajectory.
• Why he left Nike for Twitter, only to be laid off before Day 1, and how he rebounded at Levi’s.
• The personal loss of his grandfather and close friend that shaped his vision for Kinect.
• The problem with modern social media and how AI can revolutionize memory preservation and deep connections.

Packed with actionable insights on resilience, storytelling, and startup building, this conversation is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, creatives, and anyone interested in AI’s role in human connection.

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