Don Alexis is one of the first great Venezuelan entrepreneurs of the late 20th century. Those who are so trendy today, backed by venture capital (VC), developing technological solutions, mobility systems, personal financing systems that are losing their capital fit, car sales platforms that did not exist in the country at the time.
His story embodies the essence of the born entrepreneur and socially responsible individual. He started with very little: selling coffee to those passing by in the early morning. That may have been his first capital, what the entrepreneurial world today refers to as seed capital.
He continued with his restaurant located on the Trans-Andean road of the Venezuelan Andes, and probably with the support of family and friends —the second stage of any venture friends and family capital— he managed by 1984 to recreate what he remembered as an Andean village. Thus Los Aleros was born.
The country was then going through the consequences of the 1982 devaluation of the bolívar, and traveling abroad ceased to be a frequent option. In that context, the Andean páramos went from receiving about 1.5 million tourists to approximately 2.2 million in 1986, according to figures from the National Tourism Corporation of the time.
Los Aleros is the product that finds “the need, the experience, and the Andean identity.” Thus we arrive at the first theme park, a space that allowed visitors to travel back in time and understand life in an Andean community in the Venezuelan Andes and show how life was lived in the country.
This project offered entertainment and experiences aligned with what the millennial generation values today: acquiring meaningful experiences over financial assets; but 40 years earlier.
His initiative promoted the arrival of capital, job generation, and environmental conservation.
But he didn't stop there. Like every great entrepreneur, he surely had to go through the dreaded “valley of death,” a period of internal struggle where one faces the contradiction of continuing or dying in the attempt. But time shows that his three parks, distinct in essence, managed to become emblems of an entire region.
Alexis Montilla was an innate entrepreneur of the 20th century, where effort, humility, and honesty came first. He was not focused on competing for valuations, like many current startups, where metrics matter more than the real impact occurring in their community, the jobs they generate, and what their social responsibility is. Alexis cared about maintaining jobs and generating impact. This is a true Venezuelan.
Thank you, Alexis, for being a pioneer. For having weathered storms and always maintaining the conviction that everything was possible.
Oswaldo Pacheco Useche, BA Ms
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