"I have a very crazy sweet tooth. I'm picking at sweets. I'm picking at cookies. I'm picking at chocolate. I love chocolate."
Carlos Ramirez, co-founder of VADIY, on what he reaches for while building.
His co-founder Kerwin Vasquez, who spent 17 years as an electrician at Grand Central Terminal, is in his room in Queens all day, sometimes all night. Carlos is a nine-year Army veteran who lived the problem they are solving: he left active duty knowing about three benefits. There are hundreds.
This conversation gets real about what founders actually eat. Kerwin went from Colombian kid raised on rice, beans, and steak every day, to electrician bringing peanut butter and jellies to avoid $30 Manhattan lunches, to vegan founder whose wife makes beans the Colombian way. Carlos went from eating whatever the Army served for 9 years, to BJJ competitor who put on 20 pounds after his last competition, to founder snacking on cookies and chocolate while building.
Carlos's wife? Puerto Rican, makes pernil and arroz con guandules. Kerwin's wife? The vegan he followed around Greece eating pasta and fries until she noticed him. He has not had steak in nine years.
But here is what matters: Carlos takes his 12-year-old son on a Veterans Day run every year, hitting nine or ten establishments for free food. Thirteen pictures, one day, a tradition that started with Army buddies in Miami. It is the same energy behind VADIY: veterans earned these benefits, so why is it so hard to find them?
VADIY works like this: you tell it who you are and what you are dealing with, and it shows you benefits you are likely eligible for in plain English, with links back to the official source. No more paying consultants $15-20K to navigate the maze.
CONNECT WITH VADIY: Website: https:/vadiy.com
MORE FOUNDERS FRIDGE: Website: www.foundersfridge.com
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