Born in Costa Rica and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, Carlos Ferrer Moya has always wanted to have a business. Becoming a business administration major and exploring entrepreneurship was a logical step heading into college.
Now, with a business set to launch next year, he hopes to become an entrepreneur who makes an impact on his community and its future. University Communication and Marketing had a conversation with Ferrer Moya about how his major and opportunities at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln helped him get started.
What drew you to your major, particularly entrepreneurship?
I’ve always wanted to have a business. The majority of people have enough financial burdens that are brushed off to the youth as “that will make you a lot of money” or “there is no money in that, don’t do it.” Entrepreneurship is the spirit of saying screw all that, I want this to exist and then making it. Speakeasy Visuals happens to be my “this”.
Talk about your involvement with the Inclusive Business Leaders program.
The Inclusive Business Leaders was a great program. I was in the guinea pig group as Cohort 1, which I’m sure means that today the program is completely different. Kasey Linde was the head of that operation at that time, and she did amazing in working with us.
Your team won a Thomas G. Guy Startup Team Award during the New Venture Competition. What was your business?
The business was called Bakers Batter. The whole idea originated from Cheyenne Prentice, my business partner's, brain. While baking cakes in her childhood with her family, she would lick the beaters after whipping some cake batter. With a knack of entrepreneurship she thought that others might want this too. For the New Venture Challenge we did market testing and it did end up being a thing people were really interested in.
Pitching to industry professionals was an incredibly boundary-pushing and humbling experience. Being in a room of people who make the world go around was surreal, and I knew I wanted to be in this environment.
Being in a space like that, where every single person around you is doing things to change their community is extremely inspiring. Motivation will only take you so far, and being in that environment drives you to take the next step, showing you that the only limit that truly exists is yourself. These people have been broke, in debt, wealthy, and successful, but what shone through all was these people were excited and doing what they loved!
The New Venture Challenge was the first thing to completely change my mindset on college. It was a revolutionary experience and I’m just glad to have been a part of it. Thank you so much to the Entrepreneurship team — Mallory Krenk, Samuel Nelson, Amanda Metcalf, Samantha Fairclough, Andrew Hanna, and Lindsay Thomsen — for the opportunities that you are providing for students like myself to thrive while in college.
What drew you to the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator? Anything you hope to gain from being part of it?
My goal is to have an operational business for my graduation in December 2025. Ultimately, I want to help people tell their stories. Through the program I hope to gain knowledge from my peers and connections that will last a lifetime.
The Entrepreneurship Accelerator program was a sequel to the New Venture Competition in my life. A follow-up to only a select few and based on my participation in the competition, I was one of the invited. This program allows you to be in that same environment I described above but with people who haven’t made it yet. Rolling with the punches just like you!
All around this time (March 2024) through a random connection I met with the CEO of Cuemotion, Andy Seiler. Andy has been my mentor in the career field I have fallen in love with, film production. Andy took me in and treated me like family, teaching me 15-plus years of experience every single shoot day. I have to thank Andy Seiler with all my heart as he has helped me shape myself in an industry that is often unforgiving.
After working in this industry, around May 2024, we were asked to join the Entrepreneurship Accelerator and I was faced with the choice of joining Cheyenne in her venture or going off on my own. The dream was to build a production studio like Cuemotion called Speakeasy Visuals. This is the venture I have chosen to pursue and I am so happy to have the opportunity to follow this passion. Starting the Entrepreneurship Accelerator I literally had nothing, just “Speakeasy” as the name. In around three weeks of hard work, Speakeasy Visuals is now a reality; a registered LLC, website and socials, all due to launch in the new year 2025.
Is there anything you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?
In truth, people who are born 500 years from now will not care about what Carlos Ferrer did back in the 2020s to 2070s. I want to be a beam of inspiration and love for those around me, and show them that happiness and kindness are unconditional. With capital, I hope to make donations towards charities, and to develop projects that help others. A huge inspiration for this is Mike Smith from The Bay. Mike represents helping your community right now to make an impact on our future.
What or who inspires you?
My parents primarily, and Cheyenne Prentice, Andrew Hanna, Mike Smith, the entrepreneurship team, and my friends.
My parents have always provided an incredible support system for everything I have ever done. Their sacrifices have never gone unnoticed and their drive to bring all of us to a new country has taught me so much about life. My parents are Cuban-born immigrants who moved to Costa Rica (where I was born) and then to the US in 2011. Their efforts have allowed us to live a quality of life that would have been a mere dream otherwise. I want to thank Carlos and Mayelin for believing in me 100%, and for providing such incredible opportunities for our family.
What is your advice to other students looking to make an impact on campus?
Do something you love while here. If you hate it, it will not last forever. If you love it, it will not last forever.
