Alex Velez

Alex Velez co-founded BTTR Ventures (Back to the Roots) with Nikhil Arora in 2009, establishing an innovative venture focused on sustainable food production. The company became recognized for growing gourmet oyster mushrooms from recycled coffee grounds and developing products such as Gourmet Garden Grow-it-at-Home Mushroom Kits, retailed at $19.95, alongside nutrient-dense topsoil. For his work with BTTR Ventures, Velez was named among the top 25 young entrepreneurs by Business Week in 2009 and recognized as one of America’s most promising social entrepreneurs by the publication in 2010. BTTR Ventures received a $50,000 award from The Hitachi Foundation in 2010, and the initiative was featured in prominent publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and on the BBC.

His professional philosophy emphasizes the critical importance of mindset, perception, and communication, with a primary objective to assist others in developing strategic approaches to overcome challenges in both business and life. Velez maintains an active presence on Instagram, where he engages with a dedicated following of over 20,000 individuals, sharing his insights and strategies for personal and professional development.