A graduate of the Business Administration program at UPB, Mateo Sánchez Lobo represents a generation of professionals who understand marketing as a strategic tool to create experiences, build audiences, and develop cultural and creative industries with real impact. As Marketing Director and partner of the country's leading entertainment and hospitality conglomerate, he now leads the creative and positioning strategy for festivals, concerts, nightlife venues, sports projects, and culinary offerings that are redefining Bolivia's leisure and entertainment scene and projecting it into new markets.

• How did your journey in the world of entertainment and entrepreneurship begin?

  
  

  My academic background was consolidated in the Business Administration program at UPB between 2015 and 2019. Since then, my professional life has been deeply tied to entrepreneurship. I was always drawn to the idea of creating memorable experiences and connecting with people through what they enjoy, and I found in entertainment a space where strategy, creativity, and execution naturally intersect.

  
  

• Today you lead an entertainment and hospitality conglomerate; in which areas are you currently present?

  
  

  Together with my partners, we have developed projects in different entertainment segments. We run nightclubs and bars such as Alice Park, Noma, Awra, Salvaje, and La Sociedad, each with its own identity. We also produce large-scale festivals and concerts, including Non Stop The Madness, the country's largest festival. In addition, we developed Pro Padel, the most complete padel complex in Cochabamba, we promote tourism gastronomy projects, and we work in the production and distribution of purified water.

  
  

• What were your first steps as an entrepreneur in this industry?

  
  

  During my last years of university, I met key people who, over time, became my partners. Together we took our first steps with Noma and Awra, spaces that quickly became established in nightlife. That was the beginning of a path that allowed us to grow, learn, and take on increasingly ambitious projects.

  
  

• In 2024 you opened Alice Park, the largest nightclub in the country; what does that project represent for you?

  
  

  Alice Park is the result of years of learning, work, and shared vision. It represents our commitment to elevating the entertainment experience in Bolivia, understanding nightlife as a cultural industry that generates jobs, economic movement, and community.

• What has been the most challenging part of the entrepreneurial journey?

  
  

  The greatest challenge is living with uncertainty. Entrepreneurship means accepting that there are no guarantees, that sacrifice may not yield immediate results, and that many times there is no turning back. It is a process that demands daily resilience and a huge capacity to adapt.

  
  

• What lessons did facing that uncertainty leave you with?

  
  

  I learned that the life one dreams of is often behind years of effort, rejection, and perseverance. This is not a path of quick results, but of consistency. Over time I understood that mistakes are also part of growth and that each stage leaves valuable lessons.

  
  

• What role does the team play in the way you approach entrepreneurship?

  
  

  From my student years I understood the importance of surrounding myself with people who have more experience and ability than I do. Seeking to learn from those who know more, building solid teams, and working with discipline has been key to everything we have achieved.

  
  

• What advice would you give to those who want to start a business today?

  
  

  Don't isolate yourself, surround yourself well, and build cohesive teams. Identify what truly inspires you and persist until you reach excellence. Entrepreneurship is not about having all the answers; it's about learning to walk with purpose, even amid uncertainty.

INSIGHTS: 

• A book or film that has had an impact on you: Think Like a Monk, by Jay Shetty. It taught me to organize my mind and understand that true growth begins from within

• A person you deeply admire: I deeply admire my mom for her resilience and strength. She is a woman who can give everything without expecting anything in return. Beyond personal admiration, I have enormous respect for her as a businesswoman: her ability to remain steadfast in any situation inspires me every day.

• A phrase or principle that guides your life: “Things don't improve, you do.” I think the key is to become stronger, not to expect things to get easier.

• Your most precious asset: My time and my health. I learned not to give them away to just anyone and to be very mindful of what and with whom I invest them.

• A fear you learned to transform or that taught you a lesson: The fear of failing. Today I see it as part of the process. Every stumble shapes you, teaches you, and prepares you to sustain what you were not ready to have before.

• A favorite flavor or culinary experience: Italian food, especially when I share it with my family. It's that moment when work stops, conversations flow, and you enjoy the most important thing: being together.