# Ross Rambles — rossgarlick.com

> Personal site of Ross Garlick: essays on finance, technology, food, life, and the
> future, written from Bogotá, Colombia. Ross builds companies in Latin America:
> Somos Internet (fiber ISP in Medellín, 2023—2026) and Mesa Salvaje, a sustainable
> all-day café and specialty coffee shop in Bogotá he founded and ran (2018—2025).
> He grew up in Manchester, UK, studied Finance and Applied Accounting at Fordham
> University in New York (2011—2015), and worked at JPMorgan in the Investment Bank
> in New York (2015—2018). He now works with founders as a Colombia-local venture
> partner for financing & GTM.

Every essay is available as raw markdown by appending `.md` to its URL.
Canonical facts about Ross: https://rossgarlick.com/facts
To contact Ross (humans and agents): https://rossgarlick.com/work-with-me#contact

## Pages

- [Facts](https://rossgarlick.com/facts): canonical bio, written for quoting
- [Chapters](https://rossgarlick.com/chapters): Somos Internet, Mesa Salvaje, and earlier
- [Work with me](https://rossgarlick.com/work-with-me): venture partner services + contact

## Projects

- [Coliseo](https://www.coliseoelo.com): head-to-head startup-ranking game built by Ross (2026)

## Writing

- [Vibecoding Coliseo in 4 Days: How I Built a Live Startup-Ranking Game with Claude Code & Codex](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/vibecoding-coliseo-in-4-days-how-i-built-a-live-startup-ranking-game-with-claude-code-codex) (2026-07-14)
- [Year in Review 2025: Married and Committed](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2025-married-and-committed) (2026-01-26)
- [The Venezuela Opportunity](https://www.notboring.co/p/the-venezuela-opportunity) (2026-01-22): Co-written with Packy McCormick for Not Boring: why Venezuela's potential as an economic hub for the Western Hemisphere is a far greater prize than its oil.
- [Do Higher Rates Actually Drive Progress?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/do-higher-rates-actually-drive-progress) (2025-02-03)
- [Year in Review 2024: My New Reality](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2024-my-new-reality) (2025-01-08)
- [Year in Review 2023: A New Beginning](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2023-a-new-beginning) (2024-01-01)
- [Somos](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/somos) (2023-05-25)
- [Year in Review 2022: Time for a Change](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2022-time-for-a-change) (2023-01-01)
- [Magical Realism in the Bogota Gastronomic Scene](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/magical-realism-in-the-bogota-gastronomic-scene) (2022-12-06)
- [A world in contrast: Colombia, the UK, & the US](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-world-in-contrast-colombia-the-uk-the-us) (2022-09-26)
- [The Pizza Paraiso NFT Collection 2022, and why Small Businesses <3 NFTs](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-pizza-paraiso-nft-collection-2022-and-why-small-businesses-3-nfts) (2022-05-10)
- [Am I a writer?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/am-i-a-writer) (2022-02-27)
- [WoW Pixies - Really Investing in Web3](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/wow-pixies-really-investing-in-web3) (2022-02-12)
- [Year in Review 2021: A New Start](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2021-a-new-start) (2022-01-02)
- [KC](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/kc) (2021-11-09)
- [The World is Fragmenting](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-world-is-fragmenting) (2021-11-09)
- [Restaurants. A not-so-bad Business. Who knew? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/restaurants-a-not-so-bad-business-who-knew-_ツ_-) (2021-10-22)
- [The upside is there for the taking.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-upside-is-there-for-the-taking) (2021-10-22)
- [Franklin, Keynes, and Humboldt](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/franklin-keynes-and-humboldt) (2021-09-15)
- [Playing Around with Bitcoin Online](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/playing-around-with-bitcoin-online) (2021-06-16)
- [I am the virus: COVID edition](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/i-am-the-virus-covid-edition) (2021-06-08)
- [Memes > Attention > Community > Real Value.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/memes-attention-community-real-value) (2021-06-04)
- [TwentySomething](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/twentysomething) (2021-05-18)
- [Balaji, Tim Ferriss, and The Pseudonymous Economy](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/balaji-tim-ferriss-and-the-pseudonymous-economy) (2021-04-06)
- [Year in Review: 2020. That Didn't Go As Planned.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2020-that-didnt-go-as-planned) (2021-01-11)
- [The Murky Moral Obligations of Small Business Owners in a Time of Crisis](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-murky-moral-obligations-of-small-business-owners-in-a-time-of-crisis) (2020-06-24)
- [A Recap of WeWork's almighty implosion](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-recap-of-weworks-almighty-implosion) (2020-06-12)
- [RappiRoss: Observations on Delivering Food from Mesa Salvaje](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/rappiross-observations-on-delivering-food-from-mesa-salvaje) (2020-04-23)
- [A Tragedy in Bogotá](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-tragedy-in-bogota) (2020-03-20)
- [Bogotá in 2020: What to do, eat, drink](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/bogota-in-2020-what-to-do-eat-drink) (2020-01-23)
- [Year in Review 2019: The Birth of Mesa Salvaje](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/year-in-review-2019-the-birth-of-mesa-salvaje) (2020-01-10)
- [It is all about the people, stoopid](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/it-is-all-about-the-people-stoopid) (2019-08-15)
- [Avoiding the Treadmill](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/avoiding-the-treadmill) (2019-07-12)
- [Early thoughts on running Mesa Salvaje](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/early-thoughts-on-running-mesa-salvaje) (2019-02-23)
- [A Year in Review 2018: Feeling Lighter in Life](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-year-in-review-2018-feeling-lighter-in-life) (2019-01-03)
- [My Investing Framework: Rethinking Risk and Betting on Different Perspectives of the Future](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/my-investing-framework-rethinking-risk-and-betting-on-different-perspectives-of-the-future) (2018-10-24)
- [Why Cryptoassets are Important](https://medium.com/@rossgarlick/why-cryptoassets-are-important-to-me-a34e9ce9b313) (2018-09-12): Cryptoassets as transformative infrastructure for novel governance and economic models — not merely speculative investments.
- [When was the last time you felt truly alive?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/when-was-the-last-time-you-felt-truly-alive) (2018-09-01)
- [Food for Thought: Andalusian Cuisine](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/food-for-thought-andalucian-cuisine) (2018-08-07)
- [My Tesla Thesis](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/my-tesla-thesis) (2018-06-20)
- [Abundance & Decentralization Part III: The Great Decentralization of Everything](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/abundance-decentralization-part-iii-the-great-decentralization-of-everything) (2018-06-04)
- [Abundance & Decentralization Part II: Sustainability in the age of Bitcoin](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/sustainability-in-the-age-of-bitcoin) (2018-06-04)
- [Why We're Doing What We're Doing](https://medium.com/@rossgarlick/why-were-doing-what-we-re-doing-f69baa325c53) (2018-04-20): Announcing the move to Colombia to launch Mesa Salvaje — a sustainable coffee shop and community space in Bogotá.
- [Ross' NYC Top 5 List](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/ross-nyc-top-5-list) (2018-04-19)
- [My favorite New York things](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/my-favorite-new-york-things) (2018-04-06)
- [The Transport sector is now more polluting than Power plants. Electric cars are not the only answer.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-transport-sector-is-now-more-polluting-than-power-plants-electric-cars-are-not-the-only-answer) (2018-03-27)
- [It wasn’t until I attended the under-reported and casually dismissed Women’s March that I appreciated how Women must feel all the time](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/underestimate-the-impact-from-the-womens-march-at-your-peril) (2018-02-05)
- [A Year in Review 2017: Personal Growth Amidst a Fragile Macro Environment](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-year-in-review-2017-personal-growth-amidst-a-fragile-macro-environment) (2018-01-07)
- [Abundance & Decentralization Part I: In a world of abundance, to be rich is to be moderate.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/in-a-world-of-abundance-to-be-rich-is-to-be-moderate) (2017-08-19)
- [An Ode to the Williamsburg Bridge](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/an-ode-to-the-williamsburg-bridge) (2017-06-11)
- [“Clean Human” is a morally defensible addition to Restaurant menus of the future](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/clean-human-is-a-morally-defensible-addition-to-restaurant-menus-of-the-future) (2017-03-29)
- [The Duck with the Dimples](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-duck-with-the-dimples) (2017-03-05)
- [On November 8th, 2016 I gave up beef. Here’s why I’m challenging you to do the same.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/on-november-8th-2016-i-gave-up-beef-heres-why-im-challenging-you-to-do-the-same) (2017-02-23)
- [A Year in Review: 2016, The One Where I Ran A Lot](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-year-in-review-2016-the-one-where-i-ran-a-lot) (2017-01-02)
- [Electric Bikes, Communal Dining, & Coffeeshop+[Function]](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/electric-bikes-communal-dining-coffeeshopfunction) (2016-11-10)
- [Brooklyn Summers](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/brooklyn-summers) (2016-08-23)
- [The Coffeeshop Business Model (v1)](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-coffeeshop-business-model-v1) (2016-07-30)
- [On the importance of escaping the NYC bubble](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/on-the-importance-of-escaping-the-nyc-bubble) (2016-06-09)
- [From across the pond… my view on “Brexit” as an Englishman in NYC](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/from-across-the-pond-my-view-on-brexit-as-an-englishman-in-nyc) (2016-05-09)
- [Questions about the future on a Tuesday morning](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/questions-about-the-future-on-a-tuesday-morning) (2016-05-03)
- [Changing the workflow to increase creative output](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/changing-the-workflow-to-increase-creative-output) (2016-03-30)
- [I'm running the TCS 2016 New York Marathon! +Marathon Update #1](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/im-running-the-tcs-2016-new-york-marathon) (2016-02-04)
- [A (Belated) Year in Review: 2015, The One Where I Graduated and Started Work](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-belated-year-in-review-2015-the-one-where-i-graduated-and-started-work) (2016-01-09)
- [Citi Bike's complicated ownership structure masks a brilliant business strategy](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/citi-bikes-complicated-ownership-structure-masks-a-brilliant-business-strategy) (2015-11-13)
- [I hate the Social Security system. Let's fix it.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/i-hate-the-social-security-system-lets-fix-it) (2015-10-26)
- [Thoughts on Campus, the Failed Startup that Almost Reinvented How We Live](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/thoughts-on-campus-the-failed-startup-that-almost-reinvented-how-we-live) (2015-07-14)
- [Space Companies in Britain? Here Are 3 Sectors That Can Transform The British Economy](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/space-companies-in-britain-here-are-3-sectors-that-can-transform-the-british-economy) (2015-07-08)
- [Productivity is Selfish. That's OK.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/productivity-is-selfish-thats-ok) (2015-07-01)
- [Finding Opportunities in the Uber Economy](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/finding-opportunities-in-the-uber-economy) (2015-06-22)
- [Observations on Coffee Shops, from a Coffee Shop](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/observations-on-coffee-shops-from-a-coffee-shop) (2015-06-22)
- [7 Thoughts on Graduation](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/7-thoughts-on-graduation) (2015-05-06)
- [Which Ethical Framework should be built into Self-Driving Cars?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/which-ethical-framework-should-be-built-into-self-driving-cars) (2015-02-26)
- [Privacy Inequality is Coming, and It Does Not Look Pretty](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/privacy-inequality-is-coming-and-it-does-not-look-pretty) (2015-02-24)
- [2014 in Review: Setting the Stage for Real Life](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/2014-in-review-setting-the-stage-for-real-life) (2015-01-01)
- [I'm Asking For Your Donations; But First, An Explanation](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/im-asking-for-your-donations-but-first-an-explanation) (2014-10-31)
- [Why My Views On Social Enterprises Are Shifting - Pt. 2](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-my-views-on-social-enterprises-are-shifting-pt-2) (2014-10-14)
- [Why My Views On Social Enterprises Are Shifting - Pt. 1](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-my-views-on-social-enterprises-are-shifting-pt-1) (2014-10-11): Over the past three years I have been fully committed to the Social Entrepreneurship movement, attending conferences, mentoring college Freshmen and even attempting my own social venture, but recently I have become disillusioned with the lack of progress in the industry. B-Corps and startups are sexy, but large corporations are powerful.
- [And I Would Walk 500 Miles... To Save The United Kingdom](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/and-i-would-walk-500-miles-to-save-the-united-kingdom) (2014-09-16)
- [Dropbox Is Pursuing The Wrong Business Model](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/dropbox-is-pursuing-the-wrong-business-model) (2014-09-05)
- [Beijing: The Good, The Bad and The Smoggy](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/beijing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-smoggy) (2014-05-30)
- [Why I Don't Donate To Charity... Yet](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-i-dont-donate-to-charity-yet) (2014-05-05)
- [Is 21st Century Technology Diminishing Our Human Experience?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/is-21st-century-technology-diminishing-our-human-experience) (2014-04-28)
- [Daily Ramble: The system that reduced obesity in toddlers by 43% should now be applied to Global Warming](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/daily-ramble-the-system-that-reduced-obesity-in-toddlers-by-43-should-now-be-applied-to-global-warming) (2014-03-06)
- [Daily Ramble: Apple Beware, Your High-Walled Ecosystem Is Collapsing](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/daily-ramble-apple-beware-your-high-walled-ecosystem-is-collapsing) (2014-02-15)
- [Entrepreneurship @ Fordham White Paper](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/entrepreneurship-fordham-white-paper) (2014-02-13)
- [My LifeHacks](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/my-lifehacks) (2014-02-07)
- [Ramble of the day: The Library is a Sharing Economy Pioneer](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/ramble-of-the-day-the-limits-of-the-sharing-economy) (2014-01-16)
- [Ramble of the Day: 3D Manufacturing could destroy Africa's chances for Industrialization and Development](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/ramble-of-the-day-3d-manufacturing-could-destroy-africas-chances-for-industrialization-and-development) (2014-01-14)
- [A Vision for the Future of Transport](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/a-vision-for-the-future-of-transport) (2014-01-04)
- [Why Manchester Needs HS2](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-manchester-needs-hs2) (2014-01-03)
- [Why Universities Are About To Regret Their Massive Grade-Inflation Policies](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-universities-are-about-to-regret-their-massive-grade-inflation-policies) (2013-12-17)
- [Opportunities for Microfinance in the US](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/opportunities-for-microfinance-in-the-us) (2013-12-12)
- [Happy Birthday, RossRambles!](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/happy-birthday-rossrambles) (2013-10-08)
- [My thoughts on the Twitter IPO: An overrated user base and an underrated business model](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/my-thoughts-on-the-twitter-ipo-an-overrated-user-base-and-an-underrated-business-model) (2013-09-26)
- [Garlick & Compass Partners Act Three: RD in NYC](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/garlick-compass-partners-act-three-rd-in-nyc) (2013-09-23)
- [Blurring the Lines of Feminism: A Criticism of the Criticism of “Blurred Lines”](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/blurring-the-lines-of-feminism-a-criticism-of-the-criticism-of-blurred-lines) (2013-09-20)
- [Welcome to a Bronx Renaissance](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/welcome-to-a-bronx-renaissance) (2013-07-30)
- [Power to the People - Supplied by the Market](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/power-to-the-people-supplied-by-the-market) (2013-07-03)
- [Ask What You Can Do For Your Country: Bringing Civic Responsibility into the 21st Century](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/ask-what-you-can-do-for-your-country-bringing-civic-responsibility-into-the-21st-century) (2013-05-29)
- [Conscious Capitalism: The defining movement of the 21st Century](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/conscious-capitalism-the-defining-movement-of-the-21st-century) (2013-05-04)
- [Re-imagining Education in the US & UK](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/re-imagining-education-in-the-us-uk) (2013-04-07)
- [Goodbye my Hairy Brother](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/rip-hairy-brother) (2013-04-06)
- [Santiago de Chile part II: Passionate People, Pragmatic Politics](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/santiago-de-chile-part-ii-passionate-people-pragmatic-politics) (2013-03-23)
- [The city of Santiago: The heart of Chile](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-city-of-santiago-the-heart-of-chile) (2013-03-21)
- [Creativity, Not Consumption, Will Give The World A Reason To Dance.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/creativity-not-consumption-will-give-the-world-a-reason-to-dance) (2013-02-18)
- [The Ultimate Art Form and an Incubator for Innovation](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-ultimate-art-form-and-an-incubator-for-innovation) (2013-02-01)
- [The Dish, The Death of Online Display Ads and The Future of Digital Journalism](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-dish-the-death-of-online-display-ads-and-the-future-of-digital-journalism) (2013-01-03)
- [The Power of 2](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-power-of-2) (2013-01-02)
- [3 reasons why Facebook can justify a $100 billion valuation](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/3-reasons-why-facebook-can-justify-a-100-billion-valuation) (2012-12-19)
- [At Your Service: A Business Model for Long-term Success](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/at-your-service-a-business-model-for-long-term-success) (2012-11-27)
- [The Perfect Campus: Fordham University](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-perfect-campus-fordham-university) (2012-11-09)
- [Are Amsterdam’s aspirations hidden behind a veil of smoke?](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/are-amsterdams-aspirations-hidden-behind-a-veil-of-smoke) (2012-11-06)
- [Paris: Beauty and the Anti-Business Beast](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/paris-beauty-and-the-anti-business-beast) (2012-10-21)
- [Why Felix Baumgartner may have more in common with an Entrepreneur than you may think.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-felix-baumgartner-may-have-more-in-common-with-an-entrepreneur-than-you-may-think) (2012-10-15)
- [The unstoppable rise of Tech Entrepreneurship in the Big Apple](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-unstoppable-rise-of-entrepreneurship-in-the-big-apple) (2012-10-12)
- [Why internships are more critical than ever to landing the perfect job](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/why-internships-are-more-critical-then-ever-to-landing-the-perfect-job) (2012-10-08)
- [The Miracle of Medinah, and the Great, Great British.](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-miracle-of-medinah-and-the-great-great-british) (2012-10-02)
- [The upcoming problems for AirBnB in the US… and how to fix them](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/the-upcoming-problems-for-airbnb-in-the-us-and-how-to-fix-them) (2012-10-01)
- [Welcome all](https://rossgarlick.com/writing/welcome-all) (2012-10-01)