Miguel Perea has always built businesses, now he wants to change how companies find talent

It started with sweets. Then came sneakers, merchandise, social media and his own trading. For Miguel Perea, entrepreneurship has never been a goal for the future but a way of thinking.

“I have never really had an ordinary job. I have always wanted to build something of my own and understand what makes people actually buy a product.”

Miguel, 21, grew up in Spain before the family moved to Sweden when he was 13. His mother raised him and his two brothers in a new country, something that has shaped his view of responsibility, discipline and perseverance. When one of his companies failed after six months of work, he learned another important entrepreneurial lesson.

“To me, success is not about stubbornly continuing in the same direction, but about having the courage to rethink the strategy and find a better way forward.”

Today Miguel studies economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. Alongside his studies he has founded an algorithmic trading company, worked on company acquisitions within the consulting organisation 180 Degrees Consulting and analysed equities within the Stockholm Student Investment Fund.

Today he is one of eight entrepreneurs selected for Talent Venture Labs.

Together with his co-founder he is developing a new method to help companies assess the real competence of candidates in a time where AI has become an obvious work tool. Instead of trying to stop candidates from using AI, Miguel wants to measure how well they actually collaborate with the technology to solve real work tasks.

“I am fascinated by the interplay between psychology, marketing and artificial intelligence, and how that combination can be used to build companies that solve real problems.”