Meet Aquiles
Aquiles La Grave is an award-winning innovator and 3x Inc. 5000 honoree, 1/2 of Exclamation Point Ventures, he is a Partner at Sphere Labs and Co-Founder at Bars.com. Aquiles is widely recognized for pioneering advancements in tech. He is a former SLEI Fellow at Stanford University focused on LatinX representation in tech. Aquiles has led multiple industry-changing projects, notably Brandzooka which pioneered Programmatic TV Advertising. A contributor to AdAge, Dow Jones, and Forbes, he shares insights on innovation as a practice.
My Story
I was born in Venezuela, raised in Colorado, and shaped by a lifetime of chasing what feels real. I’ve built startups, told stories, run strategy and product, and stared down more than a few “what now?” moments. Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t just drawn to tech or startups—I was drawn to connecting people, and generating from teams and products the kind of outcomes where 1 + 1 = 5.
Mine is the kind of first-generation immigrant story you don’t hear enough in VC-backed startups—a family arriving from abroad with nothing but the clothes on their back and yet, somehow, through a mix of luck, grit, timing, and community, building a life that could only have happened right here in Boulder. Exclamation Point Ventures is my way of putting skin in the game for the ideas that deserve to exist. I’m not here for the hype. I’m here to back what’s true—and to help build it, brick by brick.