Hola

My name is Federico Galarraga. I’m a Spaniard/Venezuelan, and since 2014, also American, now living in Austin, Texas. I’m a jack of all trades; engineering is not my passion but my core tool. My true calling is solving problems. Ideally, real-world problems that address people’s needs and desires. My second passion is building various things, be it ideas, products, startups, individuals, or entire teams.

I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. From the age of 9 until 17, my family became increasingly involved in the non-violent movement to oust Socialist Dictator Hugo Chavez. I ran from bullets during the 2002 march, waited in line for 14 hours for gas during the 2003 general strike, and in 2005 I had to escape my home in the middle of the night due to the military attempting to raid it.

On the same week I fled Venezuela, I started my Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Houston. I graduated and left for Austin, Texas, but not without designing and building a couple of vacuum tube high-definition audio systems and picking up a minor in Electromagnetism.

I worked at IBM for 4 years, where I authored 3 patents, polished my software skills, and met my future co-founders. We started Tastegraphy, named one of the Top 50 Startups in Austin, TX in 2016. Later, I co-founded Full Fridge, mentioned by National Geographic for pioneering food waste initiatives. Not wanting to give up on my entrepreneurial journey, I gave it one more go creating Sigma Lion, a platform by and for angel investors. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown forced me to return to a traditional path, building technology at Ads Inside, one of Facebook’s first 10 marketing partners, and then leading the Engineering Billing department and Core App Group at Homebase. Read more about my professional journey →

In 2021, I decided to scratch an itch to learn mechanical systems and I’m almost done building a replica of a 1965 Shelby Cobra. Read more about my engineering projects here →

Perhaps my greatest strength has also been my biggest weakness. If I find a problem that I believe needs fixing, I don’t consider if it aligns with my current trajectory. I am confident I can teach myself any skill necessary to do so, and I’m always drawn to the prospect of learning something new. My therapist says I’ve made progress in managing this behavior, but the jury is still out.

My obsession with collecting knowledge as if it was Infinity Stones has led me to look for ways of sharing it. I blog on Medium and recently, I organized all my thoughts and notes on engineering and leadership into my own handbook. Read my handbook →

For fun, I like to visit National and State Parks and speed hike 12+ mile trails, cook, watch Formula 1, play drums and guitar, and spend time with my 7 pound Maltese.

Still, a lot of life to go, so this page is under construction.