Luso-American Dream
I'm José Costa Rodrigues, a Portuguese-born entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas, USA.
I created Luso-American Dream to share my journey and the stories of amazing entrepreneurs in the USA.
About me:
- I started my first company at the age of 19. In 5 years, we grew to 100 employees, €20M in revenue and then sold it.
- After that I emigrated to the USA to build something 10x better - Relive - pursuing my American Dream.
- A couple of years later, I had bought a house, obtained a green card and built a fast growing, profitable, business.
- Relive is now empowering 150+ entrepreneurs to build their own succesful brand and business in real estate.
At the age of 16, I began selling used books, playstation games and phone acessories, in order to save enough money to buy an iPhone.
At 19, took a risk and launched Forall, a startup selling refurbished smartphones. Shortly after, we hit our first million euros in revenue.
At 22, I was mentored by billionaire Alexandre Soares dos Santos, owner of Jerónimo Martins, who became my first outside investor.
In the following years, we grew exponentially to 100 employees, 15 stores and €20M in revenue. In 2020, we sold the company.
After that, I decided to do it all over again! But this time... in America!
In 2022, at 26 years old, I emigrated to the "land of opportunity," aiming to build something even greater: Relive.
Relive achieved great results and received a $1 million investment from Portuguese & American VCs, to further accelerate our growth
This may seem like a nice story... But the first months in Texas were tough: no family, no friends, no home, no business, no visa...
I literally invested everything I had... And after six months, we successfully launched our business in the USA!
Nowadays, Relive generates millions in revenue, is profitable and has expanded to multiple locations 🚀
This is my story as a Luso-American entrepreneur, proud of my heritage and grateful for the incredible opportunities America offers.
Selected Media
"Millionaire in Texas - the most successful young Portuguese entrepreneur"
- RTP Internacional, April 2023 - Read full article →
"At 16, José wanted to buy an iPhone. When his parents said 'no,' he started selling stuff online and saved enough to buy one himself — then sold it for a profit. Years later, he's selling hundreds every month."
- Observador, October 2017 - Read full article →
"Relive raises $1 million in the United States. From Austin, Texas, they plan to grow their business nationwide."
- Forbes Portugal, January 2022 - Ready full article →
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