Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, investor, and thought leader passionate about advancing prosperity for Latinos and other underserved communities. As an industry leader, he protects and improves the business environment required to close the wealth gap, particularly via homeownership. Amongst other endeavors, he is Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country’s leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L’ATTITUDE, the preeminent platform for Latino economic empowerment. Acosta is also a general partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the nation’s largest venture capital fund exclusively focused on Latino-led start-ups. Join Gary as he dives into today’s issues through many creative formats.
It’s no secret that smart phones, the internet, and social media having been constantly eating into in our lives, and the number of people who regularly carve out time to think and work distraction-free has become fairly miniscule. Not surprisingly, the scarcity of deep thinkers will make them the biggest winners in our economy in…
As I was writing this blog, my beloved LA Lakers closed a huge trade. Anthony Davis, arguably the best center in the NBA will join LeBron James on the Lakers roster next season. The trade immediately makes the Lakers a contender for the 2020 NBA Championship. Good news for Lakers fans…but to be honest, I…
I recently read that 40% of real estate agents and loan officers will change companies in the next twelve months. This tends to happen when the market shifts dramatically. Real estate is a cyclical business and after one of the longest bull markets in modern history, it’s not a surprise that things are starting to…
I’m of the belief that our political system is broken. Until we get rid of gerrymandering and big money in politics, we won’t have a government that truly reflects the will of the people. I think this opinion has support from all political persuasions. That said, we can stick our heads in the sand or…
I might be a bit premature in celebrating, but my prediction about Kawhi Leonard is proving to be correct – in a big way. The Raptor forward is about to bring the musician Drake and about a million rapid fans from Toronto, Canada their very first NBA Championship. Leonard is my kind of superstar: talented,…
About ten or twelve years ago, I was at my local driving range hitting some golf balls on a Sunday afternoon. The driving range in Del Mar has The Golf Mart next to it. On this particular day, the driving range was packed and The Golf Mart was hopping. The guy who ran the shop…
I have been reading a book called Factfulness, with a subtitle that says Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think’. Bill Gates supposedly called it one of the most important books he has ever read. The book begins by asking the reader to answer a few…
I wrote the words above almost three years ago when I first drafted the NAHREP 10. It was not a part of the original list, but a friend urged me to include something about health and fitness on the list and I thought it was a good idea. However, regardless of what I wrote, like…
Image credit: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press Mark my words, at the end of this season, the basketball gurus will declare Kawhi Leonard as the best all-around player in the world. Besides being the best defender in the league and a top 5 offensive player, Leonard is a winner. Everything he does on…
Julián Castro is a former HUD Secretary and a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. He also happens to be Latino, so of course I should support him—and I do. The truth is that Julián is a long shot. The Texas native comes from humble beginnings, but he and his twin brother Joaquín…
Late Friday the world received news that the Robert Mueller report was completed and sent to the Attorney General for review. Before anyone other than the justice department has seen any of the report or its primary conclusions, the speculation has been all over the place. Fox News is saying the report has vindicated the…
For those following March Madness, you might have heard about the controversy surrounding Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Izzo, who is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball, was in the news this week after video footage of him savagely berating a player made its way around social media. The video prompted a…
I must admit, the college admission scandal that rocked the airwaves this week didn’t surprise me a whole lot. Any student or parent who has gone through the process knows that college admissions at elite schools has become outrageously competitive in recent years. So, it isn’t a surprise to find out how far some people…
While SXSW continues to set attendance records, L’ATTITUDE will open registration soon for its 2019 event in San Diego on September 26-29. Once again NAHREP will host its national convention in tandem with L’ATTITUDE and will be joined by ALPFA and SLEI, two of the of leading organizations for Latino business professionals and entrepreneurs. Last…
Next weekend the most exciting spectacle in all of sports begins. I love the NCAA Tourney and expect this year to be just as good as it usually is. The emotion of March Madness is what makes it so special. Every year there is at least one team that defies all odds and advances much…
I’ve been a board member of the Latino Donor Collaborative for two years. The organization is chaired by Sol Trujillo and is governed by an impressive board of many of the top Latino business leaders and entrepreneurs in the country. The organization produces research reports and hosts twice annual convenings where LDC board members interview…
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released the final homeownership numbers for 2018 and indicated that Hispanic homeownership rose for the fourth consecutive year, and the gain was the largest since 2005. Hispanics are the only demographic to have its homeownership rate increase for four consecutive years. The increase is even more impressive if you…
I have been skeptical of the keto diet. How can a diet that says you can eat pig fat but not an orange be good for you? I don’t think it can be, but most studies show that the health benefits of a lower body mass index offset any possible negatives. I recently had my…
Last week, my friend Earl Watson arranged a breakfast meeting for me to meet with Starbucks founder, Howard Schultz. Watson and Armando Tam were also in attendance. Earl Watson’s relationship with Schultz goes back to when Schultz owned the Seattle Supersonics, the NBA team that drafted him out of UCLA. Schultz later sold the team…
NAHREP’s national president, Daisy Lopez-Cid was in town last week, and Marisa Calderon and I decided to take the afternoon off and take Daisy and the NAHREP staff to watch the Robert Rodriguez directed film Alita: Battle Angel. I got the chance to interview Rodriguez on stage last September at the L’ATTITDUE event, and could…
