Latinos Are Building Businesses, But They Don’t Get Much Credit

A dyslexic student who finished at the bottom of his high school class, Ryan Bethencourt remembers his Cuban refugee father urging him to join the family plumbing business. He didn’t listen, and today he’s co-founder and chief executive of Wild Earth.

The vegan pet food startup won backing from billionaire Mark Cuban on the reality show “Shark Tank” and has raised $16 million in total investments, including from Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel. “You don’t have to be a doctor or plumber,” said Bethencourt. “You can build the next Facebook, Genentech, or Beyond Meat and change the world.”