Founder Spotlight: Catarina Pedroso (Ballūta)
Meet Catarina Pedroso
Company:
Ballūta is a vegan footwear brand connecting fashion, sustainability, and art. Our shoes are sophisticated statement pieces imbued with art and nature influences and handmade from high-quality European sustainable and cruelty-free materials. Our shoes are produced in a family-run factory in São João da Madeira, Portugal, under safe and dignified working conditions. As we believe the future of fashion is circular, we are dedicated to developing trans-seasonal, timeless footwear, combining unique concepts, alternative materials, and innovative technologies. Our mission is to operate a modern and responsible business, by constantly challenging and pushing boundaries to protect and respect nature, animals, and people.
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped, currently preparing for a Pre-Seed investment round.
Location:
Lisboa, Portugal
When did you launch the business?
May 2018
What led you to where you are today?
I come from a traditional bull-fighting family and even as a child I was very conflicted with what I saw done on animals at a family countryside estate. I suppose that close experience with animals suffering, my love of being in the wild, and my natural pendant for the arts, was what propelled me to create Ballūta.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I had known how lonely the path is almost always, how much you learn about your abilities but also how often you will be confronted with your shortcomings, and that you always have to keep fighting for what you believe in. YOU have to have the vision and that is what will lead others towards your project. That is something you cannot delegate, even when you question everything. Not an easy journey but nothing that is easy is ever as rewarding as when you feel you created something that makes a real impact.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Due to the pandemic, we've had to put the company on a temporary hold. This was a tough blow but after 12 months, I'm glad we decided it. We're much better prepared now to pick up where we left off and ready to kick off the next chapter.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
Happy to help with aspects related to branding, art direction, design, or sourcing sustainable textiles.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
We're currently getting ready to find investors for a pre-seed round. Any warm intro with an investor who shares our mission would be golden!
Fun fact about you:
I've lived many lives: been on the road with bands as a back vocal, was the 1st female graffiti artist in Portugal in my teens, lived in Barcelona, lived in London, worked as a fashion makeup artist, managed beauty brands, founded and managed a tourism startup, painted oil portraits for a living. I'm a chameleon and a fighter. Ballūta is my brainchild.
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