Lifestyle

Sandro Salsano: A Renowned Name in the Business World

Published

3 years ago

September 8, 2022

There’s more to being a businessman than just wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. With the recent increase in competition within the business world, the processes of choosing the right business to invest in and managing it have become much more daunting. There are dozens of risks involved and more chances of failing than succeeding. However, by being informed and aware of the challenges you may face, you can put yourself in a much better position to succeed in today’s business climate.

Overtime, many businesses have bloomed, not just by pure luck, but because of the genius brains behind them. People like Elon Musk and Bill Gates are known for their determination and perseverance. A close study indicates the top traits of a successful entrepreneur include the ability to plan, execute, and change the world. These characteristics can help them be cautious before investing in any business.

Sandro Salsano is a very well-known name in the world of business, standing amongst the top names in the list of successful entrepreneurs. Born on 25 September 1979 in Lecco, Salsano possesses exceptional skills, dedication and a stellar academic background, all of which helped him reach the top.

As a kid, Salsano loved playing basketball, however, his grip on understanding how the business world worked was inborn. Salsano was a student at the Bocconi University, Milan. He completed his MBA from the University of San Diego, California, and later went to study at Harvard Business School, Princeton, INCAE, and Oxford University. Attending these top-tier business schools helped Salsano polish his skills and hustle towards achieving his goal- to earn a name for himself.

Salsano’s efforts paid off pretty soon. Since 2007, Salsano has been the President of the Salsano Group. The company invests in real estate, private equity, and tech companies. It is recognized as an office of active investors in Silicon Valley with investments in various technological companies.

This is just one of his many achievements. Salsano is also on the Board of Trustees of the Salsano Shahani Foundation, while also being the chairman of Global Dignity for Panama. In January 2014, he became a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Because of his uncountable achievements, he has been titled ‘Warren Buffet of Central America’. Forbes magazine, in 2019, ranked Sandro Salsano as the sixth richest person in the region. His company, Salsano Group, is estimated to have a worth of US$1.3 billion. His work has been featured on different platforms, including Bloomberg, Forbes, and CNN.

Additionally, he has more than 100 firms in his portfolio, all successful and prosperous. He is an individual who looks for disruptive projects and strives to grow them measurably. He was the first investor to believe in the messaging startup named Rappi, even at the time when it was worth only $20 million. Today, the approximate value of this “techno-latina” is estimated to be 1000 million dollars, with a presence in seven countries. He mentioned in a report that before investing in Rappi, he looked for projection and verification that the project would work. Salsano implements the same approach with all of his projects. This is how he has worked with more than 100 companies and added them to his portfolio. His list of companies includes Life360: a platform to connect family and friends, Digikala: an e-commerce company, Miroculus: a biotech company, and others, such as Spotify, Dropbox, Pinterest, and many more.

Along with being a successful entrepreneur and businessman, he has also laid quite an impression in the world of philanthropy. He has been an active and valued member of the Clinton Foundation, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Aspen Institutes, Amfar, Elton John Aid Foundation, and Olga Sinclair Foundation. With the aim of improving children’s education in Central and Latin America, Salsano has also established Salsano Shahani Foundation with his wife, Johanna.

Salsano possesses recognized knowledge of business because of which he sits on the board of different companies as both a shareholder and an advisor. Building a diversified portfolio of individual stocks and bonds takes considerable time and expertise. Looking at Sandro Salsano’s business portfolio, one can deftly estimate his passion and struggles for making his name a brand in itself for the business industry.

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.