“That Outreach Thing”

Discovering I didn’t need the perfect idea — just a real one.

A couple of weeks ago, I crossed the stage on Baker Lawn, hugged my parents and four siblings who had flown from Portugal, and felt one thought settle in: it is time to build. Moments later, still in my gown, I pressed “launch” on Prospio: the outbound-sales engine I had been coding between classes. The choice felt daring, yet oddly obvious. Looking back, every twist I once labeled a detour now reads like a breadcrumb quietly guiding me toward this moment.

An Itch for Code, a Detour into Business

At seventeen, I was sure I would study computer science. Then, in a burst of last-minute indecision, I applied to business instead. I never regretted the choice: finance and management showed me how value moves through the world. Still, the itch to write software never faded. I taught myself Python after class, built a bot that trained me to be a better poker player, and wired up a weekly newsletter that sent itself while I slept. Code became my playground: no committees, no slide decks, just curiosity turned into working prototypes.

That same curiosity nudged me toward entrepreneurship. In undergrad, I joined an HR-tech venture as employee number three, then co-founded a payments idea that fizzled when we could not find product-market fit. Each attempt left me both energized and doubtful. I kept thinking I lacked a worthy idea, or the technical depth to scale one, or the courage to leave a safe career path.

Collecting the Tools

After graduation, I enrolled in a dual master’s in Finance and International Management, pairing balance-sheet analysis with a minor in Data Science. The mix convinced me that Excel and SQL can live happily under the same roof.

Boston Consulting Group came next. I had interned there twice, so I knew the thrill of complex strategy cases. Still, whenever a client described a tedious workflow, I reached for code. I built dashboards to replace manual PowerPoint updates, scraped market data to challenge vendor quotes, and used predictive modeling to make the case for large-scale societal transformation. Managers cheered, clients nodded, and I learned that a little data science can move the needle even in a 60-slide deck culture.

A summer at Stackpoint, a venture studio spinning out AI products, added the final ingredient. Watching tiny teams move from idea to revenue in only a few months showed me that my split profile  — business first, code second —  is not a liability. It is the whole point.

Serendipity in Aldrich and the Birth of Prospio

The catalyst arrived at HBS when a classmate asked for help sourcing companies to buy. I wrote a quick crawler that mapped niche B2B sectors, pulled executive contact details, and sent personalized emails. The solution worked too well. Responses started pouring in. When others learned of this tool, people searching for acquisition targets and owners who already ran profitable firms both wanted “that outreach thing.” Real-world demand shattered my final excuse. The idea was not glamorous, but it would not stop tugging at my sleeve.

So I named it Prospio from the Latin prospicere, which means “to look forward.” For each client, we craft their ideal customer profile, gather fresh prospects, write compelling sequences, and launch outreach before most teams have finalized their lists. Underneath, AI-powered agents quietly enrich and prioritize prospects, continually improving copy through ongoing feedback and human judgment. Clients simply see qualified meetings appearing on their calendars. Salespeople get to focus on meaningful conversations instead of assembling spreadsheets at midnight.

I built Prospio for a practical reason: founders and revenue leaders lose precious hours to tasks that a well-designed machine can handle. I also built it for a philosophical belief: technology should lift humans out of menial work. If advanced AI fulfills its promise, society will need to rethink how it assigns dignity and income. Automating tedious outreach is one small step toward that future, yet it is the step I can take right now.

Looking Forward Together

When I connect the dots, the map looks planned, though it never felt that way:

• A teenage fascination with code that never left.

• A last-minute switch to business that showed me how companies create and capture value.

• Two early-stage startups that revealed how fragile and exciting zero-to-one truly is.

• A dual master’s with a Data Science minor that merged numbers and narrative.

• Transformational years at BCG, where business shrewdness was combined with analytics to improve outcomes for demanding clients.

• A venture-studio internship that demystified shipping AI products.

• Finally, a community at HBS that supplied the courage to connect every prior dot: classmates who dream loudly and professors who challenge limiting beliefs.

These experiences look less like detours and more like on-ramps converging on the same highway. The work I do each day at Prospio demands equal parts code, commercial acumen, and empathy for decision-makers. No single chapter would have been enough.

Prospio is built for teams who care about quality conversations and need meetings yesterday. Whether you’re scaling outbound efforts or just getting started, we help you connect with the right people faster. No retainers, no mystery: just a simple pay-per-qualified-call model that delivers results.

To classmates who feel that same entrepreneurial itch, listen when the market taps your shoulder. The idea you need may not surface in a scheduled brainstorming session. It might emerge from helping one friend, automating one chore, or following one stubborn curiosity until strangers start asking, “Can I have that too?”

I once assumed I would ride someone else’s rocket ship. Instead, I’m building my own: welding the fuselage mid-flight, steering through turbulence, and tweaking the route as I go. It is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. And for the first time, it truly feels like mine.

Feel free to get in touch if you want to explore Prospio, swap notes on AI infrastructure, or debate what society might look like when machines handle the busy work and humans focus on creativity and connection. The real adventure is just beginning. And if you’re building something bold, reach out, let’s turn shared curiosity into real-world momentum.

Learn more at Prospio.com 

Manuel Oliveira (MBA ‘25) is the founder of Prospio, a sales technology startup helping B2B companies book qualified meetings. Before HBS, he worked at Boston Consulting Group and was involved in multiple startup ventures. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and a dual Master’s in Finance and International Management, with a minor in Data Science. Originally from Portugal, Manuel has also taught undergraduate courses in statistics and management. He’s passionate about technology, sports, chess, and reading – and would love it if you reached out with a great book recommendation.