From Lincoln to restless entrepreneurship

What began with an inquisitive mind and a passion for the service industry soon blossomed into a culinary venture and, now, a disruptive project in the real estate market. Learn more about Santiago Malbran, Class of 2010.

Since his graduation in 2010, Santiago Malbran has had a journey of exploration, self-discovery, and entrepreneurship. In 2018, he co-founded Mamba, a restaurant at the time inspired by European and New York designs, with local products fused with international techniques. Now, Santiago is starting a real estate business. So, how did a former student start such impressive projects? It all began with food.

After graduating from Lincoln, Santiago attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Though there was not much certainty of what he wanted to do in the future, there was some intuition of what he was passionate about: the service industry. He then started studying at Universidad Católica de Argentina to pursue an associate degree in Restaurant/Food Service Management.  During a party, he met again with Asis Lamba, a former classmate, and “as we were catching up, we coincided with different projects, and amongst them was creating a restaurant in Buenos Aires,” he shared in an interview.  

Back in 2007, Asis Lamba left Argentina as a 17-year-old full of entrepreneurial spirit, not knowing that he would not return until ten years later. He settled in Boston, where he dedicated himself to college and eventually developed an interest in gastronomy. After four years in Boston and one in New York, he furthered his education by pursuing a master's degree from the Swiss school Les Roches, based in Marbella, Spain. There, at only 22 years old, he opened his first restaurant, where he learned how to lead the business for five years. 

Returning to Argentina brought its challenges, but also the beginning of a new project with Santiago. Creating the new business required relearning and adapting to the economy and behaviour of Argentine companies. “It was a time of transition, shock, and learning,” shared Asis in an article from a local newspaper. He then added: “This resilience-based character helps us to cope with any kind of situation, whether here or abroad”. Eventually, these two alumni created the restaurant: Mamba is an anagram of their last names. 

But, what about the future? What's next for a restless entrepreneur? Currently, Santiago is developing a new business venture with Diego Cornejo, a friend of his, and with Bruno García, another former student from the Class of 2009. It’s a real estate platform that seeks to eliminate commissions and traditional intermediaries. The idea is to facilitate the buying, selling, and renting of properties, offering tools that make the process simple, transparent, and accessible. 

So, what led Santiago to have such a resilient and creative spirit? When did the journey of this self-navigator begin? We interviewed him to get more insights! 

How did you become the entrepreneur you are today?

After high school, it was really tough for me to find a career path that really interested me. This led to having a lot of time on my hands, which I spent trying out different things. Amongst them was waiting tables. After a couple of months working in the restaurant, I realized that I felt a lot of gratification in the service industry. It really opened my eyes to what I wanted to do. I wanted to have my restaurant and give people a space where they could gather, chat, meet old friends, make new ones, build memories, and catch up on old ones.

What role did Lincoln play in exploring your business passion?

Lincoln played a massive role, since I met my business partners at Lincoln School. So I believe that the Lincoln network is something really incredible. Being able to travel the world and have so many school friends globally is a huge advantage you don’t realize until you are older and begin to travel. 

How would you describe a Lincoln learner?

I'm sure times and trends have certainly changed the way I would describe us as students compared to kids these days. With that being said, I would describe them best as having a great advantage over other school students, perhaps. As I mentioned, the network you can build in a diverse and international space, such as Lincoln, is really amazing. I would describe them as students with open minds and with great exposure to multicultural groups of people. 

What would you say to our younger students? 

Enjoy your years in school. Make friends and memories that fill your heart. Be disruptive, in a good way.