Paul Walborsky: "Being bicultural is a superpower"

Paul Walborsky is the co-founder and CEO of OpenWater , an exclusive, members-only platform designed to connect seasoned professionals with decades of experience to new career opportunities. Before this venture, he co-founded and served as COO of AI.Reverie, a trailblazer in synthetic data development for AI computer vision models, which was acquired by Meta in 2021. Throughout his career, Paul has navigated seamlessly between the corporate and startup worlds. He founded WorldStreet, a financial services communication platform sold to Thomson Financial, held a senior vice president role at Lehman Brothers, and served as CEO of GigaOm, one of the pioneering tech media companies. Notably, he also worked at The New York Times as a senior vice president, leading the international digital expansion into new markets like Mexico, Australia, and China.

Born in Mexico City, Paul’s lineage traces back to Jewish immigrants from Poland, who eventually settled in New York City, where his father, Hy, was born. Hy grew up in the Bronx, overcoming a childhood marked by poverty and a desire to make his own way. His father’s entrepreneurial spirit manifested early when, at 24, Hy accepted an offer to run a factory in Alabama for Exquisite Form, a family-owned undergarments company. This role marked the beginning of a series of business ventures that took Hy from the Deep South to pre-revolutionary Cuba, where he briefly endured imprisonment during the political turmoil surrounding the Bay of Pigs invasion. Following his release, Hy moved to Venezuela, where he met Paul’s mother, Aura. The family later relocated to Mexico City, where Paul was born.

Paul’s mother, Aura, hails from a large extended family in Venezuela, being one of six children. Her father was a prominent figure, one of the founders of the Venezuelan cavalry based in Maracay. Aura’s Catholic upbringing deeply exposed Paul to a mixed religious environment from a young age, where he experienced both his father’s Jewish heritage and his mother’s family Catholic faith. This duality provided him with a broad, inclusive perspective on religion and culture, enriching his worldview.

Growing up, Paul was profoundly influenced by his father’s ethics. Hy treated his predominantly female workforce with respect and integrity, never succumbing to the corrupt labor unions of the time. These values would shape Paul’s own professional journey. Despite a relatively privileged upbringing as the child of an expatriate, Paul understood that real success would only come by breaking free from the class dynamics that characterized Mexican society. His father’s only inheritance to him was a strong education, which led Paul to Brandeis University, where he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

Throughout his life, the intersection of race, identity, and culture has been a recurring theme for Paul. He considers himself fully Mexican and fully American, though he often encounters people who express surprise when he reveals his Mexican roots, given his appearance. Bilingual and bicultural, Paul has used these dual identities to his advantage. He recalls introducing himself as “Paul” upon his arrival at Brandeis, only to be rebranded as “Pablo” when a fellow student detected his accent. In that moment, he realized he had been cast as “exotic yet safe,” a perception he has learned to navigate throughout his life.

Raised between an American father and a Venezuelan mother, Paul has always cherished his connection to both Mexico and Latin America, while also maintaining strong ties to the United States. He views his bicultural background as a superpower, giving him the grit and resourcefulness needed to thrive in a world where things don’t always go as planned.

Paul’s boundless energy and optimism serve as an inspiration, which he is now channeling to OpenWater. The number of Americans between the ages of 57 and 74 has doubled in the last 10 years. OpenWater is focused on helping to keep this group productive while bringing their expertise to corporations.

Paul's global perspective, coupled with a natural resilience and ability to turn challenges into opportunities, has driven his success—both in business and in life.