Generously sponsored by Robin Luff, Jane McConnell, TJ Heyman, Luciana Cordova, and Flourish Trust

Paco Vargas

Finanzas con Sentido | Monterrey

Paco has a degree in International Business from UDEM and studied in Hong Kong.

Having began his career at an International Private Equity Firm and recognizing that 44% of Mexico’s population is living below the poverty line, Paco founded Finanzas con Sentido, a social initiative aimed at reducing poverty and foster a more equitable society through financial education. Finanzas con Sentido’s goal is to democratize personal finance knowledge and market access, particularly in vulnerable areas and to make informed decisions and create a safety net. Offering courses and consulting grounded in a humanistic approach, Finanzas con Sentido has educated over 500 participants.

Paco was awarded the CENEVAL Award for Excellence in Academic Performance (EGEL) for his university studies and has participated in a volunteer program building commerce through agriculture in Zambia, Africa.

Jesús Maya

Eheco | Querétaro

Jesús has a degree in International Relations from Tec de Monterrey and is pursuing a Master in Transitional Justice at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law.

Jesús is the Founder of Eheco, a think tank that promotes compliance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Escazú Agreement. The venture designs compliance strategies for governments and companies to build conversations that include youth, encouraging their involvement on topics such as human rights. Eheco has presented projects to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Colombia’s Ministry of Environment. They secured roughly $1 million USD for innovation projects.

Jesús was awarded the National Youth Award (2018) / “Young Innovator Creating a Better World for All” by the Women Economic Forum (2019) / 2X speaker at Tedx in Ventura Puente (2020) and TedxMorelia (2022). Delegate for the United Nations HLPF with MGCY (2023), Torchbearer for the SDGs at the SDG Action Weekend at Generaal Assembly (2023) /Participant at the ECLAC COP3 on the Escazú Agreement (2024)

José Nungaray

Fassets | Nuevo León

José has a degree in Mechanical Enginireeing and Business Management. He also interned in Germany, working on CNC Machine tools and Industrial Marketing

José is the Founder of Fassets, a fixed asset management venture dedicated to ensuring manufacturers in Mexico keep their machinery compliant and operational to maximize ROI and profitability. By providing software that manages documentation and quality procedures for each machine, Fassets helps manufacturers avoid costly fines and ensures efficient operations, similar to how Airbnb manages rooms and hosts.

Jose is part of the Fit for Partnership program of the GIZ Germany Department of Economic Affairs, he has also helped transnational companies establish Operations and manufacturing facilities all over Mexico. Fassets has administrated commercial value $3.5M USD.

José Ignacio

Epona Mexico | Mexico City, Mexico

José has a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Anáhuac and a Construction Management certificate from Columbia University.

José is the Founder of Epona Mexico which builds hydroponic greenhouses aimed at addressing water scarcity and enhancing food security. This innovative approach saves up to 80% more water compared to traditional agriculture. Beyond production, the venture offers training programs to local communities, empowering them with skills in sustainable farming, creating agricultural resilience.

Currently operating a 150 m² greenhouse that produces 5,000 heads of lettuce every month. Epona is using advanced materials to bring down the costs of production and will scale to produce 600,000 heads each month. They are are starting to sell micro-greens to restaurants in Mexico City and are donating extras to Foundation Camino A Casa, housing children who have been victims of sexual exploitation.

Kelvin Perea

kAI | Tabasco

Kelvin Perea is a Petroleum Engineer from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara.

Kelvin and his long-time business partner pioneered AI development in Southeastern Mexico by launching kAI, a productivity tool for businesses which integrates with WhatsApp to manage tasks and operations through AI. kAi was their very first startup and it has already scaled to three cities in Mexico and generated over $200,000 USD in software sales.

Currently, kAI serves 5 mid-sized companies, generating $2,000 USD in monthly revenue, with a projection of $25,000 USD in annual recurring revenue.

Kelvin was awarded the First Latin American startup with a commercial agreement with Intel Corporation, participating in Intel Innovation (2024) / Selected by Google for the AI First Accelerator in Latin America to enhance kAI AI model. / Winners of the ECL 7 Demo Day by Emprelatam / Members of the Wester-Welle Foundation.

Lu Araiza

Plurales | Guadalajara

Lu has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the Universidad de Colima and a Master’s Degree in Sociology and Sustainability from Universidad de Baja California Sur.

Lu is the co-founder of Plurales, tackling the climate crisis and ecological impacts of the music industry while promoting social change. Collaborating with festivals, artists, brands, and non-profits, Plurales designs sustainable experiences focusing on energy, mobility, waste, water, and social participation. They have planted over 4,000 trees, recycled 10 tons of waste, and mobilized 900 volunteers across 17 cities. Amplifying the voices of 70+ non-profits, they have mitigated 130 tons of CO2 and engaged over 20,000 festival attendees, building a digital community of 10,000 people.

Lu is a panelist on sustainability for the music industry at Vive Latino, FimPro and relevant festivals and on film-making at MexicoUN-Habitat in Mexico’s Emerging Leader of America Program

Lu was awarded the Grant Holder from the Canadian Government / Film Making Awards from Docs Mx, Zanate Film Fest and Mic Género

Luz María Pérez Sánchez

Checkin | Mexico City, Mexico

Luz has an MBA from the Paris School of Business and Hotel Management from Insitut Vatel.

Luz is the Founder of Checkin. Checkin tackles the lack of access for travelers over 50+. With over 13 years of experience in tourism, including experience at Booking.com, Luz collaborates with small hotels, tour operators and local attractions to build senior-friendly tours. Checkin advises and offers workshops and a certification program for tourism operators.

The venture has established a network of 400 industry contacts across Mexico and currently works in Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. They participate in Open Seniors, a venture out of University of Chile, developed to address the Silver Economy. Checkin was selected by the Pensar en Grande hub in Uruguay.

Their goal is to continue to build through Latin America.

Maria Fernanda (Fer) de la Cerda Sanchez

Fundación Corazón Raíz – Mexico City

Fer holds a law degree with a specialization in Amparo Law from Universidad Panamericana.

She is the Co-Founder of Corazón Raíz, an organization dedicated to addressing educational disparities in indigenous and rural communities in Mexico and Uganda. Corazón Raíz employs a community-centered and collaborative model with three primary programs: Education Infrastructure, Training and Empowerment, and Institutional Sustainability. They constructed a preschool, with a library, in the Nahua community of Cuahuixtlahuac, serving 20 preschool children and one teacher. Additionally, Corazón Raíz has impacted 300 teachers and benefited 7,000 basic education students in La Sierra de Zongolica, Veracruz, and Mexico.

Corazón Raíz helped in rebuilding schools in Uganda which served 300 students, enhancing educational opportunities for the local community. Corazón Raíz supported over 400 indigenous women victims of violence and provided education to 270 students in Uganda.

Mariana Rangel

Caravanas Ciclistas | Mexico City

Mariana Rangel has a degree in Political Communication from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM).

Mariana is the Founder “Caravanas Ciclistas,” a grassroots movement in Mexico promoting bike commuting to create greener, healthier, and more equitable cities. With a reach of over 600,000 people through social media and traditional press, and over 2,000 participants across 35 cities, her program is the only one in Mexico teaching people to commute by bike to work by organizing Bike Buses for traveling together.

Mariana has also given +20 interviews on TV, radio, and news portals, raising awareness about sustainable urban mobility and other pressing social issues.

Mariana was awarded the Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum (WEF) / Young Leader for Mexico, German Foundation Konrad Adenauer / Changemaker X Change

Miroslava (Miros) Rodríguez

Erandi Aprende | Mexico City

Miros is finalizing her degree in Computer Science through SEP and a diploma in Programming from IPN.

Miro is co-Founder and CTO of Erandi Aprende, which is dedicated to empowering Latina girls ages 8-12 in STEAM fields by addressing cultural biases. In Mexico, less than 20% of women under 25 are choosing careers in science and technology. In the United States, only 2% of the IT workforce are Hispanic women. Erandi Aprende seeks to transform STEAM education with an AI app for personalized learning experiences by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and inclusion. To date, the App has reached 130 users and impacted over 25,000 children through workshops and courses and has raised $28,000 in capital.

Miroslava was awarded the UNICEF Youth Challenge Global Winner (2020) / Halcyon Incubator Fellowship (2022) / MIT Solve – Global Learning Challenge Finalist (2024) / Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Learner / Meets Future: AI-Enabled Assessments Challenge Finalist (2024) / One Young World Ambassador (2022 / U.S. State Department Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative Pitch Competition Finalist (2022) / Nasdaq – Milestone Makers Program (2024) / New America – Learning Sciences Exchange Fellow (2024)

Regina Paredes Gorostieta Jiménez

Muevetex |Toluca

Regina has a degree in Urban Planning from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México.

Regina is the Founder of Muevetex. Muevetex is revolutionizing public transportation in Mexican cities with an ecosystem that connects users, government and bus enterprises. Their mobile app allows users to plan journeys, share traffic updates, and access gender-focused safety alerts. Muevetex collects real-time data to help governments improve transport routes and their mission is to collaborate with bus companies to enhance services. Muevetex has grown to over 30,000 users and 150,000 queries and raised over $18,000 USD in capital.

Regina was awarded the Puentes de Talento Ambassador – Madrid Innovation (2024) / Linkedln Top Voice (2024) / Propel Fellow (2023) / First Place – Gambaremos (2022) / Climate Youth Ambassador COP 26 / Secretariat of Foreign Affairs & British Council / Local Pathways Fellow / United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (2021) / Best Social Entrepreneurship focused in Technology – Fundación Azteca (2021) / Active Citizen – British Council (2021) / Winner “Con Todo Challenge” / Socialab & Disruptivo TV