MEXpreneurs Podcast

Mauricio Lezama is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Vivere Stays, a Travel Tech startup based in Madrid, Spain.

Vivere Stays is dedicated to empowering small and independent hotels with advanced technology solutions, allowing them to compete on a level-playing field with larger chains. Its platform provides these hotels with tools for efficient revenue management, dynamic pricing, and improved guest experiences. Since its launch, Vivere Stays has expanded its portfolio to over 1,500 properties across Spain and Europe and has established partnerships with leading Property Management Software vendors like Misterplan, Avirato, and Apaleo.

Mauricio is originally from Mexico City. He has a diverse background with experience in the telecommunications, automotive, and hospitality industries and across corporates and startups. He moved to Spain in 2006 during his bachelor studies, seeking new opportunities and a fresh start in a dynamic environment. What began as a six-month plan turned into nearly 20 years as he built his career and family in Spain, eventually leading him to co-found Vivere Stays.

Content:

03:00 Mauricio’s passion for sales and how he developed his sales skills

05:50 His first steps into entrepreneurship thanks to his parents

07:30 Why Mauricio moved to Spain and his career since then across corporates and startups

13:30 Mauricio’s sales leadership roles at different startups

17:20 Why Mauricio decided to start Vivere Stays

22:10 Mauricio’s connection to Mexico

23:30 His best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Mauricio in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauricio-lezama-luna/

Vivere Stays in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viverestays/

Vivere Stays website: https://viverestays.com/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-viverestays

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Ricardo Garcia from Virtetic, a Health Tech startup based in Melbourne, Australia, joins us again together with his co-founder, Raphael Mayer, to talk about their startup and team.

Ricardo and Raphael, together with Geremy Cao, Jing Mu, and Carine Lim, are the founders of Virtetic.

Virtetic is revolutionizing the rehabilitation process for individuals who have experienced limb loss through immersive virtual reality and advanced game-based interventions. Their innovative platform helps patients prepare mentally and physically for prosthetics, making the recovery journey more efficient, empowering, and ultimately more human-centered. Virtetic has quickly gained awareness in the global healthcare community and is currently collaborating in initial trials with leading clinics and early adopters across Australia and Europe, showing significant improvements in patient outcomes.

Ricardo is CEO and Raphael is CTO. They both met at the University of Melbourne during their PhD studies in prosthetics.

Ricardo is originally from Mexico. He is responsible for the overall company vision, leadership, strategy, and fundraising. You can learn more about Ricardo and his professional journey through the previous podcast episode.

Raphael is originally from Austria. He leads product development and all technology aspects around Virtetic’s product. Prior to Virtetic and his PhD, he worked at Ottobock, a global leader in prosthetics and orthotics for people with mobility challenges.

Content:

03:40 The main challenges that people who have lost a limb face in their recovery process

05:40 How Virtetic’s technology is solving these challenges

12:10 Virtetic’s vision on how they are going to change the world

13:30 Their traction and the feedback they’ve received so far

18:10 The team behind Virtetic and their origin story

22:20 Virtetic’s priorities for the next months

27:10 The best advise from Ricardo and Raphael for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Ricardo in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rigaro/

Raphael in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelmariamayer/

Virtetic in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtetic/

Virtetic website: https://www.virtetic.com.au/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-virtetic

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Ricardo Garcia is Co-Founder and CEO of Virtetic, a Health Tech startup based in Melbourne, Australia.

Virtetic is revolutionizing the rehabilitation process for individuals who have experienced limb loss through immersive virtual reality and advanced game-based interventions. Their innovative platform helps patients prepare mentally and physically for prosthetics, making the recovery journey more efficient, empowering, and ultimately more human-centered. Virtetic has quickly gained awareness in the global healthcare community and is currently collaborating in initial trials with leading clinics and early adopters across Australia and Europe, showing significant improvements in patient outcomes.

Ricardo is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. He is an entrepreneur and researcher with a deep commitment to improving lives through technology. He holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mechatronics and a PhD focused on human prosthetics. Ricardo has lived and worked in several countries, including Canada, Japan, Germany, and currently in Australia. In Australia he has been based for over 10 years, where he completed both his master’s degree and PhD at the University of Melbourne and where he met his co-founders with who he started Virtetic.

Content:

03:30 Ricardo’s journey as researcher in prosthetics

05:30 His multiple professional experiences which led him to become a researcher

09:10 The type of research Ricardo has done and its connection to entrepreneurship

11:10 Ricardo’s international and multicultural experiences that drove him to move to Australia

16:20 His transition from researcher to entrepreneur

20:40 How Virtetic combines many disciplines Ricardo experienced during his career

21:30 His connection to Mexico

22:30 Ricardo’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Ricardo in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rigaro/

Virtetic in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtetic/

Virtetic website: https://www.virtetic.com.au/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-virtetic

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Rubén López from Nanofacile, a BioTech startup based in Montreal, Canada, joins us again to talk about his startup and team.

Nanofacile’s vision is a world free of disease, a world where everyone can be healthier. To achieve this, Nanofacile helps biotechnology innovators to simplify and de-risk the development of nanomedicine therapies and validate in days instead of weeks the efficiency of their therapy. Since its foundation in 2023, Nanofacile has raised over $300,000 Canadian dollars for research and development and has won the backing of the Government of Quebec and prestigious Canadian biotech and startup institutions such as V1 Studio, Centech, District 3, and McGill Dobson Center for Entrepreneurship.

While Rubén in his role as CEO oversees the company end-to-end, he has built in Montreal a multidisciplinary team with expertise in biology, chemistry, microfluidics, drug delivery systems, and more. In addition, he secured key collaborators and advisors with extensive experience in biotech and startups. All together they combine the main skills and connections required for a biotech venture like Nanofacile to succeed.

Content:

03:00 The challenge biotechnology innovators face with therapy encapsulation and how Nanofacile is solving it

07:50 Nanofacile’s vision to empower these innovators worldwide to accelerate the treatment of the most pressing diseases of the patients they are serving

11:30 How Nanofacile also enables the targeted delivery of therapies to reduce their side-effects

13:10 Nanofacile’s traction up-to-date, including product development, fundraising, and first pilot

16:00 The core team, mentors, and advisors behind Nanofacile and their origin story

21:30 The R&D intensity of biotech startups like Nanofacile and how this shapes team dynamics

24:00 Nanofacile’s priorities in the next 6 months, with a focus on product launch and scaling

27:40 How Nanofacile is democratizing R&D and enabling researchers to develop next-generation therapies

28:50 Rubén’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Rubén in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-lopez-nanofacile/

Nanofacile in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nanofacile/

Nanofacile website: https://www.nanofacile.bio/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-nanofacile

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Rubén López is Founder and CEO of Nanofacile, a BioTech startup based in Montreal, Canada.

Nanofacile’s vision is a world free of disease, a world where everyone can be healthier. To achieve this, Nanofacile helps biotechnology innovators to simplify and de-risk the development of nanomedicine therapies and validate in days instead of weeks the efficiency of their therapy. Since its foundation in 2023, Nanofacile has raised over 300,000 Canadian dollars for research and development and has won the backing of the Government of Quebec and prestigious Canadian biotech and startup institutions such as V1 Studio and CenTech.

Rubén is originally from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics and a master’s degree in engineering sciences which led him to work at different companies across Mexico and abroad in technical roles and learn from great leaders. He later moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in nanoparticles, where he identified the potential of this technology for the rapid development of nanomedicine therapies. These findings, plus his exposure to startup and entrepreneurial ideas, led him to later start Nanofacile.

Content:

03:00 Rubén passion to solve complex, multidisciplinary problems, especially related to biology and engineering

04:50 His professional journey across different cities in Mexico, Germany, and Canada

08:50 Why Rubén decided to move to Canada eight years ago

10:50 Rubén’s first company and why he decided to close it and transition to work at different corporations

15:50 Why he decided to start his second company, Nanofacile

19:00 The main differences between Rubén’s first and second companies

22:00 His connection to Mexico

25:30 Rubén’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Rubén in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-lopez-nanofacile/

Nanofacile in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nanofacile/

Nanofacile website: https://www.nanofacile.bio/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-nanofacile

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Mario Hernandez from IMPESA, a FinTech startup based in San Jose, Costa Rica, joins us again to talk about his startup and team.

IMPESA is an innovator of electronic payment solutions for banks. Its flagship product, Monibyte, allows business customers of corporate banks to manage and control the way their credit cards are used. Transactions over US$2.7 billion have flowed through IMPESA’s solutions. IMPESA has developed partnerships with leaders in the financial industry such as Visa and PayPal. In addition to Costa Rica, the startup is present in five countries across Central America and the Caribbean and it recently opened its Mexican branch as part of its international expansion.

While Mario in his role as CEO oversees the company end-to-end, he has brought together a robust team covering all key capabilities required to build a successful FinTech company. This includes former bankers like himself, as well as product and technology experts. Most of IMPESA's team is based out of Costa Rica, but also has local representatives in each of the five countries outside Costa Rica where it operates.

Content:

02:50 IMPESA’s north star to make payments easier and help banks innovate

07:10 The challenges that banks face to innovate and how IMPESA adds value

12:20 IMPESA’s portfolio and growth strategy across LATAM

18:40 How IMPESA’s partnership with VISA changed the trajectory of the company

22:30 The team behind IMPESA

24:30 IMPESA’s priorities in the next months, starting with its expansion in Mexico

27:00 Mario’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Mario in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-hernandez-5a6b8510/

IMPESA in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impesa/

IMPESA website: https://impesa.net/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-impesa

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Mario Hernandez is Founder and CEO of IMPESA, a FinTech startup based in San Jose, Costa Rica.

IMPESA is an innovator of electronic payment solutions for banks. Its flagship product, Monibyte, allows business customers of corporate banks to manage and control the way their credit cards are used. Transactions over US$2.7 billion have flowed through IMPESA’s solutions. IMPESA has developed partnerships with leaders in the financial industry such as Visa and PayPal. In addition to Costa Rica, the startup is present in five countries across Central America and the Caribbean and it recently opened its Mexican branch as part of its international expansion.

Mario is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. He then moved to Costa Rica, where he has developed most of his professional career. He had an outstanding corporate career as a banker, working at major financial institutions such as Scotiabank and Grupo LAFISE, the latter where he reached the top role of CEO. The complexity for banks to innovate and his fascination for tech led him to later start IMPESA.

Content:

03:00 Mario’s roles as a banker, teacher, and family man

06:00 The multiple places where Mario has lived, including Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, and Canada

10:00 How Mario evolved from a manufacturing engineer to a banker

14:30 Why Mario decided to leave his successful corporate career to become an entrepreneur

18:40 The value of professional experience before becoming a founder

23:00 Mario’s connection to Mexico

26:30 His best advise to aspiring founders

Learn more:

Mario in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-hernandez-5a6b8510/

IMPESA in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impesa/

IMPESA website: https://impesa.net/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-impesa

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Hernan Arber from Soundwork, a Music Tech startup based in Netanya, Israel, joins us again together to talk about his startup and team.

Hernan, together with Edvin Alper and Vitold Shelin, are the founders of Soundwork

Soundwork is reinventing the music industry’s supply chain through AI and Web3 to create a scalable, transparent, and collaborative platform for musicians, producers, and fans alike. Soundwork’s ecosystem includes three main pillars: a sound NFTs standard, a marketplace, and an AI-powered API for developers. Soundwork recently launched its fully bootstrapped MVP, including a Web3 marketplace, a white paper, and the tokenomics.

Hernan is CEO, Edvin is Chief Business Development Officer, and Vitold is Chief Operations Officer. They are all based in Israel. Hernan was born and raised in Mexico. Edvin and Vitold are originally from Lithuania but moved to Israel at a young age.

Hernan is responsible for the overall company vision, leadership, strategy, fundraising, and product development. You can learn more about Hernan and his professional journey through the previous podcast episode.

Edvin leads go-to-market, including partnerships with key players in the music industry, primarily music labels. He is also the founder of Function Loops, another Music Tech and sound design company launched in 2011 which develop sounds and production tools for DJs, producers, musicians, and beatmakers. Edvin’s experience and network have been key in the creation of Soundwork.

Finally, Vitold is responsible for Soundwork’s operations end-to-end. He is also an experienced tech executive and serial entrepreneur.

Content:

03:30 The reward mechanism for music creators being built by Soundwork

07:10 Why music creators are currently not rewarded proportionally

09:00 How Soundwork is empowering music creators to be better rewarded and its “secret sauce”

13:40 The big milestones that Soundwork has achieved so far

18:50 The team behind Soundwork and what makes them the right mix to succeed

24:00 Soundwork’s founders origin story

29:00 The top priorities for Soundwork during the next months

32:40 Hernan’s best advise for aspiring founders: 3R’s

Learn more:

Hernan in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernanarber/

Soundwork in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soundworksounds/

Soundwork website: https://soundwork.io/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-soundwork

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Hernan Arber is Co-founder and CEO of Soundwork, a Music Tech startup based in Netanya, Israel.

Soundwork is reinventing the music industry’s supply chain through AI and Web3 to create a scalable, transparent, and collaborative platform for musicians, producers, and fans alike. Soundwork’s ecosystem includes three main pillars: a sound NFTs standard, a marketplace, and an AI-powered API for developers. Soundwork recently launched its fully bootstrapped MVP, including a Web3 marketplace, a white paper, and the tokenomics.

Hernan is originally from Mexico City. He is an expert in AI, Web3, and blockchain, as well as a music producer, DJ, and a serial entrepreneur. He studied software engineering at the ITAM in Mexico before moving to Israel. In Israel, he first led technical teams at fast-growing startups and then started working as a consultant. He also founded multiple companies and professional communities such as EOS Israel. These experiences later led him to start Soundwork.

Content:

04:00 Hernan’s career as musician and DJ in Mexico

05:15 His transition from musician to software developer in Israel

07:00 His introduction and first steps in crypto and blockchain, including the foundation of EOS Israel

09:20 Hernan’s music solo project: AirNaN

11:40 The initial idea behind Soundwork based on the “building blocks” in music

14:50 Why Hernan decided to move from Mexico to Israel

22:30 Hernan’s rationale to become a tech startup founder

27:00 His current connection to Mexico

31:40 Hernan’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Hernan in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernanarber/

Soundwork in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soundworksounds/

Soundwork website: https://soundwork.io/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-soundwork

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Walter Mata, Founder and CEO of WAS Co., a science-based ConTech startup based in Monterrey, Mexico, joins us again together with his co-founders, Sergio Posadas, Daniel Cano, and Ricardo Terrazas, to talk about their startup and team.

WAS Co. develops sustainable and advanced materials derived from the waste and by-products generated by the construction, mining, and plastic industries. They currently have two main products: a clinker substitute for cement and concrete production under the brand “Earth Tech Materials”, as well as auxiliary materials used in construction under the brand “Polycrete”. These products are environmental-friendly, have higher performance, and are more affordable than their conventional counterparts. WAS Co. established partnerships with leading cement and mining corporations across the Americas and Europe. This led them to establish a company in Canada to scale their technology and serve customers in North America. Similarly, they are about to open another legal entity in Peru to address the Latin American market.

Walter is CEO, Sergio is Chief Operating Officer, Daniel is Chief Technology Officer and Co-CEO of the business unit Earth Tech Materials, and Ricardo is Co-CEO of the business unit Polycrete. They are all originally from Mexico and are currently based across different locations between Mexico and the USA. While Walter originally founded WAS Co., Sergio, Daniel, and Ricardo joined later as co-founders, bringing new energy and critical expertise and connections to the company.

Walter is responsible for the overall company vision, leadership, strategy, go-to-market, and fundraising. You can learn more about Walter and his professional journey through the previous podcast episode.

Sergio is responsible for transforming the company vision and strategy into a reality, working across teams and functions to make things happen.

Daniel overlooks all product and technology development aspects in the company plus the end-to-end leadership of the Earth Tech Materials business unit.

Finally, Ricardo leads the Polycrete business unit. Similarly to Daniel, Ricardo leads the business unit end-to-end.

Content:

05:00 The global environmental challenges related to the construction industry that WAS Co. is tackling

08:30 Why WAS Co. collaborates with leading cement companies vs competing with them

10:15 How WAS Co. is transforming a problem of the plastic and mining industries into a solution for the construction industry

12:40 What is currently being done with the waste from plastic and mining industries and the impact in the environment

14:10 How the products from WAS Co. are used in cement and construction value chain in Mexico and abroad

18:40 The importance of being both “environmental-friendly” and “wallet-friendly”

22:15 The role and origin story behind each founder

28:50 Why WAS Co.’s team has the right mix to make this venture successful

32:30 Priorities from WAS Co. in the next months

35:00 The best advise from Walter, Sergio, Daniel, and Ricardo for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Sergio in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergio-posadas-105880163/

Daniel in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-canoj/

Ricardo in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-terrazas-135036235/

WAS Co. in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wascomexico/

WAS Co. website: https://www.wascompany.com/

Episode page: https://www.mexpreneurs.com/podcast-wasco

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/