MEXpreneurs Podcast

Walter Mata is Founder and CEO of WAS Co., a science-based ConTech startup based in Monterrey, Mexico.

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 originally from Monterrey, Mexico. He has received multiple recognitions for his entrepreneurial journey, such as Forbes “30 under 30” in Mexico, as well as MIT’s “30 Innovators under 35” in LATAM. He studied a bachelor’s degree in business creation and innovation at the Universidad de Monterrey and is a self-taught chemist. His thesis to graduate from his bachelor led him to research sustainable materials to reduce the pollution and greenhouse emissions from the construction and mining industries. This is what later gave birth to WAS Co.

Content:

03:50 Why Walter taught himself chemistry, how this led to major awards, and their importance to boost his credibility and overcome his young age

08:20 His philosophy to do good to the environment by doing business

09:40 How Monterrey’s ranking in the Top 10 most polluted cities in the world led Walter to the construction industry

11:40 The revolution he started with WAS Co. to replace conventional construction materials with sustainable alternatives

16:20 How WAS Co.’s sustainable raw materials benefit the mining industry and the cement industry

18:20 Prediction from Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, about who will be the next 1,000 unicorns

20:00 Why Walter decided to go all-in and build WAS Co. right after his bachelor's degree

25:50 Walter’s international experience with WAS Co.

29:45 His best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Walter in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waltermatamtz/

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/

Antonio Anguiano from Greenny in France joins us again to talk about his startup and team.

Antonio, together with Aditya Channe, are the founders of Greenny, a ClimateTech startup based in Paris, France.

Greenny helps companies to accelerate their carbon footprint reduction by placing gamification at the core of employees' ecological engagement. Through the Greenny app, employees track their steps and earn tree-planting rewards, which contribute to reducing the company's carbon footprint. In just a few months, Greenny has partnered with 7 companies, onboarded 350 users, and achieved the reforestation of 343 trees, compensating 257 tons of CO2.

Antonio is CEO and Aditya is Product Manager.

Antonio is Mexican, based in France. He is responsible for the overall company leadership, strategy, go-to-market, and fundraising. You can learn more about Antonio and his professional journey through the previous podcast episode.

Aditya is originally from India and is also based in France. Due to his background in product management and computer science, he is responsible for the entire product lifecycle, including strategy, development, and implementation, as well as all technical aspects behind Greenny’s app. Prior to Greenny, he held multiple Product-related roles at different startups across India, USA, and France. He also established in France after completing a master’s degree in digital transformation at the Montpellier Business School.

Content:

04:30 The challenges that companies face to reduce their carbon footprint

06:30 Why gamification is critical to engage employees

09:30 The mission of Greenny to make corporate social responsibility simple

12:20 Greeny’s traction since they started last year

16:35 The team behind Greeny and how they are leveraging tools like AI and low-code to scale

20:40 Why solving climate change is such a powerful mission and why tech people should get involved

22:00 The iterative process Greeny has followed to validate product-market fit

23:40 The key priorities for Greeny in the next 6 months

24:40 Antonio’s best advises for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Antonio in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonioanguiano2481632/

Greenny in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greenny/

Greenny website: https://www.greenny.io/

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

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Antonio Anguiano is Co-Founder and CEO of Greenny, a ClimateTech startup based in Paris, France.

Greenny helps companies to accelerate their carbon footprint reduction by placing gamification at the core of employees' ecological engagement. Through the Greenny app, employees track their steps and earn tree-planting rewards, which contribute to reducing the company's carbon footprint. In just a few months, Greenny has partnered with 7 companies, onboarded 350 users, and achieved the reforestation of 343 trees, compensating 257 tons of CO2.

Antonio is originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico. He is a proud father, an outdoor enthusiast, and also a digital product strategist. During his career, he has supported multiple early-stage startups to find product-market fit and scale internationally. This has led him to work and travel around the world, especially across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. His university studies led him to France, where he later settled. His extensive experience in startups combined with his drive to tackle climate change for the benefit of future generations led him to start Greenny.

Content:

04:00 Antonio’s role as digital product strategist

06:00 His experience helping early-stage startups internationally

08:10 Antonio’s personal and professional trajectory, including moving to France and the evolution of his skillset

14:45 His mission-driven approach to “solve the case” at startups as fast as possible

18:10 What led Antonio to start Greenny, his first company

21:35 Why Antonio focused on climate change

26:15 How Antonio is still connected to Mexico

28:20 Antonio’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Antonio in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonioanguiano2481632/

Greenny in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greenny/

Greenny website: https://www.greenny.io/

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

Our supporters for this episode:

https://skyflare.com/mexpreneurs

https://partnershipleaders.com/

Mayra Hurtado from Prelude Health in Singapore joins us again together with her co-founder, Dr. Sarita Kumble, to talk about their startup and team.

Prelude Health is a FemTech startup based in Singapore. Hormony is the flagship product of Prelude Health. Hormony enables women to measure, monitor, and manage their hormone health and wellness throughout perimenopause. Hormony's key innovation is the world’s first and only rapid saliva test that women can use in the privacy of their homes to measure their hormone levels with the support of a mobile app. Prelude Health has established global R&D and commercial partnerships, has received industry awards in Singapore, London, and the US, and was recognized with the Golden Cheetah Award at the Femtech Lab accelerator in London.

Mayra is CEO and Sarita is Chief Scientist Officer.

Mayra is Mexican, based in Singapore. She is responsible for the overall company leadership, strategy, go-to-market, commercial partnerships, and fundraising. You can learn more about Mayra and her professional journey through the previous podcast episode.

Sarita is a seasoned biotechnology professional originally from India and based in San Francisco in the USA. At Prelude Health, she leads technology and product development, as well as technology partnerships. Prior to Prelude Health, she co-founded Pictor, a startup developing and commercializing miniaturized blood testing systems. She also held multiple professorship and leadership positions at universities and biotech companies across New Zealand and the USA. Sarita’s mission is to empower women by providing them with tools to prevent disease and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Content:

03:30 The challenges women face in their transition to menopause

06:25 The personal experience and learnings from Mayra and Sarita with perimenopause

10:05 How Prelude Health differs from other solutions in the market

20:00 The vision from Mayra and Sarita on how women will experience perimenopause in the future

22:45 Milestones and traction of Prelude Health until today

28:10 How Mayra and Sarita met and the team they’ve built

34:40 Prelude Health priorities in the next 12 months

37:30 The best advise from Mayra and Sarita for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Mayra in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mghurtado/

Sarita in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarita-kumble-8971a934/

Prelude Health in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findhormony/

Prelude Health website: https://findhormony.com/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Mayra Hurtado is Co-Founder & CEO of Prelude Health, a FemTech startup based in Singapore.

Hormony is the flagship product of Prelude Health. Hormony enables women to measure, monitor, and manage their hormone health and wellness throughout perimenopause. Hormony's key innovation is the world’s first and only rapid saliva test that women can use in the privacy of their homes to measure their hormone levels with the support of a mobile app. Prelude Health has established global R&D and commercial partnerships, has received industry awards in Singapore, London, and the US, and was recognized with the Golden Cheetah Award at the Femtech Lab accelerator in London.

Mayra is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. After completing her bachelor's in international business in Mexico and her first professional experiences, she moved to Singapore to study an MBA at the Nanyang Technological University Singapore, one of the top technology universities in Asia. After her graduation, she worked at startups as well as at corporates such as Adidas, where she had a 10-year tenure. Her experience in marketing and e-commerce led her to start Commerce Blue, a digital marketing agency, before starting Prelude Health.

Content:

03:10 Mayra’s vision to leave something for people to build on

05:40 Her professional journey, from her bachelor to her transition to Asia

09:50 Why Mayra moved to Singapore

12:35 Why she decided to leave her corporate career at Adidas

14:55 Mayra’s experience with perimenopause and the genesis of Prelude Health

16:55 Her next steps after Adidas, including starting Commerce Blue

20:50 How Mayra met her co-founder to start Prelude Health

23:20 Mayra’s contribution to Mexico

27:10 Her best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Mayra in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mghurtado/

Prelude Health in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findhormony/

Prelude Health website: https://findhormony.com/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Sebastián F. Guerrero from Freela in the United Arab Emirates joins us again together with his co-founder, Ary Molchadsky, to talk about their startup and team.

Sebastián and Ary, together with Rodrigo Yeo, are the founders of Freela, a Future of Work startup based in Dubai, UAE.

Freela is a self-management platform that features the tools and perks freelancers need to run their daily business routine, acting as the freelancer's back office. It is built by freelancers for freelancers. Freela serves customers across Mexico, the Middle East, and other emerging economies. The company was founded in 2023 and four months after its go-live, it reached 3,500 users. It also participated in prestigious accelerator programs such as the LSE Generate Incubation in the UK, Pygma in Colombia, and the Founder University by Jason Calacanis in the US. It also completed its pre-seed round, raising over US$400k.

Sebastián is CEO and Ary is Chief Product Officer. While Sebastián and Rodrigo are the two original founders of Freela, Ary joined later as a re-founder, giving a new boost to the startup.

Sebastián is responsible for the overall company leadership, strategy, go-to-market, and fundraising.

Ary leads product, customer success, and partnerships.

In addition, Rodrigo is Chief Operations Officer. He is responsible for operations and data analysis.

Content:

03:40 The growth of the freelance community globally

06:05 Why loneliness and back-office are such big pains for freelancers and how Freela is solving them

09:45 Freela’s vision and its “secret sauce”

12:45 The challenges that freelancers face across their journey

16:30 Freela’s evolution and traction, from its beginnings in 2020, its pivots, and relaunch in 2023

20:15 The team set-up behind Freela and the evolution of the founding team

25:40 Freela’s priorities in the next 12 months, including some major announcements

31:00 The advise from Sebastián and Ary for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Sebastián in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justseb/

Ary in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arymolchadsky/

Freela in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freelasite/

Freela website: https://www.freela.site/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Sebastián F. Guerrero is Co-founder and CEO of Freela.

Freela is a Future of Work startup based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Freela is a self-management platform that features the tools and perks freelancers need to run their daily business routine, acting as the freelancer's back office. It is built by freelancers for freelancers. Freela serves customers across Mexico, the Middle East, and other emerging economies. The company was founded in 2023 and four months after its go-live, it reached 3,500 users. It also participated in prestigious accelerator programs such as the LSE Generate Incubation in the UK, Pygma in Colombia, and the Founder University by Jason Calacanis in the US. It also completed its pre-seed round, raising over US$400k.

Sebastián is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. His parents introduced him to the Middle East and other fast-growing emerging economies from an early age. He studied marketing in Mexico and later worked for a branding agency, which allowed him to lead the agency's expansion into Dubai. In parallel, Sebastián started his entrepreneurial journey, first as a founder of the Centro de Asesoría Escolar y Tecnológica, CAET, a social impact high school in Mexico, followed by Freela and other ventures.

Content:

03:20 Sebastián’s first experience in Dubai

07:00 His early years in Guadalajara, including becoming a rugby national player, a marketer, etc.

11:30 His first marketing role as a brand strategist and the opportunities that derived from there

14:30 Launching CAET, his first venture

17:15 The creation of a startup hub, which led him to Dubai and to Freela and the ups and downs

23:40 The challenge of moving abroad and starting a business at the same time

26:50 Sebastián’s contribution back to Mexico and Latin America

27:30 His best advise to aspiring founders

Learn more:

Sebastián in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justseb/

Freela in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freelasite/

Freela website: https://www.freela.site/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Dylan Roman from NIU NIU joins us again to talk about his startup and team.

NIU NIU is an e-Waste recycling startup based in Mexico City. NIU NIU is the Operating System of e-Waste. Through the use of AI, NIU NIU maximizes critical mineral recovery, like Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths, while minimizing the environmental and social impact of e-Waste management. It also accelerates the recovery of essential resources from post-consumption and post-industrial electronic scrap. In addition, via image recognition and through its platform, NIU NIU classifies and distributes e-Waste, which is then transformed into key materials needed for electric vehicles production and energy transition.

Dylan, together with Maximilian Wolf and Erube Flores, are the founders of NIU NIU.

Dylan is CEO, responsible for the company overall, with a special focus on go-to-market and fundraising.

Maximilian is CFO, responsible for financial and administrative processes between all entities.

Finally, Erube is CTO and is focused on technology development and operations, working directly onsite at e-Waste recycling sites.

Content:

03:00 How NIU NIU is connecting the main actors in the e-waste sector

06:00 The challenge with e-waste recycling and why proper disposal of e-waste is so important

10:30 NIU NIU’s vision to create a clean and fair supply of critical minerals

12:15 NIU NIU’s traction and major milestones

16:25 Why e-waste refineries are mainly based in developed economies

18:50 NIU NIU’s use of AI and image recognition

21:30 The team behind NIU NIU and their origin story

27:00 Their key priorities for the next 12 months

32:00 Dylan’s best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Dylan in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanroman/

NIU NIU in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theniuniu/

NIU NIU website: https://niu-niu.io/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Dylan Roman is Co-founder and CEO of NIU NIU.

NIU NIU, is an e-Waste recycling startup based in Mexico City. NIU NIU is the operating system of e-Waste. Through the use of AI, NIU NIU maximizes critical mineral recovery, like Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths, while minimizing the environmental and social impact of e-Waste management. It also accelerates the recovery of essential resources from post-consumption and post-industrial electronic scrap. In addition, via image recognition and through its platform, NIU NIU classifies and distributes e-Waste, which is then transformed into key materials needed for electric vehicles production and energy transition.

Dylan is originally from Mexico City. He studied at the Colegio Alemán in Mexico, which led him to move to Germany to study his Bachelor in Energy and Process Engineering. He then worked as a researcher and consultant for different companies like Siemens and government institutions like ProMexico, GIZ, and USAID, which allowed him to travel the world and gain a deep understanding on the issues and business opportunities in renewable energies and pollution. In addition, he joined startups in fields like sustainable finance and big data analysis, before starting NIU NIU.

Content:

03:10 Dylan’s early years between Mexican and German cultures

06:05 His choice to study engineering as a way to have a hands-on impact and first work experiences and exposure to entrepreneurship

09:00 Dylan’s first company in Germany focused on crowdfunding in Europe and financing projects in energy efficiency and renewable energies in Latin America

13:55 Closing his first company and joining a startup to measure impact of European banks in Latin American microfinance institutions

16:10 Leaving the startup and transitioning to consulting on waste and business model innovation for international agencies like GIZ and USAID

18:50 His focus on an electronic waste project and the genesis of NIU NIU

22:00 Establishing NIU NIU in Mexico and the company setup between Mexico and USA

26:30 NIU NIU’s international reach and opportunity

30:00 Dylan’s best advise for aspiring founders: try things out, be curious and perseverant

Learn more:

Dylan in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanroman/

NIU NIU in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theniuniu/

NIU NIU website: https://niu-niu.io/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/

Jovan Rebolledo from SkySpec joins us again together with his co-founders, Nao Honda, David Chew, and Brandon Booker, to talk about their startup and team.

SkySpec is a SpaceTech startup based in Tokyo, Japan. SkySpec is focused on satellite and aerial-driven Earth observation, combining real-time satellite images with AI monitoring. Through its technology, SkySpec helps businesses, governments, and other organizations in the real-time monitoring of oil spills and wildfires, as well as in the optimization of high voltage electricity grids. SkySpec is currently building pilots for power companies, has produced two patents, won an entrepreneurship contest in Japan, was selected in an acceleration program in Australia, and is participating in the XPRIZE Wildfire, a global competition for wildfires recognition.

Jovan is CEO, Nao is Chief Experience Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, David is Chief Technology Officer, and Brandon is Chief Operations Officer.

Jovan is Mexican. He is responsible for building the company and dealing with every aspect from fundraising to technology creation.

Nao is Japanese. She is developing SkySpec’s user interface. Prior to SkySpec, she was a user interface expert for over 18 years at PFU, a subsidiary of Ricoh, a Japanese multinational corporation.

David is from Malaysia. He is responsible for the space data and related technologies, as well as for the AI integration. Before SkySpec, David held leadership roles at companies and universities in Japan and Malaysia in the Space and Transportation industry. This included him leading in 2017 a Japanese team of graduate students in the Space X Hyperloop Competition which reached the finals.

Finally, Brandon is from the USA and brings deep expertise on emerging environmental contaminants, petroleum monitoring, and spill response.

Content:

03:45 The convergence of climate change issues, AI advancements, and space industry affordability

04:55 How SkySpec can optimize prevention and remediation of wildfires and oil spills

07:45 Optimization of power grids via SkySpec technology

08:30 The innovative approach from SkySpec combining space data with AI and making it accesible for users

15:35 SkySpec’s traction up-to-date at a global level

18:30 Their origin story and how Jovan brought the team together

23:00 Why the founders have the right mix of skills and experience for SkySpec to succeed

24:05 SkySpec’s priorities in the next 12 months: customer acquisition, technology development, fundraising

30:00 Their best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Jovan in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jovandavid/

Nao in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nao-honda-24b5a537/

David in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvk33/

Brandon in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-b-15bab9197/

SkySpec in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyspectech/

SkySpec website: https://skyspec.tech/

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

Our supporter for this episode: https://www.partnershipleaders.com/