Alejandro Laplana is an activist investor, technology solutions specialist & serial entrepreneur. As CEO of Shokworks Inc., Alejandro Laplana built up a team of over 50 engineers and digital marketers that build mobile/web and big data solutions for mass market brands like the Colombian National Soccer team, Barcelona SC, OPTA and ESB Energy. Prior, Laplana served as founder and director of Horizon Latin America LTD, subsidiary of Nasdaq listed, One Horizon Group (OHGI). Laplana built a team of over 30 employees in five countries and promotes the company to various government entities, mobile operators and transnational enterprises. During this time, Laplana directly aided one of Venezuela’s largest mobile operators in returning roaming services back to Venezuela (after it had been widely suspended across the country) through innovative VoIP channels for postpaid and, more importantly, prepaid subscriber communities that have been historically underserved across emerging markets.

Previously, Laplana founded and served as managing principal of Nesting Partners LLC, a patent incubator and software company builder. Having created the company’s investment thesis and business model, Laplana played a key role as an investor, partner, and promoter in Nesting Partners various portfolio companies. To date, Nesting Partners has transacted in over 40 patent portfolios and founded over 9 companies, producing 2 successful exits for a 7.5X return.

Laplana has, on an individual capacity, directly invested in and/or led over $20 million in seed stage funding for over 15 start-ups. Laplana, his teams and partners (in orchestration) have additionally developed, designed and successfully commercialized over 150 products and technologies for internal portfolio companies, partners and clients.

Laplana currently advises the Venezuelan Congress on IP strategy and serves as a member of the technical steering committee that is tasked with reforming the country’s IP legislation. He and his companies have been invited to speak at forums hosted by: Amazon, the Venezuelan and Colombian Congress, the Metropole global forum, the IP Deal Makers forum, the Urban Land Institute, Harvard Business School and the Clinton Global Foundation.

Links:

· https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-laplana-zabarain-b8697b12/ (Link to my linkedin profile).

· https://www.crunchbase.com/person/alejandro-laplana (Link to Crunchbase investor profile that corroborates and lists some of my angel investments).

· https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=261360079&privcapId=261271885&previousCapId=244926115&previousTitle=anyGuest.com (Link to my executive Bloomberg profile).

· https://twitter.com/asambleave/status/727510563216056321?lang=en (Link to tweet by the Venezuelan Congress about a panel a Keynoted there in front of 20 congressmen).

· http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/videos/ & http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/speaker-bios/blockchain-digital-currency-whats-ahead-us/ (Links to my most recent panel at a large industry event where my company was also co-sponsor).

· Link to one of my companies and some of the more fun stuff we are doing: http://www.horizon-globex.com/company-info/management-team/ & https://www.horizon-globex.com/seasoned-tech-company-horizon-