Innovative Mexican Entrepreneurs to Watch Fani Kelesidou - The Motley Fool
go to original December 20, 2013

Corruption is a widely accepted fact of life today in Mexico, which keeps it from unleashing its economic growth potential. But Mexico is not just about public figures' behind-the-curtains shenanigans and shady deals. It's also about visionary entrepreneurs and a start-up scene that slowly but surely emerges as a rival to Silicon Valley.

Since I prefer to see the glass half full, here are a few Mexican entrepreneurs who strive to make this world a better place.

Bringing the 'e' to 'e-learning'

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, roughly 19% of 15- to 19-year-old Mexicans are neither in education or employment, rising to 30% for 25- to 29-year-olds. On top of that, nearly 70% of the population has no access to computers or the Internet.

Moís Cherem Arana, along with his partners, Jorge Camil and Raúl Maldonado, are determined to fill the educational and information-technology gaps in the country, by bringing technology-based learning to underprivileged communities.

In 2007, they founded Enova, an independent organization focused on e-learning and digital inclusion. Enova designs, builds, and operates educational centers called RIA or Red de Innovación y Aprendizaje, which are strategically located in the most densely populated, low-income areas in Mexico. These innovative centers provide children, youth, and adults with access to digital learning coupled with the support of on-site facilitators.

In 2009, Enova ramped up 50 million pesos in funds from government, private charity, and corporate sources, including Google, Microsoft, and Dell. It used the money to expand the RIA network - today, there are more than 70 centers across 34 municipalities, as well as 25 digital libraries equipped with audio books, computers, and tablets. The Spanish edition of the MIT Technology Review has awarded Camil a prize for best innovator under 35.In April, Cherem Arana was named a Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Economic Forum on Latin America in Peru. The RIA project was singled out as "one of the social undertakings of greatest impact in the world."

Enova's ultimate goal is "to create a network of hotspots that trigger social change." It's already doing exactly that.

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