Team

Start-Up Chile is comprised of a dynamic team of young, energetic professionals with diverse backgrounds, looking to transform the entrepreneurial landscape in Chile. With a variety of talents and real-world experience, we are proud to be a part of this unique and powerful initiative that has been internationally recognized. Our interests range from music, to software design, to travel-- and many more. We invite you to get into contact with us with any questions you might have because if there's one thing we don't mind, it's talking about Start-Up Chile.

Our Board
The Team

Board of Advisors

An Advisory Board comprised of some of the most potent and recognized minds in entrepreneurship and innovation oversees Start-Up Chile and assists in some of the most important and strategic decisions.

Chuck Holloway | President of Board, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Professor Holloway has become a leader in the study and teaching of entrepreneurship, supply networks, and technology management. He has recently developed two new courses in this area, Evaluating Entrepreneurial Opportunities andStrategy and Management in Supply Networks.[Full Bio]
Kathy Eisenhardt | Co-Director , Stanford Technology Ventures Program
Kathleen is the Stanford W. Ascherman M.D. Professor at Stanford University. Her work centers on strategy and organization, especially in technology-based companies and high-velocity industries. Co-author of Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos, she won the George R. Terry award for outstanding contribution to management thinking and named one of the top 10 business and investing books by Amazon.com [Full bio]
Tina Seelig | Tina is responsible for the management, operations, and dissemination efforts of STVP. In addition, Tina is the Director of the Stanford Entrepreneurship Network and the co-Director of the Mayfield Fellows Program. Tina also teaches a course in the Department of Management Science & Engineering on Creativity and Innovation. [Full bio]
Executive Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program
Marcela Perez de Alonso | | Executive Vice President, Human Resources, HP Marcela has served as Executive
Vice President, Human Resources since January 2004. From 1999 until she joined HP in January 2004, Ms. Perez de Alonso was Division Head of Citigroup North Latin America Consumer Bank, in charge of the retail business operations of Citigroup in Central and South America. [Full Bio]
Vivek Wadhwa | Researcher, Professor, Columnist, Entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa is a senior research associate
with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and an executive in residence/adjunct professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. He is also an advisor to several start-up companies, and a columnist for BusinessWeek.com. [Full Bio]
Michael Leatherbee | Secretary-General, Board of Advisors, Start-Up Chile
Michael is Assistant Professor of Technological Entrepreneurship at Universidad Católica de Chile, where he led an innovation culture transformation during 2009. He is one of three founders of Yx Wireless, a hardware design and manufacturing company that has earned multiple innovation awards and served as board member of several companies and non-profits. Michael is currently pursuing a PhD in Strategy, Technology and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University. [Full bio]
Nicolás Shea | Founder of Start-Up Chile
Founder of Start-Up Chile (2010), eClass (2004), Little Lions Nursery Schools (2004), Jóvenes al Servicio de Chile (2000), and Founding President of ASECH (Chilean Association of Entrepreneurs). Former advisor of entrepreneurship and innovation to the Chilean Ministry of Economy (2010-2011). He left government in July of 2011 to start Cumplo, a P2P lending platform for Latin America. Nicolas holds a M.Sc. in maganement from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (Sloan Fellow), a M.Sc. in Education from Columbia University and a B.A. in business and economics from the Catholic University of Chile. Happily married with 5 amazing kids.
Agustín Huneeus |
Huneeus was partner and general manager of Concha y Toro, the largest vineyard in Chile. He founded the Quintessa Estate vineyard in Napa Valley and Casablanca Valley Vineyard Veramonte (first vineyard in Chile with the concept of tourism Napa Valley style). His wines have won awards both in the Napa Valley and in Chile and his entrepreneurship spirit and tangible result in the USA make him achieve the “Orden de Caballero” awarded by the Chilean President Sebastián Piñera. Today he owns different wineries as Rutherford, Quintessa, Flowers and Prisioners in the Napa Valley of California.
Amit Aharoni |
Amit is the CEO of CruiseWise, the first company to participate in the Startup Chile program. CruiseWise is an online cruise agency that radically simplifies the cruise booking experience through unique technology and rich content. Previously Amit worked for 10 years as a software engineer in Israel, leading software teams on national-level projects reporting to the Prime Minister and Chief of General Staff. Amit holds a Computer Science degree from Bar-Ilan university and an MBA from Stanford University

Team

Horacio Melo | Executive Director hora8
As a Commercial Engineer, I worked for Latin American Airlines as a Marketing Manager. I´m devoted to contribute in whatever is needed to turn Chile into a developed country. I strongly believe that entrepreneurship and innovation are key tools to achieve this goal. I enjoy soccer and outdoor/extreme sports in my spare time.
Carolina Rossi | Business Development carorossi
Chilean/Italian journalist with a life history in Brazil. With Diploma in Management and awarded with the Social Venture Challege at Harvard University, I have experience in entrepreneurship as founder of Crea-se.com and Unidas. My focus is to make Chile a better Ecosystem for startups. Member of Startup World and Lean Startup Machine. Snowboard lover.
Sebastian Vidal | Sub Executive Director vidalsebastian1
Commercial Engineer with experience in sales and operational departments, I´m also fan of business metrics and market research. As the Operations Manager at Start-Up Chile, my goal is no less than to find the first 1 billion dollar company that will kick-off entrepreneurship in Chile. With the support of the amazing operations team that I have the joy to lead, we´ll provide you the technical help you need to establish your business in Chile. I traveled the world for more than a year all by myself, just to discover the beauty of life. Planning a BBQ? Please count me in.
Francesca Lasagna | Group Experience assistance franlasagna
Journalist with experience in TV, magazines and marketing. Today I´m completely devoted to people. Committed to make sure that the entrepreneurs have a great experience at Start-Up Chile, making them have a soft landing and supporting them during their stay in the program. At the moment my main goal is to help our Suppers to get the best Chilean students they could have by developing the internship area. I love watching all kinds of sports. If you cook your country typical food I´ll be happy to taste it!
Maitetxu Larraechea | Communications Techularraechea
Journalist and blog addict, I am focusing my career on online communications and reporting. I love writing about innovation, entrepreneurship, alternative lifestyles and immigration. I majored in History at PUC, in Chile, and later got passionate about multimedia content at Georgetown University, in the US. Before SUP I was an editor at Red Mi Voz, where I devoted my time to citizen journalism. I strongly believe that the Internet is an open sea for entrepreneurs and for all those who are not satisfied with a 9 to 5 job, and this is why I joined the team at Start-Up Chile. I think we all were meant for more!
Nelson Pato Jiménez | Software Engineer _patojimenez
IT Engineer and Software developer, I was getting bored of suits and ties when I found out about Start-Up Chile. I love programming on C #, Java and PHP in a fast-paced office. What do I do in my spare time? Well, more programming, but in different programming languages. I can add some sport now and then. My goal at Start-Up Chile is to improve some internal processed and to have a website to die for.
Konrad Fernández Krzeminska | Global Conextion
Chilean-Polish Industrial Engineer, I was born and raised in Venezuela. I recently majored from UDD in Santiago, Chile, and soon I joined SUP Chile as an intern. Now, as an Account Executive, I keep track of the technical aspects of projects, making sure they achieve their goals and those of the program. I´m crazy about soccer, F1, and films.
Ricardo Catalán González | Account Executive
Public Administrator by profession and a musician by practice. While in college, I focused on procedures management. Later on, I complemented this with some studies at Thompson River University, in Canada. Before joining Start-Up Chile, I worked as an advisor for the Ministry of Education and as an analyst of organizational procedures for TVN. At Start-Up Chile I keep track of the entrepreneurs´ projects, making sure they achieve their goals and those of the program. I spend my spare time playing soccer, tennis, practicing some Yoga, and I also enjoy composing meditation music.
Bernardo Herrera | Finances Coordinator
Public Administrator with graduate studies on Political Analysis. Before SUP I worked on process design at Universidad de Chile and in a program devoted to promote quality and high standards in Chilean companies, also run by CORFO. Part of what I do in SUP is the coordination of the financial team, and the other half of it consists in doing the financial tracking of projects and controlling the fulfillment of the program bases according to the current Chilean law. I love music, going to concerts and playing soccer.
Manuel Fernández | Financial Executive
Public Administrator specialized in Project Management. Before SUP I lived in Arica, near the border with Peru, in the north of Chile. Over there, I run housing programs. My work at SUP consists on financially tracking projects, making sure they fulfill the program bases according to the Chilean current law. I enjoy rock music, soccer, surf and watching good movies.
Astrid Borgna | Financial Executive
Chilean/italian; Geographer graduated from Pontifical Catholic University in Chile, with a certificate on strategic planning and management control. Before SUP I worked in different environmental projects along the country. My work at SUP consists on financially tracking projects, making sure they fulfill the program bases according to the Chilean current law. I Love music and a good book.