MEXpreneurs Podcast

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/

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/

Gabriel Garza is Co-Founder and Managing Director of DocTour, a Telemedicine startup based in Cancun, Mexico.

DocTour started with a mission to address the healthcare needs of international tourists visiting Mexico by offering affordable telemedicine consultations. The platform has since expanded to offer comprehensive corporate health services, white-label solutions for insurance companies, and a new focus on managing chronic diseases. DocTour is also working on a new social impact project that will provide free telemedicine consultations for children and families in rural areas of Mexico, bringing much-needed healthcare to underserved communities.

Gabriel is originally from Monterrey, Mexico, and is based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. With a background in international commerce and economics, he worked at global companies like Cemex and managed large-scale projects across multiple countries before transitioning to entrepreneurship. Gabriel also spent time in France, where he completed two master’s degrees and developed a passion for sustainable development and social impact. He later moved to Brazil for family reasons and has lived there for more than 8 years. His passion for leveraging technology to make healthcare more accessible, combined with his strong belief in social responsibility, drives the innovative solutions he continues to develop at DocTour.

Content:

04:30 The multiple cities inside and outside Mexico where Gabriel lived since an early age

07:30 The two Master’s degrees that Gabriel completed in France

10:10 Gabriel’s international experience at Cemex with a focus on business processes optimization

14:00 His transition to consulting after Cemex

15:00 Gabriel’s relocation to Brazil and his first business in language translation

17:00 The origins of DocTour

23:30 Gabriel’s connection to Mexico

25:20 His best advise for aspiring founders

Learn more:

Gabriel in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-alejandro-garza-caro/

DocTour in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/doctour/

DocTour website: https://www.doctour.app/home/

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

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

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/

Juan Carlos Elizalde from LightEd Play joins us again together with his co-founder, Pamela Elizalde, to talk about their startup and team.

Juan Carlos and Pamela, together with Luis Eduardo Barragán, Arturo Cortés, María Fernanda Torres, and Ivan Pérez, are the founders of LightEd Play, an Ed Tech startup based in Mexico City.

LightEd Play keeps the mind active and makes learning a fun experience through Artificial Intelligence and Gamification. Its lighthouse product, Zoombers, is an app for children in elementary and middle school which changes emotions towards mathematics into positive and happy moments and also fosters the development of STEM competencies and 21st-century skills. Zoombers is helping thousands of students at schools across Mexico, Latin America, USA, and Spain. LightEd Play has received multiple international awards and recently established a legal entity in the USA as part of its international expansion strategy.

Juan Carlos is CEO and Pamela is Art Director. In addition, they are siblings, brother and sister.

Juan Carlos is responsible for the overall company leadership, strategy, and go-to-market.

Pamela leads user experience, user interface, and graphic and brand design to make Zoombers fun and appealing for children.

In addition, Luis Eduardo is responsible for the technology back-end and cloud infrastructure, Arturo for the videogames conception and creation, Ivan for the math curriculum and the AI engine development, and Maria Fernanda for customer success and building relationships with schools. Together, all six founders cover the critical domains to build and scale an EdTech venture like LightEd Play.

Content:

04:30 The fear for math and how LightEd Play is solving it and turning it into an engaging experience

08:10 How fun and personalization are key in this new experience, both for children and teachers

12:50 The evolution of the math class powered by Zoombers

14:55 How the role of teachers and parents evolves and expands beyond the classroom

17:40 Zoombers impact in key education metrics

21:50 The positioning of Zoombers in the Ed Tech space and its “secret sauce”

25:30 Why six founders, the contribution of each one, and the extended team

29:10 Traction of LightEd Play in Mexico and abroad, including its USA expansion

32:15 Growth as the key priority for the next 12 months

35:00 Juan Carlos’ and Pamela’s advise for aspiring founders

Learn more: Juan Carlos in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-carlos-elizalde-moreno-37063b9/

Pamela in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-elizalde-2935a59/

LightEd Play in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zoombers/

LightEd Play website: https://lightedplay.com/

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

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