“I would offer connections with the region through my role as President of the Latin American Council of Business Schools (CLADEA). In the case of Ecuador, I have a very good network that includes the leading companies, government officials, etc. Also, the University has an important network of researchers that can collaborate in different research programs”

I believe that my participation in the ACE program will allow us to move a three-level strategy:

a) At the city level: the city of Guayaquil is a very entrepreneurial city. I plan to strengthen the partnership with Epico (city government entrepreneurship promotion organization), building on what we worked as part of the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (of which I was champion) (See https://reap.mit.edu/cohort/guayaquil-ecuador/).

b) At the country level:  ESPAE, the school where I am the Dean, works in several ways to promote entrepreneurship, including research (GEM and other academic publications ), and engagement with the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AEI). ESPAE is also the official partner of the World Economic Forum for its prestigious Global Competitiveness Report. Since 2021, the school and myself in particular have contributed to the development of the competitiveness agenda of the country, lead by the Minister of Production Julio José Prado. In fact, my application to this activity is thanks to the invitation of the Ministry of Production. 

C) Finally, I plan to exploit my current role as the President of CLADEA, the most important association of business schools in the region to promote these issues at a regional level.