Jacksonville, Florida, USA and San Jose, Costa Rica, October 2, 2025 – Kirchner Impact Foundation and CRUSA Foundation today announced that their multi-year Kirchner Fellowship Costa Rica program has commenced. The kick-off events were held August 29 to 31 in Leon, Mexico, and featured a series of presentations and workshops related to impact investment and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem development. The events also included the Mexico AgTech Summit.
“Attending the kick-off allowed me to connect with fellow cohort members and learn from the inspiring success of past programs. I deeply appreciate the Kirchner Impact Foundation and CRUSA for enabling opportunities where we can apply our skills to create real-world impact. The most powerful takeaway for me was that: ‘Every company can be improved, and every company should improve the world,’ reminding us that business success and positive impact are inseparable.” – Keity Gomez, Kirchner Fellow – Costa Rica (CR2) ‘25-26
The rigorous selection process leading up to the kick-off included an essay-based application, a series of interviews with program directors and other screens, before selecting the three Costa Rica Fellows.
“I’m really excited about the Kirchner Fellowship because it gives me the chance to learn about investment through real practice guided by experts. What excites me even more about this year’s Costa Rican cohort is that it is made up entirely of women, which helps push gender parity in a sector historically dominated by men.” – Ivonne Rodriguez, Kirchner Fellow – Costa Rica (CR2) ‘25-26
“I applied to the program to connect with forward-thinking professionals committed to creating real impact. This experience offers a unique space to go beyond traditional business models in Costa Rica, while expanding my knowledge in finance and investment to complement my background in food engineering.” – Fabiola Jimenez, Kirchner Fellow – Costa Rica (CR2) ‘25-26
Fellows will spend the next year searching for and conducting due diligence on companies according to the mandate they developed. They will look for “Costa Rican early-stage companies with an initial product-market fit, demonstrated by revenue traction, and led by a high-caliber team building a scalable business and generating measurable positive environmental impact.” Companies that fit this mandate should reach out via the contact information below.
“For CRUSA Foundation, the Kirchner Fellowship represents a strategic opportunity to attract investment while developing young talent who can become the next generation of impact investors in Costa Rica. By strengthening these capabilities, we help build a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem—one that can generate and scale high-impact ventures to transform our economy and society.” Jossette Hernández, Project Officer, CRUSA Foundation.
About the fellows
Keity Gómez Jiménez: Fourth-year Industrial Engineering student at University of Costa Rica (UCR), San Ramón campus, with experience in academic consulting and business advisory for SMEs and corporations. She specializes in process optimization, quality management, and financial analysis to help teams make data-driven decisions.
Ivonne Rodríguez Ramírez: Biologist and entrepreneur with a licentiate in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, currently pursuing a Master’s in Biology at UCR. She is a professor, researcher, and COO/co-founder of Bio.Fun, a startup focused on water bioremediation using fungi and is an active advocate for ocean conservation, sustainability, and youth empowerment.
Fabiola Jiménez Torres: Fourth-year Food Engineering student at UCR combining her studies with hands-on experience in nutrition, food safety, and sustainable product development. She is passionate about creating nutritious and eco-friendly food products to improve public health and inspire behavior change.
About the Kirchner Impact Foundation and the Kirchner-Donovan Impact Initiative
The Kirchner Impact Foundation (KIF) is a non-profit organization that serves as one of the “returning” arms of Kirchner Group. KIF harnesses the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of the most important issues of today and reflects our belief that all businesses should contribute to a positive human future. The primary activities of KIF include the Kirchner Fellowship and Kirchner Investment Academy as well as other initiatives primarily across three sectors: Agriculture/Food, Health/Life Science, and Education.
Through the Kirchner Impact Model (“returning” with head, hip and heart), the Foundation promotes capital efficiency and sustainable enterprises, while aiming to generate measurable, social and environmental benefits.The Kirchner Donovan Impact Initiative is a joint initiative of the Kirchner and Donovan families to promote the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems across underserved regions.
The Foundation is always looking for like-minded organizations and individuals to help it continue to expand its training programs and impact.
For information on the Kirchner Impact Foundation:
Hattie Brown | Co-Manager, Kirchner Impact Foundation | hbrown@kirchnergroup.com
For Kirchner Fellowship – Costa Rica program inquiries:
Priscilla Morera-Gonzalez | Lead Director, Kirchner Fellowship Costa Rica | priscilla@kirchnerfellowship.com
For companies in consideration of investment:
keity@kirchnerfellowship.com
ivonne@kirchnerfellowship.com
fabiola@kirchnerfellowship.com
About Kirchner Group
Kirchner Group was founded in 1985 as a boutique firm and today operates various subsidiaries, providing advisory services (M&A, assessments, diligence) and operational support (interim management, workouts, turnarounds) as well as asset management (dedicated, portfolio optimization) – all leveraging a proprietary approach that dovetails domain and process expertise.
Throughout the decades Kirchner Group has been internationally recognized for its unique business model centered around creating value while promoting values: “earning while returning”. The firm has also established a reputation for building and rebuilding important business and social paradigms based on its deep entrepreneurial orientation.
Kirchner Group’s clients and partners include early stage to mid-market companies, venture capital and private equity firms as well as family offices and some of the world’s largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors. www.kirchnergroup.com
Blair Kirchner | Managing Director | bgkirchner@kirchnergroup.com
About CRUSA Foundation
The CRUSA Foundation is a Costa Rican, independent, apolitical and non-profit organization that since 1996 has contributed to improving the quality of life of people and the sustainable development of Costa Rica. As part of the 22-27 Strategy, the Foundation is committed to boosting the entrepreneurial ecosystem to enable the creation of high-impact companies for more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive growth. www.crusa.cr
Jason Garita Vargas | Strategic Communication Officer | jgarita@crusa.cr