Hidalgo, Mexico and Birmingham, Alabama – August 22, 2024 – The Kirchner Impact Foundation today announced a collaboration agreement with the Government of the State of Hidalgo in Mexico through the Innovation District for Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation (DESCTI). Together, the two organizations are launching the Comprehensive Program for Strengthening Agri-Food Entrepreneurship and the Innovation Ecosystem in Hidalgo. This program is designed to harness local talent and promote regional growth and innovation, with the expectation of being replicated and strengthened in the coming years.
The centerpiece of the collaboration is the Kirchner Fellowship, globally recognized for its innovative model since its inception in 2014. The program’s mission is to strengthen impact investment ecosystems in underserved areas through training and empowering the next generation of investors to allocate capital in early-stage companies.
A notable participant this year is Karla Arrazola, a student at the Polytechnic University of Pachuca (UPP), who was recently selected for the Fellowship program along with two other students from Mexico.
In addition to the Fellowship program, Kirchner will conduct four Kirchner Investment Academies across three municipalities in Hidalgo. This program will be implemented in three phases: an Awareness Academy at two higher education institutions, followed by an Academy for Entrepreneurs and business leaders in Hidalgo, and a Mentorship Academy. This structure aims to cultivate professional profiles equipped to address investment-related issues in various industries through innovative capital allocation approaches.
The organizations will also host the first HIDALGO AGTECH SUMMIT in November 2024, which will attract over 200 participants and feature distinguished speakers on entrepreneurship, investment, and agriculture. The summit will include a National Pitch Competition where early-stage projects in the food and agriculture sectors will present their innovations and compete for over $10,000 USD in cash and in-kind prizes.
At a recent press conference, Miguel Ángel Tello Vargas, Head of the Unidad de Planeación y Prospectiva of Hidalgo, and Alejandro Franco Segura, General Coordinator of DESCTI, introduced the new program, highlighting how this initiative will integrate government efforts with the innovation and talent of the new generations.
Kirchner’s programs will benefit from the strong support of the Government of the State of Hidalgo, enhancing Hidalgo’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, which already features international investments in agriculture and technology.
Dr. Alejandro Franco expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative and the benefits such programs provide to hundreds of people in Hidalgo: “We believe this program will have a significant impact on our region, and we are excited to partner with the Kirchner Group to make it a reality.”
“After six years in Mexico, we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the state government of Hidalgo. Partnerships like this enable us to scale our program more rapidly and amplify its positive impact in the region,” concluded Dr. Adrián García Casarrubias, Director of the Kirchner Impact Foundation Mexico.
The programs are also supported by the Kirchner Group, additional key regional partners, and private donors.
Kirchner Fellowship
The mission of the Kirchner Fellowship is to strengthen impact investment ecosystems in underserved areas through training and empowering a diverse next generation of investors to allocate capital in early-stage companies. By using a “real world, real time, real money” model, the Program has demonstrated that newly formed investment teams can become effective capital allocators within months. www.kirchnerfellowship.com
The Kirchner Fellowship is an initiative of the Kirchner Impact Foundation (501(c)(3)), one of the “returning arms” of the Kirchner Group, which focuses on leveraging the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of today’s most pressing issues. www.kirchnerimpact.com
The Foundation is always seeking like-minded organizations and individuals to help continue expanding its training and impact Programs. Contact us for more information or click here to donate now.
Hattie Brown | Co-Manager, Kirchner Impact Foundation | hbrown@kirchnergroup.com
Kirchner Group
Founded in 1985 as a boutique firm, the Kirchner Group today operates several subsidiaries, providing advisory services (M&A, evaluations, diligence) and operational support (interim management, restructurings, turnarounds) as well as asset management (dedicated, portfolio optimization), all leveraging a proprietary approach that combines domain and process expertise.
Over the decades, the Kirchner Group has been internationally recognized for its unique business model centered on creating value while promoting values: “earning while returning.” The firm has also built a reputation for constructing and reconstructing important business and social paradigms based on its deep entrepreneurial orientation.
Kirchner Group’s clients and partners range from early-stage companies to middle-market firms, venture capital and private equity firms, 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
Innovation District for Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation (DESCTI)
DESCTI is an Innovation Ecosystem that houses much of the scientific and technological infrastructure of the state. Under the coordination of Governor Julio Menchaca Salazar, its purpose is to promote the development of knowledge as a tool to improve the quality of life for the people of Hidalgo, breaking the paradigm that this area was solely for researchers.
Consequently, DESCTI has been reconfigured as a public space with free access, available for the community to transform its infrastructure and use it for recreational and family activities such as children’s festivals, cultural and artistic expressions, mountain and track cycling, walking, athletics, photography, and scientific tourism, among others. Alejandro Franco Segura| General Coordinator | https://descti.hidalgo.gob.mx/