Utah, September 2024 Breakfast Speaker Series

Entrepreneurial Background

Historically, Fernando has been an entrepreneur in the fields of data engineering, big data, AI, fintech and banking technology.  His first company, Ondore Inc., was founded in 2005 and backed by Alta Ventures (one of the first VC funds in Latam) developed an innovative method for data engineering and measuring the impact of digital initiatives. 

 

Since then, he has founded or co-founded 25+ companies over the last 20 years.  In 2012, he was awarded as one of the top entrepreneurs in Mexico by CNN Expansión, and the Entrepreneurs E100 in Mexico as well as 1st prize from Wayra (Telefonica, Spain) venture builder.  Bottom line, he has experience with growth and going after ambitious goals.

 

AI / Computer Engineering

In 2010, Fernando patented a precursor of what nowadays are the fundamental pieces of neural networks and the latest current AI engines (https://patents.google.com/patent/US8156056). It has been cited multiple times by international companies, including Meta, Google, Salesforce, and others because it’s related to GPT’s work today–transforming text to numbers to vectors.  The novel Transformer method written about in 2017 by Google helped usher in the wave of Generative AI solutions like Chat GPT.  

 

He was mentioned as one of the most influential computer engineers in Mexico by UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), among other publications, and he has been a judge in the Mexican National Science Prize in the field of Engineering.  He’s currently a member of the Cybersecurity Board of the Tec de Monterrey, which is the “MIT of Mexico”, and has 90K students, 11K professors, and 26 campuses.   

 

Fintech

Fernando has been the CTO of 2 banks in Mexico, and has deep experience working in regulated environments

• First time, and youngest CTO in the Mexican banking industry ( 2014) where he led the construction of one of the first fully digital/branchless banks in Latam.

• Second time being CTO of one of the fastest growing financial institutions in Mexico (2020-2024), Banco Base.

 

Education and Interests

• (BE) Telecommunications Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) with Honors

• Passion for space oriented technology & aeronautics, mechanics, photography and radio communications (licensed Amateur Radio Operator).

• Experience programming at firmware level and software level, electronic circuits design, subtractive and additive manufacturing processes, numeric control programming, CAD, and welding.