Stories
Stories
The Power of Entrepreneurship
Álvaro Rodríguez (MBA 1995) cofounded the largest venture capital firm in Mexico, which is focused on companies that serve the country’s growing middle class. He is also a recipient of the 2019 HBS Alumni Achievement Award. In this interview he talks about the critical need in Mexico for economic opportunity for all citizens.
“IGNIA is a venture capital firm. Today we're the largest VC firm in Mexico. We focus on investing in businesses in Mexico that serve the emerging middle class or businesses outside of Mexico that want to come into Mexico also to serve the emerging middle class. I started IGNIA because of the power of entrepreneurship to really bring change into an economy, into a country, into a business community.
“Especially in a country like this, the disparities are so big. We have easy access to quality education, quality housing, quality financial services, quality everything. When you go to the slums of Mexico, they don't have that privilege. And it's a complete market failure. So it is two parts: It's access to better products and services in the emerging middle class and entrepreneurship as a mechanism to achieve that and to create change in Mexico.
“The reason why we make these investments is, yes, because we think you can have tremendous positive impact, but [also] because we think it's a huge business opportunity. And the potential for returns by doing that are huge. We've been able to prove that. We've proved that at significant scale. There's going to be much more capital going to that segment of the population, which will only help bring in better products and services.”
(Published July 2019)
Support the next generation of leaders Make a gift nowPost a Comment
Related Stories
-
- 01 Jun 2022
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Making It Count
Re: Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969); George Serafeim (Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration); By: Jen McFarland Flint -
- 16 Feb 2022
- Making A Difference
Holding Business to Account
Re: Geeta Aiyer (MBA 1985) -
- 29 Jan 2021
- HBS Alumni News
Holding Business to Account
Re: Geeta Aiyer (MBA 1985) -
- 16 Jul 2020
- Financial Times
Accounting for Real Change
Re: Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969)
Stories Featuring Alvaro Rodriguez-Arregui
-
- 01 Mar 2021
- HBS News
Harvard Business School Announces Spring 2021 Cohort of Executive Fellows
Re: Rob Biederman (MBA 2014); Alvaro Rodriguez-Arregui (MBA 1995); Gerald Chertavian (MBA 1992); Vladimir Jacimovic (MBA 1992); Leonard A. Schlesinger (Baker Foundation Professor Chair, Practice Faculty) -
- 30 May 2019
- HBS Alumni News
Five Receive 2019 HBS Alumni Achievement Award
Re: Marla Beck (MBA 1998); Mike Bloomberg (MBA 1966); Mike Mullen (AMP 109); Tracy Palandjian (MBA 1997); Alvaro Rodriguez-Arregui (MBA 1995) -
- 28 May 2019
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Alumni Achievement Awards 2019
Re: Marla Beck (MBA 1998); Mike Bloomberg (MBA 1966); Mike Mullen (AMP 109); Tracy Palandjian (MBA 1997); Alvaro Rodriguez-Arregui (MBA 1995)
