Tourists help international entrepreneurs

Three years ago, Olga Enciso Smith decided to rethink global travel.

Previously the president of the San Jose Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founder of the Machu Picchu Gallery of the Americas in Los Gatos, Smith had been entrenched in bringing Hispanic and Latino cultural awareness to the South Bay for some time. Now, she decided, it was time to bring some of the South Bay’s resources to those parts of the world.

“I love the innovation of Silicon Valley, but I also see that there are some things we could correct by having a partnership with Mexico and Latin America,” Smith said.

She came up with “invertourism,” a concept that encourages people to invest in local micro-producers in the countries they visit. She thought of the untapped talent and entrepreneurship among people living in the Americas, particularly those who lack systemic support.

“I’ve been working with Peruvian culture and art for many years, but over time it grew to all of the Americas—Mexico, Central and South America,” Smith said. “I feel that we are one family. We have the same ancient civilizations’ roots.”

Smith has led missions around the world, in countries including India, Peru and Germany. She said she saw firsthand how the private sector can help entrepreneurs establish themselves in developing countries.

During the pandemic, Smith started taking some classes. She brought her ideas to the GSV/Global Silicon Valley Startup Bootcamp, where she met Paulo César Ramírez Silva. The two joined forces to launch an initiative they’re calling Sustainable Mayan InverTour.

Silva, who is based in Mexico, has a background in helping budding entrepreneurs. He founded EmprendHEC, a platform specifically for “undiscovered entrepreneurial talent in Latin America.” Smith brings extensive experience leading global mission trips.

The Mayan InverTour trip will take place in January, a partnership between InverTour and the Mexican Government and the National Institute of Technology of Mexico. Participants will visit Mayan cities, as well as the National Institute of Technology’s campus. The trip will culminate in a “demo day,” where local entrepreneurs can pitch to participants for the chance to gain funding for their ideas.

Silva said this pitching opportunity is particularly important. He said startup pitches are typically very brief—just two to three minutes—and investors often don’t understand where the entrepreneur is coming from or who they are.

Having the investors come to the entrepreneur’s turf, to understand the culture and where they’re living, what resources they have at their disposal will all lead to more opportunities for entrepreneurs and a better understanding for investors, Silva said.

“So that was one part of this, to change the aspect in which impact investors, global leaders and early stage entrepreneurs get to know each other and make a conversation,” Silva said.

In addition to hosting the tours, InverTour’s leaders are hoping to create more of a one-stop shop to connect entrepreneurs with investors.

“So, we are actually building that vehicle for investment and for mentorship,” Silva said. “We are going to be the bridge, and we are also going to be the vehicle for helping these entrepreneurs with investments, with risk management and so on.”

For more information, visit https://www.he-consulting.com/invertour.