Laura Mendoza

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1977. Went to Vera-Cruz institute and had my first experience away from home in 1992 (age 15) where I went to Atchison, Kansas to be a full time student in High School for a year. After that, came back to Guadalajara, and started college in 1995 in ITESO and specialized in Chemical Engineer. Being very interested in languages I studied italian while still in high school and french in college. Had the opportunity to study for a full semester at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 1999 I graduated from Chemical Engineering at ITESO. My Bachelor's thesis was about the separation process of materials in PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), in EER of Mexico (Electronic Environmental Recycling de México) and after that I decided to go to Switzerland to learn about europeans and continue practicing my french. I came back with the resolution that my next job in Mexico would have to be in an area that would surely interest me, that would certainly be in the food industry, environmental or pharma. I was very lucky to find a job in the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, where I learned a lot about the pharmaceutical industry and also about chicken production. In 2005, we founded Unima Integral Biosecurity, a company specialized in the control of pathogen bacteria that cause foodborne diseases in the food production chain. That is how our first product, a vaccine stabilizer reached the market. My most recent activities include the coordination of the High Tech incubator at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara, to help other entrepreneurs to reach their dreams of building a company.