Marcus Dantas

Marcus is a recognized serial entrepreneur and angel investor with over 2 decades creating, managing, funding and mentoring startups both in Mexico and the US.
He currently heads Startup Mexico, Mexico's largest private entrepreneurship and innovation initiative. comprised of several campuses especially designed to foster collaboration and host aspiring entrepreneurs, startups, seed funds, corporations and a variety of services aimed at newly created companies. Marcus is a professor of entrepreneurship and innovation at IPADE, Mexico's top graduate business school and heads the startup creation module at ISDI's Master in Internet Business program.
Previously, he founded and headed Wayra Mexico, Telefónica´s startup accelerator, focused primarily on IT and Communication high-impact businesses. He has been CEO and founder of several companies in the past, including Mexico.com, Simitel, Peerant and Abdeo Medical.
Marcus has won several entrepreneurship and innovation awards, including the Intel Technology Award with Simitel in 2004 and again with Innovamedica in 2008, as well as the Endeavor dedication award in 2005. He is a regular speaker at academic, government and industry events. and a board member of the Mexico-US Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) and serves as a project chair in the National [Intersectoral] Innovation Committee and the Mexico-France Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (COMFEI), he was also recently appointed vice president of the financial committee of CONCAMIN, Mexico's Confederation of Industrial Chambers.
He remains committed to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in Mexico as an academic, entrepreneur, investor, board member, policy maker and advisor in over 50 companies and social organizations. He studied computer science and administration at ITESM in Mexico and Communications in the University of Pennsylvania in the US.