A Day in the Life: Asaía Palacios

InVenture is excited to continue our “A Day In the Life” series, which gives first-hand and personal insight into what InVenture Fellows experience while they work on-the-ground with our entrepreneurs and NGO/MFI partners.  

Meet Asaía Palacios, our InVenture Mexico Fellow, whose journey spans Mexico to the Czech Republic to New York City and back to Mexico, where she is currently working with our InVenture micro-entrepreneur, Griselda! 

MEET INVENTURE FELLOW: Asaía Palacios
InVenture Fellow:          Asaía Palacios, Portfolio Management
Education:                     B.A. in Latin American Studies & Government,                                               University of Texas at Austin
Location:                       Ecatepec, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
InVenture NGO Partner: APROS
Timeline:                       Fall 2011

(pictured above): InVenture Mexico Fellow, Asaía Palacios 

IN HER OWN WORDS:

And so here I am. 

If you were to tell me I’d be the next InVenture Fellow for Mexico, I’d say that would be a stretch.

I met Bonnie, InVenture Foundation Director, in New York City for the beginning of our StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation experience, when inspiring young leaders from around the world convened in May.

 Fast forward to mid-September and I find myself working in Ixtapa, Mexico, wondering what my next move will be. And that’s when an email from Bonnie arrives and I begin the application process for the fellowship program. After a few weeks of emails and Skype calls later, we have ourselves a match!

 Who am I?

 My story starts in Ecatepec de Morelos, part of the greater metropolitan area of Mexico City. Soon after, in ‘89, the family decides to move to San Antonio, Texas, and there you have it: Ecatepec my beginning and Texas my second home.

 My outlook in life changed since the move. It sure was an eye-opener for a five-year-old to step out of what was once her reality and into a new world. Initially I was scared - new language, new teacher, new classmates - but curiosity and friendship won over.

It made me empathetic to individuals placed out of their comfort zone, and it also helped me see the world in a different lens, helped me see the big picture, which I have since carried with me in all forms.

(pictured above): A five-year-old Asaía, taken at her elementary school, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Ecatepec in Ecatepec de Morelos

 Take for example a 9 to 5 gig. I can’t be content with just any 9-5 - there has to be some meaning to it all. So after a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Government from the University of Texas at Austin, and a growing need to venture out and experience life, I made my way in 2009 to Prague, Czech Republic where I taught English, realizing soon that this wasn’t it.

And so here I am, with a desire to one day be an intermediary between social entrepreneurs and investment capital - why InVenture is a good fit and the beginning down this road.

 As an InVenture 6-month Fellow (maybe even more, who knows), my role is to expand the program in Mexico. This will entail anything and everything related to InVenture’s goal such as:

• Developing partnerships with MFIs and NGOs
• Conducting due diligence for entrepreneur selection process
• Acting as a liaison between the Portfolio Manager and entrepreneurs for better communication flow and for execution of strategic guidance
• Maintaining relationships with current field partner APROS and InVenture microentrepreneur, Griselda Flores
• & much, much more!

My first assignment has been to follow up with Griselda. Milpa Alta the destination. Picture a mountainous region and a place of nopal (a cactus family specie native to Mexico) cultivation, which makes up one of milpaltenses’ (residents of Milpa Alta) base dish.

(pictured above): Asaía captures the nopal staple of Milpa Alta, Mexico — home of InVenture micro-entrepreneur, Griselda.

My journey to visit Griselda led me to the municipality of Villa Milpa Alta, situated in a small valley between volcano Teuhtli and the mountain range Chichinauhtzin. Griselda is the first investee microentrepreneur for InVenture from Mexico, who exemplifies true strength and hope, despite the ups and downs of both business and life. She is determined to take her Los Ángeles clinic providing affordable healthcare services to the community — to the next level.

(pictured above): Griselda’s Los Ángeles clinic provides health services to the Milpa Alta community — an affordable option since the nearest hospital is two hours away.

I have since met up with Griselda three times in Milpa Alta, and let me tell you, that has been a story in of itself. Recall that I live in Ecatepec, and Milpa Alta is at the the other extreme of where I live. Travel duration: approximately 4 hours one-way - all for InVenture! That’s my commitment to advancing InVenture’s mission. No, I am not crazy, and yes, I am searching for a centrally-located apartment in Mexico City. Stay tuned.