Dr. Pedro Lopez Sela
Pedro Lopez Sela, JD, Ph.D. is the Managing Partner at FrissOn Capital, Cofounder of LeapstartMx, and a Health Venture Capital leader with over 30 years of experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem development. Pedro has trained more than 15,000 leaders across the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
He has developed the EBELI System (Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship & Lean Innovation), which has redefined how companies are conceived, built, and scaled globally.
He leads FrissOn Capital, the pioneering deep-tech venture capital fund for Latin America and the Caribbean. The fund focuses on Latino founders disrupting the global health value chain. Pedro is also Cofounder of ITE Salud, Senator at Universidad Iberoamericana, and Board Member at ASEM—Asociación de Emprendedores de México.
At FrissOn Capital since November 2021, Pedro has led investments in deep tech startups across Latin America and the Caribbean. The fund supports Latino founders who are transforming the science and technology sectors, focusing on innovations that will disrupt the global health value chain. Under his leadership, FrissOn Capital has become the premier deep tech VC in the region, bridging the gap between cutting-edge scientific research and commercial viability.
As Cofounder of LeapstartMx since March 2025, Pedro leads efforts to empower entrepreneurs from the Global South, driving innovation and fostering impactful solutions that address global challenges. LeapstartMx collaborates with governments, universities, corporations, and multilateral organizations to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems under the tagline “Global Innovation Powered by the Global South.”
Pedro cofounded ITE Salud in August 2024, continuing his commitment to healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship. Since January 2021, he has been Head Coach at Scalingness, providing training and coaching on innovation and business and designing and developing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. He has trained with renowned experts, including Steven Kotler, Verne Harnish, Daniel Marcos, John Mullins, and Dave Asprey.
Pedro’s extensive board service includes his current role as Senator at Universidad Iberoamericana, Ciudad de México, since March 2025, where he contributes to corporate governance. He has been a Board Member at ASEM – Asociación de Emprendedores de México since 2024, building the Health Entrepreneurship & Innovation Ecosystem.
His advisory and board roles have been extensive. He has been the Founder and President of the Mexico City Node for Red Global MX since 2019, connecting the Mexican diaspora with their home country. He has been a Board Member at Women Forward International since 2023, implementing solutions critical to human progress.
He has served on the Board of the Committee for Technological Innovation for ASOFOM (2022–2024), the Evaluation Committee for the Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL) (2018–2022), and the board of Santander X (2019–2022). He was also a Cofounder of the CDI Comunidad de Innovación, the industry association for Chief Innovation Officers.
Pedro previously held significant leadership positions, including Cofounder of Canou from 2012 until 2021, the first Digital Company Builder in the world with over 65 cohorts worldwide across all industries and continents. He created the EBELI System and developed programs alongside Bob Dorf, Peter Diamandis, Jeff Hoffman, and Salim Ismail.
His entrepreneurial journey began in 1997 as Cofounder of Fomento GEEK between 1997 and 2023, where he created the first electronic Business Learning for IT graduates. It grew to a Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Ecosystem with 5 offices in Latin America and additional offices in Tokyo, Palo Alto, and Vancouver.
From 2017 to 2020, as Director of Tech Ventures and Investment Funds at Red OTT México, he created the first board seat for spinoffs and spinouts and trained numerous Tech Transfer Offices across Latin America and the Caribbean. He also founded HARD Tech Ventures in Hangzhou, China, to bridge innovation between the Global South and North for deep tech entrepreneurs.
He developed the Business Model Toolbox, which evolved to become the EBELI System, and supported organizations like US NSF, US SBA, US DoS, USAID, UK RAENG, and WIPO in creating programs for deep tech entrepreneurship.
His corporate experience includes Vice President positions at Banamex Citi between 2009 and 2012, where he unified Premium Markets Brands & their Loyalty Platforms to boost Cross Sales, created the HNW Bank, and developed the Innovation System for Citi, achieving a 37% market share growth.
He was also Senior Consultant at Zimat Consultores from 2006 to 2009, advising corporate organizations on long-term business strategy for clients including Blue Marine, Canacintra, Casas Geo, CCE, Centro Médico ABC, and Microsoft.
Pedro has served as a mentor for numerous accelerators and programs, including Techstars since August 2023, MassChallenge since March 2016, Village Capital since February 2016, and Next Billion Advisors since June 2022, coaching the next generation of high-impact entrepreneurs across the Americas and the Middle East.
As the Founder of El Geek Power, he also created the first carbon footprint mobility app for the Mario Molina Center. His early career involved working alongside Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug to design and approve the first Latin American law on GMOs.
His academic contributions include Senior Lecturer positions at Universidad del Valle de México since August 2021 and the EGADE Business School del Tecnológico de Monterrey between 2016 and 2024, where he trained people in the Americas alongside Yves Pigneur and Tamara Carleton.
Pedro earned his JD in Law from Universidad Iberoamericana, Ciudad de México, in 2000, graduating with honors. He earned his Master’s Degree of Arts in Biotechnologies and Moral Philosophy from The University of Sheffield in 2004, where he acted as Special Counsel to the BioTEthics Program of the European Commission and to the NAFTA Panel on GMOs alongside Julian Kinderlerer, graduating with honors. He earned his Doctorate in Innovation Education and Management in 2021 and a Master’s Degree of Arts in Education in 2024 from Colegio Americano Anahuac.
His extensive educational background includes diplomas from Founder Institute in Venture Capital (2022–2023), Universidad Anáhuac in Private Capital and Entrepreneurial Capital (2021), Growth Institute Master in Business Dynamics (2015–2017), and various other institutions, including Georgetown University, University of Deusto, and The Washington Center.
Pedro has authored and coauthored influential books on innovation, business, and sustainability in collaboration with figures such as Bob Dorf, Clayton Christensen, Peter H. Diamandis, and Salim Ismail. His reputation as a thought leader is supported by his participation as a keynote speaker, having shared the stage with icons such as Carlos Slim, Deirdre McCloskey, Jeff Hoffman, and Todd Morley.
His professional collaborations include scientists and Nobel laureates such as Julian Kinderlerer, Mario Molina, and Norman Borlaug. Pedro’s contributions to innovation ecosystems have been recognized by prestigious institutions such as the British Council, AMPPI, SMBB, and the Founder Institute. He continues to be committed to creating solutions that address critical challenges for humanity, with his work inspiring individuals, organizations, and nations to build a more innovative, equitable, and sustainable future.
His work has been profiled in media outlets, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, and the History Channel. He is a dedicated lifelong learner, trained by world leaders like Steve Blank, Alexander Osterwalder, and Salim Ismail. He continues to be committed to creating solutions for humanity’s most critical challenges, inspiring a more innovative, equitable, and sustainable future through his visionary leadership and dedication.
Watch Pedro Lopez Sela en Bitcoin and Radical Innovation and CPMX7 Emprendedores – Pedro López Sela – Fomento Geek, El futuro de la innovación.
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