MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO) Summary Report 2022-2023
SOLID FOUNDATION FOR A STRONG FUTURE
I am extremely grateful as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO). As I reflect on all the MSLAO has accomplished in Latin America over the last decade, I am inspired by the challenges and opportunities awaiting us in these next ten years. From the impacts of climate change to the implications of AI, from the public policy challenges of growth and education to the private challenges of women participation in boards, the MSLAO is poised to be a key influence for MIT and MIT Sloan in the region.
As we embrace the future, we know our foundation is solid and our direction is clear. The MSLAO Team and the MSLAO Council have spent countless hours this past year building upon our strong foundation and infusing their energy and passion into the work we do. I encourage you to take a moment to read the new MSLAO mission statement. It highlights our commitment to the region and our focus on working to address challenges with impactful solutions that will drive economic development and benefit the entire LATAM region.
Thank you for your support of the MSLAO.
Roberto Rigobon, Faculty Director and Professor
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Juan Pablo Armas Chairperson
Director and Business Strategy Consultant
Piero Solari
Vice Chairperson
Executive Director, Megeve Investments
Gabriella Antici Partner and CIO, Ace Gestão Global Ltda.
David Capodilupo Assistant Dean, MIT Sloan Global Programs
Vittorio Corbo
President, Vittorio Corbo & Associates
Clarisa Estol Founder & Director, Biomakers S.A.
Rodolfo Henrique Fischer CEO, Associação Anna Laura
We are honored to have the support of the MSLAO Advisory Council, which has grown in membership and diversity in recent years.
José De Gregorio
Dean, Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad de Chile
Marcelo Larraguibel
Founder & Partner, Virtus Partners and Raven
Hans Lin
Head of Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Luis Llanos Founder, Westgate Energy
Andrónico Luksic
Chairman, Quiñenco S.A. Honorary Member, MSLAO Advisory Council
Isabella Luksic
Executive Director, Foundación Luksic
Elisa Mofarrej
Vice President and Board Member, Cia Mofarrej de Empreendimentos
Carlos Muñoz Director, Clínica Ensenada
Adriana Noreña
Vice President, Google Spanish Speaking Latin America
Gustavo Pierini
Founder and Director, Gradus Management Consultants
Roberto Rigobon
Faculty Director and Professor, MIT Sloan
Mauricio Salgar
Managing Director, Advent International
Jeff Swiryn Advisor to the Chairman, Quiñenco S.A.
Italo Zunino
Chairman and CEO, Virutas de Maderas S.A.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO) is to strengthen dynamic collaborations between the MIT Sloan School, the Institute, and our key stakeholders across Latin America. We facilitate exchanges of knowledge, innovative technology and drive impactful projects. We are committed to enhancing MIT and Latin America's leadership in areas where the region's global influence is significant, while also supporting the region's transition towards the developed world.
A DECADE OF GROWTH IN LATIN AMERICA
Over the past ten years, the MSLAO has enhanced the presence of MIT and MIT Sloan in Latin America. By continuing to increase engagement with key stakeholders at both in person and virtual events and by promoting innovative research projects that are focused on Latin America, the MSLAO has been vital in strengthening the MIT influence in the region. In fact, what began as a first of its kind for MIT has transformed into a model for the Institute.
virtual events with over 180,000 global participants (led by MSLAO during peak of COVID-19)
60+ 3500 130+ $1.1M 200+ 25.3M
conference attendees on key topics including big data, energy, fintech, future of work and healthcare
MIT faculty and researcher engagements in Latin America
in person events including 9 major conferences in Argentina, Brazil, Chile & Columbia
provided by the MSLAO for faculty and research projects across the Institute
social media impressions across all MSLAO conferences
KNOWLEDGE CREATION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Launch of Management, Innovation, and Business Analytics Certificate Program with Pacífico Business School (Peru)
As part of MIT Sloan’s first partnership in Peru, the Management, Innovation, and Business Analytics Certificate was created in 2022 within Universidad del Pacífico’s Executive MBA Program, and is jointly offered by Pacífico Business School and MIT Sloan. In 2023, Senior Lecturer Erin Scott and Professors Roberto Rigobon and Rob Freund traveled to Lima to teach the inaugural cohort on platforms, Web 3.0, and management science, respectively.
Arnoldo Hax Memorial Event (Chile)
MIT Sloan lost a legend in April 2023 with the passing of Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Management Emeritus, Arnoldo Hax. Arnoldo was a longtime faculty member and friend to the MSLAO. Born in Santiago, Chile, Arnoldo was an industrial engineer who pioneered the Delta Model, a customer-centered approach to competitive strategy. Arnoldo led the MIT Chile program and in 2013 received the Medal of the Order of Commander from the President of Chile.
In June 2023, the MSLAO held a tribute to Arnoldo in which family and colleagues, including Nicolas Majluf PhD ’79, a systems and industrial engineering professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, who worked closely with Arnoldo spoke about Arnoldo’s impact.
100K Latam Competition (Argentina)
The 100K LATAM Competition supports the creation, research, development, and promotion of art, culture, science, and technology in its varied forms to foster LATAM’s social and economic development. The 2022 competition included $100,000 USD in prizes; 372 projects; 1,000+ entrepreneurs; 18 finalists; 290 applications juried online and 1,600 live stream views.
The 100K LATAM Competition encourages companies with innovative projects, particularly technology-based and/or in the knowledge economy, to make an impact in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Grand Finale was held online, with live streaming on Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires’s (ITBA’s) YouTube channels.
Actress Gaia Rosviar hosting the 2022 100K Latam Competition
Arnoldo Hax, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Management Emeritus
Members of the MSLAO Team & MSLAO Council Visiting Universidad del Pacifico (From L to R) David Capodilupo, Assistant Dean, MIT Sloan Global Programs, Javiera Aldunate, Representative of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office, Roberto Rigobon, Faculty Director & Professor, Juan Pablo Armas, Chairperson, MSLAO Council & Piero Solari, Vice Chairperson, MSLAO Council
Sustainability in Mining and Energy Workshop (Chile)
The MSLAO in collaboration with the MIT Chile Foundation organized a conference on sustainability in mining and energy in October 2022. The event showcased the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) knowledge and proficiency in sustainable mining and the transition to renewable energy.
MIT researchers led sessions on overcoming problems presented by new water restrictions that took effect in 2010 in Chile after an unprecedented “megadrought”. These restrictions and their impact on natural resource production were discussed at the workshop along with the tensions caused between local people and mining enterprises.
Paillaco Project (Chile)
This project began in late 2016 as an initiative between middle school Liceo Rodulfo Amando Philippi (RAP), Universidad de Austral de Chile (UACh), and MIT, through the MIT Community Innovators Lab (MIT CoLab) and the MSLAO.
In 2022, a collaboration agreement was signed between Liceo RAP and York University, Canada, to position Paillaco as a world center for renewable and sustainable energies.
The objective of the project is that RAP students, upon entering the working world, will be technicians capable of assembling, installing, and maintaining solar systems in construction sites; carrying out domestic, industrial, and public facilities and buildings in general; and developing electricity generation projects based on non-conventional renewable energy sources (NCRE) for domestic or industrial use. Thanks to a donation from the Luksic Foundation and the MSLAO, the RAP School was equipped with experimental solar panels, a battery bank, LED lighting, and various materials for its operation.
New MSLAO Director (Cambridge, US & Chile)
In 2023, the MSLAO welcomed Horacio Caperan as the new Director. Prior to this role, he was the Executive Director for External Affairs of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. He has over twenty years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, business development and program management for organizations in the energy, transportation, agroindustry, life sciences, technology and government sectors in the US and international markets.
Horacio is an alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management where he earned an MBA, and he holds a dual master’s in biology and biotechnology from Tufts University. He received a Fellowship in the Management of Clean Energy Ventures from Boston University and the New England Clean Energy Council. He also earned a B.S. in management and economics in Chile, where he later held positions as a professor of economics and finance.
Patricio Belloy, professor at the Institute of Economics, Universidad Austral de Chile and project lead, pictured here with a student from the Rodulfo Amando Philippi High School
Horacio Caperan welcomes students from Universidad de Chile to Cambridge
John E. Fernandez, professor of building technology in the MIT Department of Architecture, and director of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), presenting at the Sustainability in Mining and Energy Workshop
MSLAO SEED FUNDS
The MSLAO received some outstanding applications in 2022 and 2023 for seed funding. Projects awarded funding are prioritized based on their ability to lead to innovative research and their potential to obtain additional funding. The following seven projects from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, and Guatemala were awarded seed funds for research that started in 2023:
Leo Celi
MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES)
PROJECT Make Health Argentina
MIT Critical Data is a consortium whose mission is to put data and learning at the center of healthcare to understand local health issues.
COUNTRY Argentina
Emmanuel Letouzé
Data-Pop Alliance
PROJECT MPI+ A nontraditional index for informal settlements: Mapping and monitoring the favelas of Brazil to fight poverty
The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) leverages various data types to support policy design, crisis response, and advocacy efforts to reduce poverty.
COUNTRY Brazil
Pedro ReynoldsCuellar
MIT Media Lab
PROJECT Innovation Diffusion in Rural Columbia: A Case Study
Project examines the role of digital platforms in supporting the diffusion of technology in rural settings.
COUNTRY Columbia, Guatemala
Ben RossSchneider
MIT Political Science
PROJECT REPAL
Project strengthens social science networks showcasing the best new research from junior scholars looking to collaborate with more senior scholars.
COUNTRY Ecuador
John Sterman & Bethany Patten
MIT Sloan School of Management
PROJECT MIT Climate Pathways Project
Project utilizes the En-ROADS climate model simulator to raise awareness and inspire action to reduce harmful impacts of climate change.
COUNTRY Brazil, Chile, Columbia
Evelyn Wang
MIT Mechanical Engineering
PROJECT High Efficiency and Low-Cost Hydrogel-Based Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Project proposes to deploy a solar-driven AWH device to provide sufficient amounts of safely managed drinking water for developing regions in Latin America.
COUNTRY Chile
Siqi Zheng
MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
PROJECT Transportation
Shaping Sustainable Urbanization
A collaboration between MIT-DUSP and Insper to build a joint research and teaching agenda with a partner university in São Paulo connecting transportation and sustainable urbanization.
COUNTRY Brazil
The following three projects from Brazil and Chile were awarded seed funds for research that started in 2024:
Joseph Doyle
MIT Sloan School of Management
PROJECT Child Welfare Research in Chile
Research assesses impact of the Mi Abogado program and effects of foster care placement on various child outcomes to inform policy decisions in Chile.
COUNTRY Chile
Natalie Grover & Team
MIT Connection Science and Data-Pop Alliance
PROJECT Transportation
Shaping Sustainable Urbanization
Continuing the MPI+ Pilot, this project takes an innovative approach to measuring poverty within informal settlements that will provide actionable data to inform more effective interventions and policy decisions.
COUNTRY Brazil
Siqi Zheng
MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
PROJECT Transportation in Rio De Janeiro
Project aims to enhance transportation services benefitting over 550 million passengers annually and offering insights applicable to other Latin American cities.
COUNTRY Brazil
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS...
To commemorate the anniversary of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office and the 200th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between Chile and the United States, a celebration was held at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Bernadette Meehan.
In addition to Ambassador Meehan, the 10th anniversary event was attended by Rafael Reif, the former MIT President, Kathy Hawkes, Senior Associate Dean, External Engagement at MIT Sloan, David Capodilupo, Assistant Dean for Global Programs at MIT Sloan, members of the MSLAO Advisory Council, numerous Chilean MIT Alumni, and various guests from the business and academic world in Chile.
1 (From L to R) Paula Estevez, General Manager of the North American Chilean Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), Javiera Aldunate, Representative of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office, Bernadette Meehan, U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Soledad Arellano, Vicerrectora Académica de la Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
2 David Capodilupo, Assistant Dean for Global Programs at MIT Sloan
3 Juan Pablo Armas, Chairperson, MSLAO Advisory Council, Gabriela Toro-Rigobon (Wife of Roberto Rigobon, Faculty Director, MSLAO), Kathy Hawkes, Senior Associate Dean, External Engagement at MIT Sloan, David Capodilupo, Assistant Dean for Global Programs at MIT Sloan, Rafael Reif, former MIT President, Gustavo Pierini, MSLAO Advisory Council
4 Rafael Reif, former MIT President, shares remarks (Bernadette Meehan, U.S. Ambassador to Chile in the background)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM CAMBRIDGE LATAM Rectors Summit
Sixteen institutions representing seven countries were welcomed to the MIT Campus for the inaugural LATAM Rectors Summit. The goal of the two-day workshop was to strengthen ties among the region’s most relevant research institutions and learn from each other. During the workshop, attendees had the opportunity to engage with key MIT programs designed to align universities with innovation ecosystems and expand relationships with the private and public sectors. Participating MIT programs included MIT Open Learning, MIT Media Lab, MIT Technology Licensing Office, MIT Industrial Liaison Program, The Engine and the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program.
1 Summit participants outside the Sloan School of Management
2 The first inaugural Latam Rectors Summit group
Universidad de Chile and Universidad del Pacífico Immersion Programs
The MSLAO’s collaborations with Universidad de Chile (UChile) and Universidad del Pacífico (UPacífico) include an immersion program component where students take classes with faculty on MIT’s campus in Cambridge. In January 2022, the MSLAO hosted the second and third cohorts of the Data Analytics Certificate Program with UChile. In January 2024, the MSLAO hosted the fourth and last cohort of the Data Analytics Certificate Program, as well as the first cohort of the Innovation, Management, and Business Analytics Certificate with UPacífico’s Business School. Both universities’ immersion programs overlapped, allowing participants to take classes with similar faculty and have the unique opportunity to network with each other.
3 Universidad del Pacífico student, Pablo Mercado Solis, poses at the podium during the Management, Innovation, and Business Analytics Certificate Program farewell reception
4 Faculty Director and Professor Roberto Rigobon takes a selfie with the Data Analytics Certificate Program students and faculty from Universidad de Chile during their graduation lunch
THE MSLAO TEAM
David Capodilupo
Assistant Dean
Roberto Rigobon
Faculty Director and Professor
Jacqueline Taylor
Associate Director
Javiera Aldunate
Representative of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO)
