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Marco Mendieta is a 36-year-old Ecuadorian social and for-profit entrepreneur, professor, and speaker. As the co-founder of Megamobilier, he has empowered individuals to start their own businesses through furniture manufacturing. He is also the founder and director of the Misión Ecuador Foundation, which has raised nearly USD 2million and granted 1,400 fully funded transformative fellowships to entrepreneurs across Ecuador, positively impacting over 10,000 people. Since the launch of Misión Ecuador in 2017, the foundation has focused on economic recovery and entrepreneurial leadership in communities affected by the 2016 earthquake in Ecuador. The foundation's programs include master classes, social responsibility activities, and networking opportunities. The most recent edition, held in the Galápagos (2023) in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was a major success. In 2024, Misión Ecuador is working in the Amazon region on initiatives related to bioeconomy, climate change, sustainable development, and women’s empowerment, providing 600 fellowships across six provinces. Marco’s work has earned him multiple features in Forbes magazine, showcasing his ongoing contributions to Ecuador's entrepreneurial ecosystem and his leadership in social impact programs. Marco is also the co-founder of Aclademy.com, an Ecuadorian EdTech startup where he offers a course that helps others secure grants, scholarships, and fellowships, drawing from his extensive experience in winning prestigious opportunities around the world. Internationally recognized, Marco was selected by the White House and the U.S. Department of State in 2016 for President Obama’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship to pursue an MSc in Political Economy at King’s College London, and in 2022, he was selected for the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program at Georgetown University.
