Jalisco entrepreneurs José Ignacio Estrada and Héctor Manuel Gutiérrez, leaders of the Green Concreta Project, won the 16th edition of the Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas in the Jalisco 2020 category in its first edition.
Green Concreta produces and markets ultralight cellular concrete for the construction industry using recycled plastic, winning the Renewable Energies thematic axis of TIC Jalisco 2020.
The winners were credited with a seed capital of five thousand dollars, as well as mentoring and feedback from international experts, tailor-made training, and promotional campaigns.
The category was exclusively focused on innovative Jalisco ventures in prototype and traction stages, with investment growth potential to integrate into foreign markets in expansion stages.
TIC Jalisco 2020 was the result of the strategic alliance between the Young Americas Business Trust, an organization aligned with the objectives of the Organization of American States (OAS,) with the Government of Jalisco through the Secretariat of Innovation, Science and Technology (SICyT.) It offers a unique opportunity to positively impact the quality of life of Jalisco, through a process that supported, strengthened, and promoted the productive fabric and territorial competitiveness of the Jalisco region, positioning it as a benchmark of good international practices in matter of support for youth entrepreneurial development in OAS Member States.
Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, highlighted that TIC Americas is a pioneering competition in innovation in the region, and has established itself as a platform to promote entrepreneurship, for which he recognized Jalisco's participation in creating a category for competition in this edition.
"TIC Jalisco with the determination of the Government of Jalisco promotes innovative ventures with high growth potential in strategic sectors," he commented.
The head of the SICyT, Alfonso Pompa Padilla, recalled that in TIC Jalisco 500 projects were registered to participate in six thematic axes; agroindustrial biotechnology, biomedicine and health, renewable energy, information and exponential technologies, creative industries, and educational innovation.
"We are excited to continue collaborating with you, with that great sense of giving our young people the opportunity to help them solve some of the social challenges, particularly through innovation and entrepreneurship," he commented in regard to the alliance with the international organization.
Green Concreta was the winner of six finalists of TIC Jalisco, with its project that offers a construction system that contains a block up to 70% lighter and whose thermal and acoustic capacity reduces the cost of electrical energy by up to 30%.
“We are going to continue working on sustainability issues,” said Estrada, co-founder of Green Concreta, while receiving his award.
All the details of the competition are available on the site: