Introduction to TecPrize 2025
The Tecnológico de Monterrey has announced the winners of the TecPrize 2025, recognizing solutions that aim to close skill gaps in Latin America’s labor market using artificial intelligence (AI). The awards, totaling $30,000 for first place, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third, were given to 10 finalists from Colombia, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Mexico during the IFE Conference 2026.
The Winners
- First Place: O-lab Inc (Colombia) – A labor skills simulation engine and AI tutors focused on skill-based learning, developed by Diego Guerrero.
- Second Place: OZARU (Mexico) – An AI co-pilot designed to optimize the work of frontline teams, led by Guillermo Garza.
- Third Place: HackÜ (Colombia) – A gamified microlearning platform for remote workers without desks, led by Juan Simón Salazar and Daniel Pascacio.
Honorable Mention: SimSkills (Spain)
Although not awarded, the project SimSkills by Santiago Oddone from Spain received recognition. It’s an AI-driven simulator aimed at enhancing the medical-patient relationship, equipping doctors with socioemotional tools, and ensuring patients receive quality care with accurate information. Oddone created the startup as a tribute to his father, who passed away from a terminal illness.
Benefits and Support for Winners
Besides the monetary rewards, winning projects will receive a support framework to strengthen their impact and scalability. The top three winners, along with seven finalists, will participate in a 3-month mentorship program and an impact measurement bootcamp.
One of the winning projects will be admitted to the USC Education Technology Accelerator, part of the University of Southern California – Rossier School of Education, further boosting their international projection.
About TecPrize
For the past six years, TecPrize has encouraged entrepreneurs, startups, and interdisciplinary teams to collaboratively address real educational challenges using collective intelligence, cross-sector dialogue, and access to knowledge networks, mentorship, and experimentation.
In its sixth edition, TecPrize received over 140 proposals from 20 countries, reflecting the growing innovation ecosystem in Latin America.
The TecPrize award has become a platform for educational innovation, with winning and finalist projects raising more than $4 million in capital, impacting over 2.5 million learners, and one finalist achieving an exit/acquisition, demonstrating the potential of educational solutions with the right growth environment.
TecPrize, an open innovation initiative by the Instituto para el Futuro de la Educación, aims to activate talent, connect ideas, and facilitate paths for high-impact educational solutions to transform learning and work in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is TecPrize 2025? TecPrize 2025 is an award program by the Tecnológico de Monterrey recognizing solutions that use AI to close skill gaps in Latin America’s labor market.
- Who were the winners? The first-place winner was O-lab Inc (Colombia), second place went to OZARU (Mexico), and third place was HackÜ (Colombia).
- What support do the winners receive? Winners receive monetary rewards, a support framework for impact and scalability, mentorship, and potential admission to the USC Education Technology Accelerator.
- What is TecPrize? TecPrize is a six-year-old open innovation initiative by the Instituto para el Futuro de la Educación, encouraging collaboration to address real educational challenges using collective intelligence and access to resources.
