How Wizeline is Making Guadalajara a Technology Hub

6 min readOct 31, 2019

“Some people build companies that become profitable, and others build companies that revitalize cities,” a Mexican entrepreneur told me. “Bismarck Lepe is putting Guadalajara on the map.”

While visiting Guadalajara (GDL) this summer, I was struck with how in between the colonial plazas, cathedrals, and historic landmarks, there’s a wave of optimism and locally grown entrepreneurship. Having spent time across a number of non-descript cities in South Asia that haven’t yet become prominent in the global economy, I wondered: what does it take for a city to become a tech hub?

To answer the question, I visited Wizeline, a large product & software solutions business that, despite just raising $62M venture funding, is enabling much of GDL’s startup growth. Through meeting Wizeline employees, the StartupGDL team, and local entrepreneurs, I got a glimpse into GDL’s fast-growing tech entrepreneurship scene and some of the factors that foster a city’s transformation.

Here’s my take on:

What Makes Wizeline’s Origination Story Fascinating
Factors that enable a city to become a tech hub
What Wizeline & StartupGDL mean to Guadalajara
What to see in GDL: Tech Edition

Wizeline’s History: Son of Immigrants Returns Home

Bismarck Lepe’s parents, frustrated by GDL’s corruption and lack of upward mobility, immigrated to the United States to become farm workers. His parents settled down in California, and Lepe says that growing up, he never saw Mexico as a “land of opportunity — much less a place to invest.”

After years of working in Silicon Valley, Lepe wanted to open an international office and his team recommended Guadalajara given the young talent coming out of engineering schools and the relatively cheap labor market.

“I was originally a little hesitant,” admits Lepe, “given that my parents had left Mexico.”

A few years ago, I read India Calling — a book that beautifully details the journey author Anand Giridharadas’ parents undertook in the 20s from a village in India, through a number of cities, and to his suburban home in Cleaveland, Ohio. He then describes his own journey — from Cleveland, through many of those same cities, and back to his family’s village — in his 20s. He writes that this reverse move doesn’t actually take away from the progress his parents made, but rather underscores the lessons he learned from them about being flexible and pursuing opportunities — wherever they may be.

Bismarck ended up opening an office in GDL and is investing in several aspects of the city’s growth to facilitate the existence of the business. Wizeline now employs 500 people, has enabled tens of startups that have spun out of it, and trained 4000+ people in the local community.

How Wizeline is Enabling GDL’s Tech Ecosystem

There are a few factors that are required for the formation of a tech ecosystem:

Strong Talent Pool
Venture Funding & Startup Exit Potential
Community / Networking (for hiring, partnerships, and learning)
Startup support (operations, legal help)

Wizeline has built out initiatives in each of these categories and essentially set up a playbook for other ambitious companies looking to do the same.

Training to cultivate the talent base

Wizeline Academy was set up 4 years ago because Bismarck recognized that GDL lacked specific skills that would be essential for tech companies to exist in the city. The Academy provides courses and seminars to prepare the public for tech careers. The classes are free, and through this initiative, Wizeline has trained 4000+ students.

Wizeline Academy offers:

Technical classes (e.g. AI, React/Javascript Frameworks, UX workshops, engineering leadership programs)
Wizeline Technical Certifications

Most of the attendees are members of the public — either those working at different companies or those looking to break into the tech industry.

This initiative, combined with the decent pool of engineering graduates from the city’s 9 universities, has created a base of talent that Wizeline and other companies leverage and further help train.

Venture Funding

Bismarck established WizeFund, an early-stage venture fund that backs Wizeline employees who want to launch their own startups. He typically invests in technical employees who have been with Wizeline for 2+ years.

There is no better indication of a great culture than having your former employer support (and invest in!) your entrepreneurial ambitions. That’s what WizeFund does.

Bismarck sees Wizeline as a launchpad for people’s careers — “We don’t just want our people to achieve great things at Wizeline, we also want them to succeed outside of Wizeline.”

GDL also has a couple of other venture funds that are making investments in the flurry of new ventures coming out of Wizeline and incubators in the city.

Community networking & mentorship opportunities

Community is essential for tech hubs because the network enables companies to attract the right talent, partnerships, and growth opportunities. Wizeline & StartupGDL regularly host events to bring together the GDL community for tech discussions and networking events.

Maria (Head of Talent @ StartupGDL) said that when they started, only 5–10 engineers would show up to the events. But recurring events — and growing awareness/audience counts — have helped make the GDL ecosystem more cohesive, setting the way for the serendipity that often leads to new job opportunities and the formation of new ventures.

Startup Support (Operations, Legal, Office Space)

StartupGDL was formed as a non-profit consultancy to support the community, essentially bringing together all of the other factors to become the first touchpoint for startups looking to grow in GDL.

They provide consulting/operations services centered on:

Partnerships + Legal (incorporation)
Project Management
Office Space
Specialized Recruiting (focused on engineering talent)
Accounting

Maria says that StartupGDL wants to be the COO-equivalent for new companies — taking care of all the logistics for new companies to ensure the tech and business teams can focus on building businesses.

Promising Early Signs

While Guadalajara still has a way to go before it becomes a well-recognized technology hub, Wizeline and StartupGDL are doing fascinating work to lay the groundwork for the city.

Walking through Wizeline’s office gave the same sense of excitement, energy, and flexibility of a Silicon Valley office — complete with equipment for remote meetings, free food, slides, and a daycare for the children of employees.

In a city where the minimum wage is $5.10 USD and most people still live in poverty, Wizeline has established itself as a dream employer — one that’s working to develop its own talent, but also grow the community around it.