In partnership with IE University, South Summit has seen great success in Brazil over the past three years and is now gearing up for its debut in Asia with the first South Summit Korea, taking place from 25th to 27th September.

Having already established a strong presence in Latin America through events in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, South Summit is well-positioned to continue its global expansion under Mateo’s leadership.

Maria Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit: “It’s important for South Summit to have Nacho Mateo as CEO, as he is the ideal person to lead this new stage, in which we want to consolidate our global model after years of intense international growth. I am convinced that his experience and profile will help us in our aim to become a globally recognised brand of prestige.”

For his part, Nacho Mateo said: “I am proud to lead the new phase of South Summit, after eleven years working in the organisation, as entrepreneurship, innovation and South Summit have always been present in the development of my professional career. Together with María Benjumea and our great team of professionals, I am confident that we will achieve our internationalisation goals and take the South Summit Brand all over the world.”

Nacho Mateo assumes this new role, after more than eleven years involved in the expansion of South Summit. During this period, Mateo played a key role in the growth and internationalisation of South Summit, taking on various leadership positions, including Director of Investors and Startups, and most recently as COO. He has consolidated the South Summit Startup Competition as a global platform for entrepreneurs, while actively working on expanding the international network of investors and other stakeholders. This network, which spans editions in Latin America and beyond, has facilitated strategic connections between startups, corporations and investment funds, driving the growth of innovative projects in key global markets.

As for his position at IE University, Nacho Mateo has led the internationalisation and growth strategy of the academic institution's entrepreneurship initiatives since 2017. In addition, in this last stage he has led the direction and execution of high impact brand initiatives. 

Prior to joining South Summit, he worked as a corporate lawyer in the International Law Department of the Japanese law firm Anderson Mori & Tomotsune in Tokyo and founded the company Nax Technologies.