Mexico has the twelfth largest economy in the world and the fourth largest in the Americas. Over the past 30 years, Mexico’s manufacturing sector has experienced significant growth, positioning the country as a strategic hub for global businesses. The automotive, electronics, and aerospace industries have been central to this expansion, driving high-tech initiatives in research, development, and innovation. This momentum has also extended into the fields of optics and photonics, where increasing industrial activity, academic excellence, and a growing talent pipeline are creating new opportunities for technological advancement.
Within this context, Professors Raul Hernandez Aranda and Julio Gutierrez Vega from Tecnológico (Tec) de Monterrey recognized the need to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and emerging entrepreneurs. Seeing that the ecosystem was reaching a pivotal moment—one marked by innovation, investment, and international interest—they determined that the time was right to launch the 1st Workshop on Photonic Industry and Entrepreneurship in Mexico. This initiative aims not only to showcase the country’s progress in photonics, but also to foster a space where students, researchers, and industry leaders can connect, exchange ideas, and spark new ventures that contribute to Mexico’s continued technological growth.
The workshop was co-organized by the Department of Sciences at Tecnologico (Tec) de Monterrey, with financial support from the IEEE Photonics Society (IPS). The Tec de Monterrey has a strong reputation for its entrepreneurship education programs. According to the Princeton Review, Tec de Monterrey ranks #4 among North American universities for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs. Per internal Tec de Monterrey reporting, about 43% of alumni have started their own ventures at some point in their career and there are currently 299 companies in a developmental and growth process within the Tec entrepreneurial ecosystem. There is no question that the Tec was a prime location from where to launch this first workshop edition in Mexico.
The workshop had two main goals:
- Inspire university students to consider a career in the Mexican photonics industry by participating in a guided team effort to build a business plan, a transformative experience, which for most of them was the first time that they gave thought to high-tech business aspects. In addition, the students would learn about entrepreneurship from Mexican and international industrialists through workshop talks and panel discussions.
- Provide an opportunity for elements of the Mexican photonic ecosystem to network and discuss their current strengths and weaknesses. This discussion naturally generates ideas on how to strengthen the ecosystem and is an important stimulus for its growth.
The event gathered 87 participants, including students, faculty, and professionals from key institutions in Mexico’s photonics ecosystem —such as Centro de Investigaciones en Optica (CIO), Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), and Universidad Autonoma de San Luis de Potosi (UASLP)— as well as representatives from large established companies like Signify and Corning Inc., and startups such as Omius, Innovaciones Alumbra and Qmetrics Technologies. The two-day program emphasized ideation and opportunity evaluation, featuring thematic sessions on Design Thinking and Innovation Design, and business model creation, which culminated in the presentation of nine project ideas. In addition, two promising projects currently in the opportunity analysis stage were presented to receive guidance and strategic feedback. The workshop also included a keynote session by Professor Newton Frateschi, organizer of the previous Brazilian edition of the workshop, who shared best practices from their LIF Empreende experience. Local collaboration was enhanced through the active participation of the Innovaction Gym and the Institute for Entrepreneurship Eugenio Garza Lagüera, both from Tec de Monterrey. The IPS contribution to the workshop also included keynote presentations from Natalia Cañas Estrada (IEEE Photonics Society AVP of Strategic Partnerships), Juan Hernandez Cordero (IEEE Photonics Society VP of Membership) and Daniel Renner (IEEE Photonics Society Chair of the Industry Engagement Committee).
From the organizer’s perspective, the workshop made it clear that students need hands-on guidance to turn lab ideas into viable products, along with real customer-discovery practice, and mentorship on IP and regulatory pathways. Companies, on the other hand, need talent fluent in both photonics and manufacturing plus quick-turn university prototyping support. Closing these gaps will require a coordinated effort from academia, industry, and government.
The impact of the workshop on students can be best summarized by Danna Gonzalez, photonic engineering student at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional, who posted in LinkedIn the following message after the workshop: “I am very excited and grateful to have attended the 1st Workshop on Photonic Industry and Entrepreneurship in Mexico, organized by Tecnológico de Monterrey and supported by the IEEE Photonics Society and Thorlabs. This event was an incredible opportunity to connect with students, researchers, and leaders in the photonics industry. I was able to learn from real experiences, share ideas and take my first steps in the world of entrepreneurship and optical technology. Thank you to the organizers, speakers, and attendees for making this event an inspiring experience.” Similar feelings were expressed verbally by many other students present at the workshop.
The goals for this first workshop edition in Mexico were clearly achieved, and they lay the foundation for a sustained national initiative to promote entrepreneurship in photonics, with a follow-up hackathon already in planning and a second edition of the workshop proposed for 2026. These efforts demonstrate the capacity of these workshops to stimulate innovation ecosystems across Latin America by adapting to local contexts, while maintaining a strategic alignment with the IEEE Photonics Society’s global mission.
