Kirchner Impact Foundation
10 sep 2025
Over 200 attendees gathered to shape the future of agriculture in Mexico
León, Guanajuato, Mexico, September 10, 2025 – The iconic Foro PARUNO in León, Guanajuato was the epicenter of the sixth edition of the LEÓN AGTECH SUMMIT. The annual event, co-organized by the Kirchner Impact Foundation and the Innovation Directorate of the Municipality of León, brought investors, entrepreneurs, students, academics, and ecosystem leaders from across Mexico and beyond together on August 30th.
The Summit has become a flagship initiative in the national AgTech landscape, offering a platform for innovation, sustainability, and investment in food systems. The agenda of the event included individual presentations and panel discussions from national and international experts:
Steve Dauphin (USA) – Shared insights from over 30 years of impact investing, exploring the dynamics between investors and entrepreneurs.
Rodolfo Loyola (Mexico) – Presented tangible actions being implemented to strengthen regional food security.
Rod Parker (UK) – Discussed the global food security challenge and proposed practical solutions.
Adrián Durán & Toño Nogueira (Mexico) – Delivered a powerful talk on agricultural marketing trends and the importance of cultivating new vocations among young people in food production.
Impact Investing in Agriculture Panel – Moderated by Marion Ochoa (Kirchner Impact Foundation), the panel featured Héctor Martínez (NATA-M) and Mildred Jiménez (Village Capital / ATTA Impact Capital), who examined the current landscape and emerging trends within the Latam impact investment ecosystem in agriculture.
The Summit featured a highly anticipated pitch competition where 12 early stage entrepreneurial teams presented projects spanning the entire agri-food value chain, from soil health and input technologies to functional food products and sustainable waste management. The Summit recognized five outstanding projects addressing key challenges across the food and agriculture value chain:
🏆 Overall Champion: MAV-A
MAV-A manufactures a smart biodegradable paper that helps protect food from spoilage and extends shelf life naturally. The team was awarded a cash prize of $5,000 USD, along with personalized mentorship and technical support to accelerate their impact.
💡 Innovation Award: SEPOC
SEPOC enhances seed performance using electromagnetic technology, enabling better crop yields without agrochemicals.
🌱 Environmental Impact Award: Mitera
Mitera transforms agricultural waste into living biochar that regenerates soils, increases productivity, and captures carbon—eliminating the need for crop burning and reducing emissions.
❤️ Social Impact Award: Barritas de Resiliencia
Barritas de Resiliencia produces nutritious food bars made with huizache flour, offering a local, drought-resistant, and sustainable solution to combat food insecurity in vulnerable communities.
👥 People’s Choice Award (voted by the audience): RUBISCO
RUBISCO is a biotechnology company focused on developing biological products for agriculture that improve soil health and plant resilience through nature-based innovation.
The LEÓN AGTECH SUMMIT 2025 was more than just a conference. The event featured live music, vibrant networking opportunities, and community-building activities, all designed to connect visionary entrepreneurs with the resources they need to grow.
Since its launch in 2019, the Summit has become a pillar in the regional innovation ecosystem, helping to position León as a national hub for food system innovation and agricultural transformation. For more information visit www.mexicoagtech.com
Kirchner Impact Foundation
The Kirchner Impact Foundation (KIF) is a non-profit organization that serves as one of the “returning” arms of Kirchner Group. KIF harnesses the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of the most important issues of today and reflects our belief that all businesses should contribute to a positive human future. The primary activities of KIF include the Kirchner Fellowship and Kirchner Investment Academy as well as other initiatives primarily across three sectors: Agriculture/Food, Health/Life Science, and Education. Through the Kirchner Impact Model (“returning” with head, hip and heart), the Foundation promotes capital efficiency and sustainable enterprises, while aiming to generate measurable, social and environmental benefits.
The Foundation is always looking for like-minded organizations and individuals to help it continue to expand its training programs and impact. Contact us to learn more or click here to donate now.
Hattie Brown | Co-Manager, Kirchner Impact Foundation | hbrown@kirchnergroup.com
Adrian Garcia-Casarrubias | Lead Director, Kirchner Fellowship Mexico | adrian@kirchnerfellowship.com
Kirchner Group
Kirchner Group was founded in 1985 as a boutique firm and today operates various subsidiaries, providing advisory services (M&A, assessments, diligence) and operational support (interim management, workouts, turnarounds) as well as asset management (dedicated, portfolio optimization) – all leveraging a proprietary approach that dovetails domain and process expertise.
Throughout the decades Kirchner Group has been internationally recognized for its unique business model centered around creating value while promoting values: “earning while returning”. The firm has also established a reputation for building and rebuilding important business and social paradigms based on its deep entrepreneurial orientation.
Kirchner Group’s clients and partners include early stage to mid-market companies, venture capital and private equity firms as well as family offices and some of the world’s largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors. www.kirchnergroup.com
Blair Kirchner | Managing Director | bgkirchner@kirchnergroup.com