Diego Noriega

Diego Noriega stands out as one of the most active, unconventional, and consistent figures within Latin America’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. His path does not follow traditional business models or empty narratives of innovation. He has built his influence through direct experience, shared learning, and a deliberate focus on generating real value from the margins toward the center. Rather than climbing existing structures, he has dedicated himself to building new environments where leadership is redefined through community, regional impact, and a strong pedagogical drive.

A Latin American benchmark in entrepreneurial leadership

Diego Noriega has become one of the most active and recognized figures in Latin America’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. His career does not follow a traditional corporate path. Instead, it is the result of a consistent mix of regional vision, commitment to collective impact, and a strong drive for continuous learning.

From his early days as an entrepreneur in Santiago del Estero, where he founded his first company at age 23, Noriega focused his efforts on creating value beyond short-term profit. Over more than two decades, he has founded or co-founded over 20 startups, many of them with multinational operations and innovative approaches in areas such as technology, education, organizational development, and digital marketing.

From serial entrepreneur to ecosystem builder

Diego Noriega’s evolution led him away from the role of individual entrepreneur to become a generator of collaborative frameworks. He co-founded Grupo 3A, one of the first digital communication holdings with regional impact, and later led the expansion of SecondHome as an educational platform centered on social learning.

One of his most influential ventures was as CEO of the educational platform ALDEA, which reshaped the concept of entrepreneurial community by applying peer-learning methodologies and reverse mentoring. Under his leadership, ALDEA brought together more than 10,000 entrepreneurs across Latin America, connecting initiatives from Chiapas to Tierra del Fuego.

Today, he leads Zold, a purpose-driven company focused on helping founders scale with impact, and is a partner at Newtopia VC, one of the most active investment funds in the Southern Cone. From this position, he promotes a philosophy of investment based on strong human relationships, ongoing strategic advising, and long-term value creation.

Leadership rooted in failure, vulnerability, and community

A central pillar in Noriega’s thinking is his focus on failure as a structural part of growth. Rather than hiding his setbacks, he turns them into tools for teaching. His story includes startups that failed to scale, projects derailed by internal challenges, and strategic decisions that didn’t pay off. However, he has publicly documented and shared these experiences, transforming them into lessons for new generations.

His leadership style rejects vertical hierarchies. He proposes a horizontal dynamic based on vulnerability, ongoing dialogue, and the generation of trust. In both his startups and investment initiatives, he promotes organizational cultures where team well-being and personal development are necessary conditions for economic success.

This approach has led him to serve as a mentor in over 15 regional acceleration programs, including Seedstars, Endeavor, Google Launchpad, Wayra, and NXTP Labs. He is also actively involved in impact networks such as ASEA and the B Corp movement, integrating ethical, social, and environmental criteria into every stage of decision-making.

Transnational impact with local grounding

Although he operates from various cities and has lived in Argentina, Mexico, and the United States, Latin American identity is a central element in Diego Noriega’s professional project. His work seeks to reduce historical opportunity gaps, foster trust-based regional networks, and spotlight business models born and developed in challenging contexts.

Through his YouTube channel and his participation in hundreds of business events, he has documented the stories of Latin American founders, explored alternative funding models, and opened debates around conscious growth. His direct and self-critical communication style has built an organic community of over 100,000 followers interested in purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

A trajectory shaped by consistency

What sets Diego Noriega apart in an ecosystem where many figures seek exposure over depth is the consistency between what he advocates and what he executes. Every project he promotes is linked to his idea of empathetic leadership, grounded locally but with a global outlook.

His understanding of business success is closely tied to the impact it generates for others: entrepreneurs who grow independently, teams that find meaning in their work, investors who support long-term processes. This network of relationships is perhaps his most important enterprise.

Rather than a conventional CEO, Noriega embodies a new generation of Latin American leaders who view business as a vehicle for structural transformation. And he does so from a belief that no lasting change can happen without community building.