Meet the fifth cohort of Acumen Fellows in Spain and discover how these 19 extraordinary people are tackling the most comprehensive challenges facing their communities and our country, solving the problems of poverty, and building a more just and sustainable world.

Each year, the Acumen Fellowship in Spain selects a cohort of inspiring leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset and a commitment to solving the problems of poverty and building a world based on dignity.

The 2024 cohort of Spain Acumen Fellows spans diverse sectors, leadership, and organizational types. Our Fellows are bold leaders who thrive on moral imagination: the humility to see the world as it is and the audacity to imagine it as it could be.

The Fellows have had a transformative learning experience throughout this year in the program. They’ve participated in training sessions and immersive seminars, and equipped themselves with the tools to lead more confidently, generate systemic change, and scale their social impact.  

They’ve  graduated from the Fellowship and joined our community of Fellows in Spain, which now boasts 107 graduates. They’ve also been welcomed into the Foundry, Acumen's growing community of program alumni and more than 1,600 social innovators from around the world who are supporting and accompanying each other in their lifelong journey to build change.

Join us in welcoming the fifth cohort of Acumen Fellows in Spain:

Adrián is originally from Mexico, raised in an institution for street children in Puebla. From a young age he has demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit in different countries and sectors. Adrián focuses on impact investing, which he sees as a vehicle to fulfill his vocation. Currently, he is part of the commercial team of GSII, an impact investment fund manager with the mission to manage 1B euros for the 1 billion poorest people in the world.

Aitor was born on Book Day, 1995, in Badajoz. Since then, he has lived in several cities: Bilbao, Salamanca, Coimbra, Lima and Madrid, where he currently lives. Reading and traveling are two of his great passions. He studied psychology in Madrid and specialized in social psychology. He currently heads the Spanish office of the international NGO, ‘Fútbol Más’. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with loved ones, sports, art, and culture.

Aitor is a senior scientist at the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Optics , where he leads the silicon photonics research line. He holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Zaragoza (2009) and a PhD in Physics from the Complutense University of Madrid (2013). He is also a founding partner of the technology-based company Alcyon Photonics, and of the association PRISMA, from which he works for LGTBQIA+ rights in the field of science, technology and innovation.

Alejandro is passionate about cooking and haute cuisine who decided to hang up his apron and dedicate himself to feeding rather than cooking. Since 2007, he has headed several agro-ecological food distribution projects, the most representative of which is Ecocentral, a purchasing center specializing in organic school canteens. Father of 3 daughters, he strives to leave them a better world by changing the food model. He is also trained as a Gestalt therapist, finishing his training in Integrative Body Therapy.

Alejandro is a catalyst for individual and systemic change through leadership, community building, and innovation. He is currently director of Celera, where he connects exceptional young people with their potential to generate impact. He is also founder of Systems Innovation Network-Madrid and co-founder of Talento para el Futuro. He has more than 10 years of experience at the intersection between sustainability, systemic change, and social innovation, working from field to strategy, and from person to system.

Alba, a native of Toledo, has felt her vocation to contribute to social justice since she was very young. She has a double degree in Law and Political Science, a Masters in International Cooperation and a PhD in Development, Peace and Conflict Studies. She combines her work in non-profit organizations with research, which has led her to live in different Latin American countries. He currently works at the Anesvad Foundation for the right to health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Anabel works at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as a professor of translations, and since 2020 she has been vice rector for students and employability. As vice rector, she manages grants for students from vulnerable backgrounds, attention to students with specific needs, and student participation and associations. She has also designed an employability action plan that promotes training for entrepreneurship with social impact and specific actions to promote female entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in the humanities and social sciences.

After 13 years working on the design and implementation of social and environmental sustainability projects in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, in 2022 Andrea joined the Ecoalf Foundation as a director, an organization that fights against marine litter by cleaning the oceans hand-in-hand with fishermen and demonstrates how the circular economy is an indispensable tool to stop the climate crisis.

Georges holds a degree in business administration and a master's degree in New Information Technologies. He worked for a decade in France, England, and Germany. As an entrepreneur for the last 7 years, he has focused on the potential of migration, diversity, and exclusion as drivers of change. His professional career at Koop SF 34 has earned him more than a dozen awards, the most outstanding being the 2018 International Novia Salcedo Foundation Award for his professional career and in 2023 the Intercultural Cities Award in Brussels by the Council of Europe.

Germán is head of raw materials and circularity at Inditex. After graduating in industrial engineering, for 19 years he has assumed an important role in sustainability and impact reduction with different tools such as microfinance, regenerative agriculture, technological innovation, carbon markets, and circularity. Currently, he focuses on sustainable raw material sourcing strategy and improving product circularity, his daily work consists of interacting with designers, retailers, and suppliers.

Ginés is an entrepreneur and an expert in online community development, marketing and online training. He started his first social enterprise when he was only 10 years old. Since then, he has been involved in entrepreneurship in four countries, in diverse places such as the Amazon and London. He has worked with prestigious entities such as Telefónica, The Guardian, UNLTD_UK and the provincial government of the province of Málaga. Selected as a top influencer in social entrepreneurship, he is now focused on using the power of words and culture to improve the world with El Club de los Raros.

Guiomar has been working with children's organizations for more than 17 years. She started at UNICEF as a fundraiser and has been with Save the Children and the FC Barcelona Foundation. She is currently the deputy director general at Educo, an NGO that works in 14 countries, using the right to education as a key to advancing the rights and well-being of the most vulnerable children. She studied communication and marketing, and NGO Management and Leadership and Social Innovation at ESADE.

Juan is an engineer and passionate about energy transition. He has been working in renewables since 2007, where he has worked as a wind farm project manager. In 2015 he started a new career path as an entrepreneur to end energy poverty where he was a finalist for an award against energy poverty organized by Ashoka. Now, from Sapiens Energía, a pioneering social enterprise in the creation, dynamization, and management of energy communities, he is “putting energy in the hands of the people”.

Iñigo is a social entrepreneur who has been passionately dedicated to innovation and technology as levers of change for society for 20 years. He has held different roles of responsibility in the media and internet sectors, and is currently founder and CEO of OKencasa, an entrepreneurial initiative with a social profile that provides psycho-educational support to people who care for elderly dependent relatives at home, improving their biopsychosocial well-being through a clinically proven methodology. Making visible and recognizing the importance of family care as an accelerator of social capital, and promoting gender equality, are also part of his vision.

María is a mining engineer by training and an artist by vocation. After years of work focused on better management of resources (energy, water, materials), in 2010 she began to delve into the field of sustainable development in its broadest and most holistic conception. In recent years, her efforts have focused on defending culture as a fundamental tool for establishing the foundations that will allow us to build a future that is either going to be sustainable, or not.

Pelayo works as a consultant and specializes in mobilizing public and private sector financing for investment in economic, social, and environmental development projects.  He has more than 10 years of professional experience managing projects at national and international levels in a wide range of sectors.  Currently, his work focuses on supporting the management and implementation of European funds by the Andalusian regional government, mainly to promote the competitiveness of SMEs and entrepreneurs. 

Rebeca started as a volunteer at the age of 17 and now, at 42, she is the director of A Toda Vela, and has always been involved in work related to intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has a long and varied career in disability and is a prolific woman and artist: she has several publications on disability, three poetry books, and is the creator of La Diferencial, an initiative that offers dance for everyone. She collaborates with organizations and projects that promote development, inclusion, and friendly communities.

Rocío has 15 years of professional experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, and social impact project management. With a degree in business administration and management, she started her professional career in auditing and then joined the team and coordinated the strategy of the European region for a Danish multinational organization. She now collaborates on several projects related to social impact and entrepreneurship, carrying out consultancy activities, training, and working on making things happen.

Xavier has developed his activity in the field of housing in the public, private, and social sectors, focusing his interest and passion on making the right to housing effective for people in vulnerable situations. Since 2014 he leads the Hàbitat3 Foundation, one of the most important social housing and inclusion organizations in Spain.  With a degree in law and political science, he is a member of the standing committee of the Social Housing Council of Barcelona, a member of the Emergency Committee of Barcelona, a member of the standing committee of the Strategy on Homelessness of Catalonia and a mentor in social impact projects.