TecPrize 2026 Celebrates AI Innovation in Skills Development Across Latin America

TecPrize announced the winners of its 2025 edition during the IFE Conference 2026, recognizing three startups using artificial intelligence to close workforce skills gaps across Latin America. The awards were presented by the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

The top honor went to O-lab Inc (Colombia), a skills-based learning engine featuring job simulations and AI tutors, developed by Diego Guerrero. OZARU (Mexico) secured second place with its AI copilot designed to optimize frontline team performance, led by Guillermo Garza. Third place was awarded to HackÜ (Colombia), a gamified microlearning platform for deskless workers, headed by Juan Miguel Salazar.

Supporting Scalable Impact Through Innovation

Beyond recognition, the three winning projects will receive a structured support program designed to strengthen their impact and scalability. In addition, both winners and the seven finalists will participate in a three-month support program and an impact measurement bootcamp.

The prize includes financial incentives totaling US$30,000 for first place, $20,000 for second, and US$10,000 for third, reinforcing TecPrize’s commitment to turning innovative ideas into scalable solutions. As part of the program benefits, one of the three winning startups will also gain admission to the USC Education Technology Accelerator at the University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education, expanding its international reach.

A Platform Driving Educational Innovation in the Region

Now in its sixth edition, TecPrize has become a recognized platform for educational innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Over the past six years, it has convened entrepreneurs, startups, and interdisciplinary teams to co-create solutions to real-world educational challenges through collective intelligence, cross-sector dialogue, and access to mentorship, experimentation, and knowledge networks.

The 2025 edition received more than 140 proposals from 20 countries, reflecting the region’s growing education innovation ecosystem. To date, winning and finalist projects have raised more than US$4 million in capital, impacted over 2.5 million learners, and one finalist startup has achieved a successful exit, demonstrating the transformative potential of educational solutions when supported by the right ecosystem.

TecPrize is an open innovation initiative led by the Institute for the Future of Education, designed to activate talent, connect ideas, and create pathways for high-impact educational solutions to transform learning and work across Latin America and the Caribbean.