In Mexico, Podemos Fights Poverty through Capitalism Maura Pennington - Forbes
go to original March 30, 2013

Fernando Orta had remarkable drive and ingenuity even when I first met him as a freshman at Dartmouth.  It’s no surprise that five years after graduation, he is making things happen.  Upon receiving degrees in both Economics and Electronic Engineering, he returned to his hometown of Mexico City and in 2010 founded a financial services company called Podemos Progresar.  Its name means “We can move forward,” its symbol is a seedling, and its philosophy is one of growth and empowerment.  In an effort to solve the multi-dimensional problem of poverty in Mexico, Podemos has a mission to create products and services that change people’s lives.

Orta is trying a different approach with his business, one which measures success by the level of impact in a community.  He hopes to be a model for other corporations and for young people who are frustrated by the lack of job opportunities.  “There is a big disconnect,” Orta says.  “Young people are not finding the jobs they want.  We can challenge what’s being offered to us, reject the paths being given to us, and start our own with new philosophies of how business should be done.”  His experience sets an example.

When he started the company, Orta admits he had a naïve view of poverty and that it has been a journey in understanding what life is like for the poorest segments of society.  There are an estimated 45 million Mexicans living on less than four dollars a day.  Microfinancing has grown in the last few years to reach many of these people, but Orta believes it can be expanded further.

Read the rest at Forbes

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