Guadalajara showed up ready. Nearly 1,000 tech innovators filled the Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas for our third and biggest CodeLaunch LATAM edition yet. From the first pitch to the final belt hand-off, the energy in the auditorium was amazing.
LATAM’s startup ecosystem isn’t emerging anymore, it’s growing fast, and Guadalajara is leading that wave.
THE PITCH BATTLES
The night opened with three head-to-head rounds that kept the crowd locked in.
Each founder had only a few minutes to make their case and win over both the judges and the audience.
After intense matchups, Manantial Blanco, Fluenty, and Abrazo Seguro advanced to the Lightning Round, where founders answered live feedback under pressure. When the final votes came in, Abrazo Seguro took it all, earning both trophies and a roaring close to the competition.
ABRAZO SEGURO WINS CODELAUNCH LATAM
When Derian Jiménez stepped on stage to pitch Abrazo Seguro, you could feel the room shift. The startup from Yurécuaro, México, backed by Improving’s BugBusters dev team, presented a sensory stimulation vest for children with autism, designed to bring calm, focus, and comfort during stressful moments.
By the end of the night, Abrazo Seguro didn’t just win over the crowd, they swept the competition. The team took home both the Judges’ Choice and the Audience Vote, earning the title of CodeLaunch LATAM 2025 Champion and a spot at the World Championship in Dallas this November.
“Winning CodeLaunch LATAM means everything to us,” said founder Derian Jiménez. “We started Abrazo Seguro to make a real difference for families, and this victory shows that innovation with heart matters. Now we’re ready to take this mission global.”
His Improving partners from BugBusters celebrated right alongside
“Derian’s project is special because it’s built to impact children’s lives in a real way. We’re proud to stand behind him and can’t wait to bring that World Championship belt back to LATAM.” -Africa Soto Team Capitain
JUDGES’ SPOTLIGHT
This year’s judging panel reflected the range of LATAM’s innovation scene—from startup founders to corporate innovation leaders, all focused on finding ideas with real traction and purpose.
Salva Martinez H, CEO of Lokki Co, said:
The finalists brought real creativity and intent. You could tell they’d been building for months, not weeks. Abrazo Seguro had a clear mission and the execution to match.”
María Fernanda Reyes, Innovation Manager at Bosch México and returning 2023 judge, added:
The diversity and quality this year were incredible. You see founders from across Latin America solving real problems. It’s inspiring to witness how far this ecosystem has come.”
Their feedback captured what CodeLaunch LATAM is becoming: a platform where early-stage founders bring real solutions—and the region shows what’s next.
VENTURETAINMENT, LATAM STYLE
The crowd lit up from the start of the show with two standout music performances kicking off the night.
Local rock band Stereograma, winners of a contest in collaboration with BizBat (CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 Judges’ Choice), kicked off the show with an explosive set that shook the room.
Later, RajNATION, our resident startup rapper and host, took the mic with a live performance celebrating the grind, the code, and the courage it takes to build something from nothing.
And when Jason W. Taylor’s musical keynote hit, the crowd joined in. “We code, you launch” echoed through the theater—a moment that summed up what CodeLaunch is all about: collaboration, creativity, and community.
“I feel fantastic,” Jason said post-show. “We just set a new record for attendance in our third year of CodeLaunch LATAM. The energy in Guadalajara keeps getting stronger. Mark your calendars for October 7, 2026—we’ll be back even bigger. — Jason W. Taylor, President of CodeLaunch
Listen to We Code, You Launch here
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Every CodeLaunch event runs on collaboration, and Guadalajara delivered on that front too.
Special thanks to ACÁPITE, who awarded a $6,715 USD consulting package to the winning team, offering legal, tax, and accounting strategy to help Abrazo Seguro scale sustainably.
And of course, Improving Nearshore, the professional dev teams behind the six finalist startups continue to prove why CodeLaunch is unlike any other accelerator on Earth.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR CODELAUNCH?
Abrazo Seguro now heads to the CodeLaunch World Championship on November 12 in Dallas, competing against the top startups from the U.S. and Canada for the global title and a $50,000 capital investment.
If you’re building something bold in Latin America, this is your chance to take the stage next year.
See you next year Guadalajara, save the date: October 7, 2026.
