From Tijuana to Silicon Valley: Why Mexico Must Act Before Losing More Talent
Originally published in Forbes Mexico.
The latest data from Silicon Valley Bank reveals a reality that Mexico can no longer afford to ignore: 59% of U.S. unicorns—companies valued at over one billion dollars—were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs, including Mexican talent. The narrative that Mexico lacks talent is dismantled by these compelling statistics. What is truly missing is strategy.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, one in four new businesses in the United States is led by a Latino, collectively generating over 800 billion dollars annually for the U.S. economy. However, many of these entrepreneurs face obstacles that are all too familiar to those trying to innovate in Mexico: limited access to financing, saturated markets, and regulatory mazes.
Mexico celebrated reaching 11 unicorns in 2025, with Kavak leading the way. But an unavoidable question arises: how many more could have emerged had we invested earlier in a national scale-up strategy? Every founder who crosses the border with their idea represents intellectual and economic value that fades away for the country.
Talent migration is not just a demographic phenomenon; it is a drain of strategic value. In the United States, foreign-born founders have generated $1.5 trillion in value, compared to the $0.4 trillion produced by their U.S.-born counterparts. Many of them, including some Mexicans, have found there the capital conditions, market scale, and entrepreneurial culture that were lacking at home.
Guadalajara, proud to call itself the “Mexican Silicon Valley,” is home to more than a thousand tech companies and 150,000 professionals. Mexico City now boasts 300,000 technology specialists and has attracted $3.4 billion in venture capital. Yes, there is infrastructure and talent, but what is still missing is a mindset of retention and genuine global ambition.
Now, the trend in the United States of restricting skilled immigration paradoxically opens a window for Mexico. While our northern neighbor closes doors, Mexico can—and must—open them; not only for national talent, but also to attract founders from countries with even more advanced ecosystems, searching for new markets and environments where they can build and transfer know-how.
It’s not about directly competing with Silicon Valley, but complementing it and leveraging our cultural and geographic proximity to become a laboratory and testing hub for the U.S. Hispanic market.
In Mexico and Latin America, founders have naturally developed a “camel mentality”: resilient, resource-efficient, and experts in surviving even in adverse environments. This philosophy—now more than ever—is a competitive differentiator compared to other ecosystems that prioritize growth at any cost.
Recently, Cuantico VP published the 2026 ranking of the top Mexican "Startups to Watch," highlighting fintechs and technology-based companies that are already competing head-to-head on the international stage. If we continue to nurture this kind of talent before it crosses the border, Mexico will not only prevent brain drain but also compete in the global innovation race.
The country is at a pivotal moment. The talent and market exist, but the window of opportunity is closing fast as global dynamics shift. The question is no longer whether Mexico can be a protagonist in the next wave of innovation, but whether it will have the vision and urgency to seize the opportunity before it’s too late.
The future belongs to ecosystems capable of retaining and elevating their entrepreneurial talent. Mexico has all the cards: it’s time to stop holding them—and start playing them with strategy.
