In Mexico, starting a business is not rare; the truly difficult part is consolidating it, states César Mora, Managing Director and Head of Global and Wealth Business Banking at HSBC México, during his speech at eNOVADORAS 2026. This initiative, launched by AT&T México, Endeavor México, and Tecnológico de Monterrey, aims to boost technology-based companies led by women.
His statement connects with a reality faced by thousands of businesses: having a good idea is not enough. For Mora, the great challenge for SMEs is not just starting, but surviving the initial enthusiasm, organizing operations, and making the leap from a personal project to a structured company.
And that is precisely where the value of the scheme pushed by eNOVADORAS and its new community lies: accompanying women entrepreneurs so they don't just stay in the startup phase, but build businesses capable of scaling.
César Mora's warning, based on INEGI's own reports, is that for every wave of new businesses that emerge, a large part of them stalls because they fail to cover their basic costs, organize their finances, or professionalize their operations. This is because the Mexican SME often gets stuck in the survival stage, precisely when it needs to move from intuition to methodology. And this matters because micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises represent the vast majority of the productive fabric in Mexico; that's why when an SME consolidates, it not only improves its own story but also drives employment, innovation, and competitiveness.
From eNOVADORAS, AT&T México insists on wanting to accompany not just ideas, but companies that can grow over time and scale, with a special focus on technology-driven ventures led by women.
A Path to Stop "Surviving"
Mora explained that moving from entrepreneur to business leader requires changing the way of operating. It is no longer enough to sell, solve problems, and 'put out fires' every day; you have to build a base that can withstand growth.
His scheme outlines aspects such as:
- Formalizing the business to access better financing options and grow in an orderly manner.
- Separating emotion from finances, understanding that credit is not requested 'just because,' but because it has a clear purpose and a real capacity for payment.
- Delegating responsibilities so the company does not depend solely on the founder.
- Documenting processes so the business is replicable and not based on improvisation.
- Reinvesting in technology, talent, and operations, instead of consuming all the profits.
The logic behind all this is that a company does not grow because its founder 'tries harder,' but because it builds a structure that allows it to grow without breaking.
Credit Requirements
Mora confirms that credit can be a great accelerator for businesses, but only if the SME already understands how much it can pay, what it needs it for, and how healthy its cash flow is. This implies that the problem is not asking for money, but asking for it without structure, which aligns with the eNOVADORAS 2026 approach. It offers selected ventures a matching fund of up to $100,000, plus strategic support to accelerate their development.
The initiative does not promise magic, but something more useful: capital plus mentorship plus a support network, which together represent a great engine.
Success Stories
The program showcases examples that help ground the idea, including NUME, a digital health platform founded by Dr. Ingrid Briggiler. During its participation in eNOVADORAS, it grew from 5,000 to over 100,000 users in Mexico and its annual billing increased from 500,000 to 6 million pesos.
There is also Earth-IoT, focused on technology for agricultural producers, which tripled its client base and has now reached 2,700 new producers, increasing its revenue from 468,000 pesos in 2022 to over three million in 2026.
iBasto, which digitalizes the supply chain for grocery and convenience stores and uses purchase history to open access to credit.
These cases help understand the thesis of Mónica Aspe, CEO of AT&T México, that it is not just about supporting early-stage ideas, but about accompanying mature ventures with a stronger technological base to truly become lasting and scalable companies.
Women Entrepreneurs
During the event, Mónica Aspe emphasized that only a fraction of companies led by women invest in advanced technologies, even though companies with female founders show solid results, and organizations with diverse leadership are more likely to outperform their competitors in profitability.
This data helps explain why eNOVADORAS bets on connecting technology, leadership, and purpose. Furthermore, the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation—represented at the event by Edith Calixto Pérez—recalled that it is not enough to open the door for women in science and technology; it is also necessary to ensure their retention and access to leadership spaces.
That is why the scheme presented at eNOVADORAS goes beyond a call for applications. The platform has already formalized a community and announced a path with specialized courses and workshops with Endeavor and Tec de Monterrey. It also holds conferences focused on this transition: how to move from entrepreneur to business leader and how to build a business that grows.
