Six years ago, MentuLabs started from a question that still guides its work: how can technology help more students learn better? What began as an idea grew into an organization that today works in Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the United States, with solutions that have reached more than 300,000 students. Along the way, the team has developed products, tested different ways of responding to educational challenges, and generated evidence to understand what works and how to improve.

That journey has also brought international recognition from the Learning Tools Competition, Learning Cabinet, and HolonIQ, as well as impact evaluations of educational interventions in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. These achievements reflect a commitment to combining technology, pedagogical knowledge, and evidence to address concrete problems in education systems. Now, that story continues with a change in executive leadership.

A new CEO for the next stage

Margarita Sáenz takes on the role of CEO of MentuLabs with more than 15 years of experience leading educational and social programs and organizations in Colombia. She is a political scientist from Universidad de los Andes with a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She was executive director of Enseña por Colombia and manager of the Todos a Aprender program at Colombia’s Ministry of National Education. She has also held positions at SENA, McKinsey & Company, and Chemonics International.

Her career combines experience in education, public management, and organizational leadership. In her new role, she will lead a stage focused on expanding MentuLabs’ potential for impact across the Global South and supporting education systems through the changes that technology brings.

Meet José and Margarita and hear how they see this transition, what they have built, and the challenges ahead for MentuLabs.

A transition that builds on continuity

With Margarita’s arrival, José Rafael Espinosa steps away from executive leadership, but he will remain actively involved in MentuLabs through the Board of Directors and by supporting the team on specific projects. His continued involvement will keep the experience accumulated over these years close, while Margarita leads the organization in its new stage. The change builds on what has been learned so far and opens space for new questions about how to bring educational solutions to more teachers, institutions, and students.

The challenge remains the same one that gave rise to MentuLabs: helping more students learn better. What changes is the leadership that will accompany the next chapter of that story.

MentuLabs Team