Luis I. Cortes is a seasoned corporate executive, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor with international expertise in digital transformation, business automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and business applications across industries and government sectors worldwide. Originally from Barcelona and now based in Boston—home to one of the world’s most vibrant innovation ecosystems—Luis leads Marketing & Sales Programs at Red Hat, the global open-source leader, now part of IBM, where he is closely aligned with growth and innovation in global corporations. He is a Co-Founder and Board Member of Bcombinator, Southern Europe’s premier startup accelerator and investor, and a former President of the Barcelona and Boston chapters of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, the world’s largest network for business founders, where he leads the AI (Artificial Intelligence) special interest group.

Trilingual English/Spanish/Catalan, he is often described as an entrepreneurial, strategic thinker who is data and process oriented; who is curious and growth-focused with a passion for making things happen and helping people become the best version of themselves.

Having served all the way from marketing executive to CEO & board member, he also mentors and coaches, guiding founders and corporate executives alike as they strive for growth and innovation. An avid traveler having visited over 50 countries and done business in many of them, he also collaborates with and mentors non-profits such as Fundació ESADE, Pallapupas, Bruins Foundation or the For Kids Sake Foundation in quests like ending pediatric cancer or providing scholarships to talented students.

Topics

• Artificial Intelligence: Leveraging AI for impactful applications across business, government, and education sectors.
• Business and Organizational Growth: Driving growth and innovation, from nurturing startups to scaling global corporations.
• Open Ecosystems and Practices: Advocating for open innovation, collaboration, decision-making frameworks, and open-source initiatives.
• Digital Transformation: Guiding organizations through the complexities of digital evolution.
• Industry Verticals: Extensive experience in IT, software, technology, SaaS, finance, investment, education, healthcare, government, and the non-profit sectors.