Miguel Angel Calderon Conde, an Aspire Leaders Program 2025 alumnus from Bolivia, is gaining international recognition for his work at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and environmental sustainability. As the founder of SOCI-ECO, an innovative platform that uses artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to improve recycling systems, Calderon is helping create more transparent and efficient solutions for the circular economy. His recent selection for the Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) Fellowship on Entrepreneurship and Economic Prosperity, together with support from the Aspire Seed Fund, marks an exciting new chapter as he prepares to expand the platform’s impact across Latin America.
Selected for the SUSI Fellowship
Calderon’s selection for the Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) Fellowship on Entrepreneurship and Economic Prosperity is a significant achievement. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the fellowship brings together emerging student leaders from across the Western Hemisphere for an intensive academic and leadership program focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development.
Hosted in Ohio, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., the program combines university coursework, leadership development, cultural exchange, and engagement with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and policymakers. Participants explore how entrepreneurship can be used to solve real-world challenges while developing the leadership skills needed to create lasting impact within their communities.
This year, only 19 emerging leaders from across the Western Hemisphere were selected for the Entrepreneurship and Economic Prosperity Institute, with just two student leaders representing Bolivia. The fellowship will provide Calderon with valuable opportunities to strengthen SOCI-ECO’s business strategy, refine its corporate ESG reporting model, and prepare the platform for future regional expansion.
Building SOCI-ECO for a Circular Economy
Alongside this achievement, Calderon continues developing SOCI-ECO, a technology platform designed to make recycling more accessible, transparent, and measurable for citizens, recycling centers, and businesses.
The project has already reached an important milestone with the successful development of a fully functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP). At the heart of the platform is Jukumari AI, a custom computer vision system capable of identifying recyclable materials, including paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics, through a mobile phone camera. The platform also integrates secure cloud infrastructure with blockchain technology to verify recycling activities and generate transparent environmental metrics, including carbon dioxide mitigation and recovered material volumes.
“The timing of both achievements couldn’t be better. We will use the Aspire Seed Fund to transition our platform into a live production environment, while the SUSI Fellowship will provide the executive business training needed to refine our B2B monetization model and scale our operations across Latin American cities” he mentioned.
While the platform’s software infrastructure and business tools are fully operational, Calderon and his team have intentionally postponed a large-scale rollout until securing the financial resources needed to support field operations. One of those resources came through the Aspire Seed Fund, which awarded SOCI-ECO $500 USD to transition the platform from a testing environment into a live production system. The funding will support production databases, real-time AI processing, and the technical infrastructure required to deploy the platform in communities.
Growing Through Aspire
As an Aspire Leaders Program alumnus, Calderon has continued building on the opportunities and global network made possible through Aspire. The Aspire Seed Fund has provided critical early-stage support to strengthen SOCI-ECO’s technical infrastructure, while the SUSI Fellowship will equip him with the entrepreneurial training needed to scale the platform sustainably.
Together, these opportunities position SOCI-ECO for its next stage of growth. Calderon plans to transition the platform into full production, strengthen partnerships with recycling centers and businesses, and expand its operations across Latin America. By combining artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and data-driven environmental solutions, SOCI-ECO aims to make recycling more efficient while helping organizations better measure and report their environmental impact. As the project continues to evolve, Calderon’s journey demonstrates how leadership development, strategic partnerships, and innovative technology can work together to build practical solutions for a more sustainable future.
