Team & Co-Founders
Who are our Co-Founders?
Torsten Kolind is the Co-Founder and Board Member of YouNoodle in San Francisco, California. A bioinformatics engineer by training, Torsten co-founded YouNoodle, a technology platform to source, select and engage the most promising startups in the world. He has judged startup programs at Stanford University, MIT, and Imperial College, and has written opinion pieces for both Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur Magazine. Torsten is an advisor to a number of startups, and an investor in two venture funds. He is a frequent speaker on corporate innovation, and on how governments can spur ecosystem growth through global startup engagement.
Torsten Kolind
Co-Founder, Board Member
Rebeca is a venture capital investor who has collected experiences as innovator and inventor, founder and entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, educator, and ecosystem builder. Rebeca co-founded Kalei Ventures, Rivet Ventures, YouNoodle, Cleantech Open, Startup Malaysia, and Startup Nations Summit. She also serves on the Global Board of Kauffman's GEN, Imagine H2O, TEDx Rio de la Plata Accelerator, and was a member of the WEF's Global Council on the Future of Migrations, as well as co-lead the Access to Capital committee of the Mexico-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council. Rebeca was born in Seoul, raised in Argentina, and educated at MIT and Stanford, and has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and as one of the top 35 under 35 Global Innovators by MIT Tech Review and was a TED speaker in Vancouver, in TED en Español in NYC, as well as TEDx Cordoba in 2018.
Rebeca Hwang
Co-Founder
Who are our Noodlers?
Diana Iruegas is YouNoodle’s CEO. From her base in Mexico City, she oversees YouNoodle's global operation and always wants to make sure everyone is happy. Her International Trade Major and MBA allows her to have a global vision of things with close attention to details. She has an entrepreneurial soul and understands startups. She believes in the disruptive energy of startups and does think the world will change thanks to them. She is committed to providing solutions, not problems.
Reliable, Passionate, Committed
Diana Iruegas
CEO
Happy Nerd
Pernille Knapmann is Younoodle’s Head of Marketing and Growth based in Mexico. Though Danish by passport, she's a true global citizen at heart. With a strong marketing background and a fervent dedication to organizational growth, Pernille channels her expertise to empower entrepreneurs and organizations worldwide. Armed with marketing savvy and adept project management skills, she catalyzes positive change on a global scale.
Proactive, Creative, Goal-oriented
Pernille Knapmann
Head of Marketing and Growth
Yoga Nerd
Rafael Hernandez is YouNoodle's Senior Software Engineer, based in Mexico. With a background in computer science, Rafael works on the back-end side of our platform. His professional path has enabled him to work with bootstrap, VC-backed startups, and international organizations. He is passionate about developing solutions that make people's lives easier. Rafael uses his experience to create light, sustainable and scalable solutions.
Effective, Resourceful, Easygoing
Rafael Hernández
Senior Software Engineer
Creator Nerd
Aarón Cervantes is a Software Engineer at YouNoodle. He loves running and swimming every morning. Aarón has a passion for front-end web stuff, but he recently joined the “dark side” (back-end world). He loves to learn through contribution At YouNoodle he supports the engineering team with solving issues, resolving bugs, and solving engineering problems both big and small. He also loves to dance as much as he loves to learn to code.
Passionate, Autodidactic, Empathic
Aaron Cervantes
Software Engineer
Dance Nerd
Ana Tamés is YouNoodle’s Head of Operations based in Mexico. Her Industrial Engineering background motivates her to streamline YouNoodle’s global operations. As the Head of Operations, Ana wears many hats, seamlessly transitioning between strategist, problem-solver, and optimizing workflows. Ana’s multifaceted approach ensures every aspect of our operations runs like a well-oiled machine. Her love for YouNoodle's worldwide social impact fuels her conviction that every improvement made within the organization brings us one step closer to making the world a better place. Outside the office, Ana is often found with her camera, capturing the beauty of sunsets, and lost in the pages of a captivating book.
Kind, Loyal, Passionate
Ana Paola Tamés
Head of Operations
Good Vibes Nerd
Lorena Charolet is our Head of Programs based in the United States. She is driven by kindness, teamwork, and dedication. She believes these are most valuable to create and maintain strong customer relationships. Lorena brings her enthusiasm and proactivity to YouNoodle to continue connecting with global audiences. Out of the office, you can find Lorena diving into sports, breaking a sweat with exercise, or getting lost in the pages of a captivating novel.
Kind, Sociable, Enthusiastic
Lorena Charolet
Head of Programs
Sports Nerd
Antonio Rios is YouNoodle’s Program Partner Lead. Originally from Mexico, Antonio develops strong and long-term relationships along with YouNoodle, by communicating and carefully listening to client needs. Antonio is a versatile, analytical, and highly passionate professional. He is an industrial engineer with an MBA and a strong background in sales and operations. He has experience in manufacturing, consumer goods, telecom, and hospitality. Antonio loves to travel, getting to know new people and all kinds of sports.
Trustworthy, Goal-Oriented, Team Player
Antonio Ríos
Business Developer
Networking Nerd
Jorge Evaristo is YouNoodle's Program Manager based in Mexico. He developed a passion for International Business while studying it, exploring the issues plaguing our world and, more importantly, the solutions accompanying them. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and is driven to explore the latest technologies and platforms. Jorge also holds himself to the highest standards of respect and integrity, valuing those qualities in others. When he's not at work, he enjoys watching sports, walking his dogs, and spending time with his family.
Committed, Empathic, Supportive
Jorge Evaristo
Program Manager
Comics Nerd
Natalia Lavalle is YouNoodle's Product Manager based in Mexico. With her expertise as a Neuropsychologist and a deep passion for understanding cognitive abilities and human behavior, she supports YouNoodle's goal of removing bias from entrepreneurs' evaluation and selection process. Natalia wants to generate a change with her knowledge and experience by developing technology products and assessments; Nat wishes to achieve this in an innovative, reliable, and valid way to help clients make objective decisions and entrepreneurs go through a fair application process. She loves doing water and team sports, exercise, travel, research, and learning about neuropsychology topics, psychometrics, and technology products.
Empathic, purpose-driven, energetic
Natalia Lavalle
Product Manager
Neuropsychology Nerd
Mint is a startup enthusiast with experience in the global startup ecosystem for more than 8 years, currently based in China. Her career path has encompassed dynamic roles, including startup founder, startup accelerator program manager, community builder, and government relations specialist. These experiences have provided her with a comprehensive grasp of the challenges and excitement involved in cultivating innovative ventures.
She is determined to support the evolution of the startup world with her greatest passion.
Entrepreneurial, Problem Solver, Resilient
Mint Pan
APAC Business Developer
Entrepre-Nerd
Join Us
YouNoodle is built on diversity, equality, and transparency. Co-founded with a 50/50 gender split, we live and breathe these values every day.