ph.d.
Allan Villegas
Entrepreneur In Residence | Professor | Exec Committee of the Board of Directors at Qatar Science & Technology Park | Serial Entrepreneur | Board Member in Fintech, Logitech, Foodtech, Healthech & e-Commerce | Ecosystem Builder | Mentor | Government Advisor | Conferencist | Consultant
expertise
Mapping and Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
My career started as an entrepreneur when I was in college studying for my Bachelor's in Business Creation and Development. As someone who started businesses before I began in 2015 a Ph.D. in Business Administration at EGADE Business School in Mexico specializing in "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Emerging Economies." Later, in 2021, I continued this research path by doing a Postdoctorate at HEC Paris, Doha.Eventually, I became the first published author of a book of Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Nowadays, I have published three editions, articles and white papers that you can find scrolling down.I was awarded twice by the National Institute of Entrepreneurship in Mexico for my endeavors, and I am a recipient of the Global Award for Excellence for Entrepreneurship Ecosystem by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), a George Washington University center HQ in DC. Mini-Globe Awards 2022 https://icsb.org/miniglobeawards/
work experience
As Entrepreneur
+Co-founder & CEO in stealth mode @Antler MENAP, fintech industry.+Co-Founder/Board of Qaiver Fintech LLC, a BNPL provider currently in the Qatar Central Bank Regulatory Sandbox. Raised seed ticket + 3M USD.+Co-founder/Chairman of Ketzalia.com & Ketzalia.qa, an e-fashion brand selling in more than 12 leading marketplaces in Mexico, including Amazon. Bootstrapped.+Entrepreneur in Residence for HEC Paris, Doha and the Founder Institute Doha Chapter.+Co-Founder/Board of ShipBee Technologies QFZ LLC, a logistics technology startup incubated by QDB's Qatar Business Incubation Center and invested by Q Auto in pre-seed.+Investor/Board of Agricope Technologies LLC, incubated by Qatar Science and Technology Park and the Digitial Incubation Center of the Ministry of Communications and IT in pre-seed.+Investor of two other operating businesses in Mexico (Juhnganns, and Hi:Hab).+Two times awarded by the National Institute of Entrepreneurship of Mexico with seed grants over +1M USD (as co-founder of foodtech and IT projects in 2014 and 2016). Both incubated when I was a student.
As Academic
Senior Research Fellow, previously Postdoctorate Research Associate since 2020 – HEC Paris, Doha.
+Country Coordinator of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey, and the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness.
+Founder of the Observatory of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Qatar, and now GCC Chapter Director for the Observatory Support for Entrepreneurship.
+Awarded with research grants from Canada and Qatar.I also have been:
Lecturer - Northumbria University in Qatar
Lecturer - Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico
Visiting Faculty - Universidad del Rosario in Colombia
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship (tenured) - University of Monterrey, UDEM Business School in MexicoI have taught at undergraduate and graduate courses:
o Undergraduate level
• Social entrepreneurship
• Business plans
• Organizational leadership
• Creative entrepreneurship
• Implementation and launch of new companies (startup creation and funding)
o Graduate level
• Entrepreneurial challenge
• Innovation and technology management (engineering department).
• Development and innovation of new products and services (marketing department).
As Advisor
I was appointed by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, as Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Qatar Science and Technology Park, a member of Qatar Foundation. An economic free zone, incubator, accelerator, and high technology investor.
+Co-Chair of the Education City Entrepreneurship & Innovation Advisory Committee and the HiEd Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit.
+Founding Advisor to the Wesal QF Entrepreneurship Student Club.
+Mentor, Judge and Advisor with QDB, MCIT and QSTP entrepreneurship programs (incubations, hackathons, ideacamps, etc.).
+Executive Academic Board Member of HOPE. Higher Opportunities for People through Education, an organization that aims to provide educational opportunities for refugees.
+Founding Board Member of qaiver.ai
+Founding Board Member of Shipbee.io
+Founding Board Member of Agricope.com
+Board Member of Muamla.com
+Board Member of CrayonandQuill.com
+Automotive Industry Consultant to the Dealerships' Associations of Hyundai, Toyota, GM, & KIA in Mexico.
publications
Books
Villegas-Mateos, A. (2022). Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Pathways for Innovation (pp. 1–157). Doha, Qatar: HEC Paris. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7251410Villegas-Mateos, A. (2021). Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem - 2021 Edition: Empowering the Transformation (pp. 1–100). Doha, Qatar: HEC Paris. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4719075
Case Studies
Amman, W., Kartik, D., & Villegas, A. (2023). At-Home-Doc: It Can't Get Better Than That, or Can It?. Case Focus - The Journal of Business & Management Teaching Cases, Middle East and Africa Edition. Reference no. 823-0028-1. https://casecent.re/p/191329Amman, W., Kartik, D., & Villegas, A. (2023). Urban Point: How to Scale a Start-up. Harvard Business Publishing. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/HEP020-PDF-ENG?Ntt=HEC%20Paris
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Villegas-Mateos, A., & Amann, W., (2025). The Impact of University-Based Entrepreneurial Ecosystems on Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 29(S2),1-14. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/the-impact-of-universitybased-entrepreneurial-ecosystems-on-students-entrepreneurial-intentions-17493.htmlMelchor-Duran, I. L., & Villegas-Mateos, A. (2024). Comparative analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurial activities in the Middle East and Latin America. World, 5, 173-191. https://doi.org/10.3390/world5020010Villegas-Mateos, A., & Vázquez-Maguirre, M. (2023). Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Upper-Middle-Income Countries: Social Policy and Sustainable Economic Development Implications. Sustainability, 16(2), 729. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020729Villegas-Mateos, A. (2022). Toward a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Qatar. Sustainability, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 127. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010127Sosa, E., & Villegas-Mateos, A. (2021). How the Accessibility in E-Commerce Affects the Inclusion of the Visually Impaired? TECHNO REVIEW. International Technology, Science and Society Review, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 49-65. https://doi.org/10.37467/gka-revtechno.v10.2779Villegas-Mateos, A. (2020). Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems in Chile: comparative lessons. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. 13 No. 21, pp. 39-63. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-11-2019-0168Villegas-Mateos, A., & Vázquez-Maguirre, M. (2020). Social entrepreneurial ecosystems: a regional perspective of Mexico. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 1-19. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/Social-entrepreneurial-ecosystems:-a-regional-perspective-of-mexico.pdfVillegas Mateos, A. O., & Amorós, J. E. (2019). Entrepreneurial ecosystems through the lens of experts: the case of Mexico. ORION: Revista de Investigación Multidisciplinaria, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 59-76. ISSN 2683-183XVillegas Mateos, A. O. (2019). Emergence of entrepreneurship research: a systematic review from 1996 to 2018. ORION: Revista de Investigación Multidisciplinaria, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 39-58. ISSN 2683-183XVillegas Mateos, A. O., & Amorós, J. E. (2019). Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems in Mexico: a comparative analysis. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 576-597. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-02-2019-0024
Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters
Villegas-Mateos, A. (2024). Ecosistema Emprendedor (Entrepreneurial Ecosystem). In B. A. Camargo, R. G. Castillo Villar, & L. E. Portales Derbez (Eds). Enciclopedia de sostenibilidad, ética y responsabilidad social empresarial en América Latina. 1st Edition, p. 325. Tirant lo Blanch. https://editorial.tirant.com/mex/libro/enciclopedia-de-sostenibilidad-etica-y-responsabilidad-social-empresarial-en-america-latina-blanca-alejandra-camargo-9788411977548?busqueda=camargo&Villegas-Mateos, A. (2023). Challenges for Expatriate SMEs Entrepreneurs in a Rentier State Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. In M. Dabić & S. Kraus (Ed.), De Gruyter Handbook of SME Entrepreneurship (pp. 241-254). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110747652-012Villegas-Mateos, A. (2022). A Gendered Perspective applied to Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystems. In Battisti, M., Dann, Z., Ekinsmyth, C., & Pickernell, D. (Eds.), Disadvantaged Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (pp. 63-85). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-724620220000014004Villegas-Mateos, A., & Morales Valera, R. (2022). The impact of institutional voids on female innovation in emerging countries. In Owalla, B., Vorley, T. & Lawton Smith, H. (Eds.), Gender, Diversity and Innovation: Concepts, policies and practice. Edward Elgar. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/gender-diversity-and-innovation-9781800377455.htmlSilveyra, G., Rodriguez-Aceves, L., & Villegas-Mateos, A. (2021). Enablers to fostering interactions during entrepreneurship events within university-based entrepreneurship ecosystems (U-BEEs). In Fernandes, C., Ramirez-Pasillas, M., & Ferreire, J. (Eds.), Universities, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, and Sustainability (pp. 43-62). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110670219-004Villegas-Mateos, A., Barron, E., & Ruiz, L. E. (2021). The role of cultural and social norms to create entrepreneurship educational programs. In Jones,P, Apostolopoulos, N., Kakouris, A., Moon, C., Ratten, V., & Walmsley, A. (Eds.), University and Entrepreneurship: Meeting the Educational and Social Challenges (Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship Research, Vol. 11) (pp. 135-149). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-724620210000011009Villegas Mateos, A. O., & Amorós, J. E. (2020). The Effects of the National System of Social Security Over Senior Entrepreneurs: A Comparative Analysis of Age Cohorts. In J. Saiz-Álvarez, & J. Gámez-Gutiérrez (Eds.), Senior Entrepreneurship and Aging in Modern Business (pp. 59-72). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-2019-2.ch004
Technical Reports
Observatory Support for Entrepreneurship in Africa (2025) Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report 2024: Structural and Configurational Analysis. https://www.ose.africa/gcc/qatar/Villegas-Mateos, A. (2023). Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Founder’s Guidebook. Doha, Qatar. HEC Paris. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10115406Villegas-Mateos, A., & Castillo Guadarrama, E. (2023). The Gender Gap in MSME's Financing: Challenges and Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs (pp. 53-58). In ICSB Annual Global MSMEs Report. International Council of Small Business: June 27th, 2023. Available at https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/icsb-global-msmes-report-2023.pdfVillegas-Mateos, A., & Janjuha-Jivraj, S. (2022). The Emergence of Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East & Africa (pp. 91-93). In ICSB 2022 Global MSMEs Report. International Council of Small Business: June 27th, 2022. Available at https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/icsbglobalmsmesreport2022.pdfVillegas-Mateos, A., Abdellatif, M. M., & Hossain, M. (2021). GUESSS 2021 National Report: The Entrepreneurial Career Intentions of University Students in Qatar. Doha, Qatar: HEC Paris. https://www.guesssurvey.org/resources/nat2021/GUESSSReport2021Qatar.pdf
I have also been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines' articles. And I am an experienced conference and master of ceremonies.