ph.d.
Allan Villegas
Senior Research Fellow & Entrepreneur In Residence at HEC Paris in Qatar | 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 in Qatar.Eventually, I became the first published author of a book of Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Nowadays, I have published two editions, articles and white papers that you can find scrolling down.I am recipient of the Global Award for Excellence for Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. 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 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, an e-fashion brand selling in more than 12 leading marketplaces in Mexico, including Amazon. Bootstrapped.+Entrepreneur in Residence for HEC Paris in Qatar 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 in Qatar.
+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.
+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 2nd Opinion AI
+Automotive Industry Consultant to the Delearships' 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
Melchor-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
Villegas-Mateos, A. (2023). Qatar's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Founder’s Guidebook. Doha, Qatar. HEC Paris in Qatar. 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.