Mateo works in the youth empowerment sector as the Founder and CEO of Youth Education Lab (YEL). For adolescents between fifteen and twenty-one and young professionals between twenty-two to thirty from low- to mid-socioeconomic backgrounds located in urban areas of developing countries, YEL is a consulting company comprising a team of young professionals with proven experience that has the capacity to connect its clients with public and private sector stakeholders, educate its clients on low-cost and free development opportunities available worldwide, and offer counseling to young leaders looking to access development opportunities. Mateo's short-term goal is for the company to employ two full-time staff members to execute daily operations, achieve a large enough margin of profit to invest in a web platform to guide clients on how to apply for available scholarships and development opportunities, and build a communication strategy to increase sales. Mateo's long-term vision is for the company to become the go-to place for adolescents and young professionals seeking to upskill and access high-impact scholarships and opportunities in Ecuador and abroad and, through technology, to expand the company's services throughout Latin America. Coming into the YLAI Fellowship, Mateo's top business challenge is Strategy. More specifically, they want to create a strategy to allow the company to move past breaking even to establish strong partnerships to promote the company's projects, think long-term, and focus fully on its operations. During the Fellowship Placement, Mateo hopes to learn to integrate new tools (especially technology) into the company, strengthen the business model to allow it to focus on expanding its services without regard for client location, and form connections to promote regional youth development initiatives in Latin America.