I grew up in Venezuela. By the time I was ready to leave, it was one of the most dangerous countries in the world. I was already living a version of my dream there — working at a startup with my good friend Francisco, doing real work, building something. And the country was collapsing around us.

I needed to leave. I knew where I wanted to go. And between where I was and where I needed to be, there was one thing in the way.

A math class.

I failed it four times. The fifth time, I barely passed. That number — just enough — was the door to Boston.

I arrived with a degree, a suitcase, and no guarantee that any of it would work. I built connections the way I always had — slowly, genuinely, one person at a time. I looked for the places where real work was happening, and I put myself near them.

Then I got an internship at MassChallenge — one of the largest accelerators in the world. That was the first moment I thought: I might actually make it here.

I spent years after that watching women like me try to get into the rooms that were supposed to help them. And I watched them leave without what they came for. Not because they weren't enough. Because the room wasn't built for them.

AscendHer Accelerator is my answer to that.