Luis Montalván
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a Fulbright Exchange which brings accomplished mid-career professionals from developing countries to the United States for a year of study, professional development, and networking.
Humphrey Fellows
Ofarid Amidkhonov, Tajikistan
Meher Bejaoui, Tunisia
Nayelli Hernandez Crespo, Mexico
Hamid Karim, Pakistan
Jerome Kisting, Namibia
Abneusa Manuel, Mozambique
Luis Montalván, Nicaragua
Dolgorjav Munkhbayar, Mongolia
Desarta Rapushaj, Albania
Mbolatiana Razakatsara, Madagascar
Rahman Valiyev, Turkmenistan
Trang Vu, Vietnam
Luis Montalván, Nicaragua
An economist with a crush on data and storytelling, Luis Montalván has spent the last 10 years building digital experiences in 18 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. He launched Vynil in San Francisco, led global growth at Maxonrow in Taiwan, and managed e-commerce and marketing operations for brands like Hopblox, Simply LBS, and The Poimen Group. His work has been recognized by the UNICEF Innovation Unit, the United Nations’ ITU, FIIS Chile, MIT, 500 Startups, the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship in Germany, and Innovate Latam.
Currently, Luis leads marketing at Bearworks, an AI sales enablement platform, where he specialized in high-conversion storytelling, podcast production, and prompt engineering for marketing. He builds agentic AI tools to scale content creation, outbound strategy, and inbound growth.
During his program, Luis aims to deepen his understanding of sustainable farming practices, entrepreneurship in the agroecosystem sector, and data analytics. By engaging with nutrition experts, business leaders, and Agri-Tech startups, Luis hopes to create a two-sided marketplace connecting farms and restaurants that will help broaden the customer base for farms, allow people to buy healthy food options, and increase the flow of goods and services between farmers, stores, and individuals—first in Nicaragua, and then regionally in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica.
- Post-Graduate Degree in Managerial Finance at American College University in Managua, Nicaragua 2015
- Bachelor’s Degree in Managerial Economics at American College University in Managua, Nicaragua 2015
Available to speak on topics including:
- Feeding Growth: How Local Food Systems Drive Economic Development
- Building Startups in Developing Economies: Lessons from Nicaragua to the U.S.
- Borderless Teams: Remote Work and Global Talent as Engines of Development
- Inclusive Innovation: How AI and Marketplaces Empower Emerging Economies
- Fellowship to Founder: How Global Networks Accelerate Local Impact
Contact Luis via email or LinkedIn.
