Isaac Sada Santos
Three businesses before 19. Monterrey, Mexico.
Wait… why is nobody in Monterrey implementing AI?
Prodigio IA
AI systems for small/medium businesses in Monterrey · May – Aug 2026
After 100+ hours of my Volvo garage manager internship back in 2023, I learned how scary getting jammed with car inventory is. Especially when the customers are screaming in your face. This year, when I joined Prodigio IA with the goal of solving real-world industry problems for SMB's in the Monterrey metropolitan area, they were a perfect client.
To my surprise, the mechanics were still using basic/non-technical Excels with unclear information for their inventory and their appointments. They told me that many times they didn't know the status of cars when clients came in. The truth was that they couldn't keep track of everyone they were giving service to, and many times forgot to keep in contact.
From 2 manually inputted Excels with no way of extracting useful data from them, we upgraded them to a 6-stage Kanban, with scheduled appointments, automated WhatsApp contact with clients, executive dashboards, and organized data management.
Being in Prodigio IA taught me that you can spend hundreds of hours feeling awfully productive building a beautiful software that nobody will use. The hard part isn't building something impressive; it's nailing down the specific pain points that the client needs you to solve.
"Wow, this is perfect."
Further back on the trail: the first business, at 14.
EVLVE Sportswear
A sportswear brand from zero · 2022 – 2024 · started at 14, co-founder with one partner
Cofounded EVLVE Sportswear from scratch in 2022, testing hundreds of fabrics and multiple prototypes before manufacturing our own designs. I helped manage every part of the business, from production to fulfillment and customer service. We sold 500+ pieces through our online store and pop-up events before shutting down.
Our clients love our product. Even to this day, I still see people using our shorts, T-shirts, and hoodies. And when I see them, it hurts. It hurts because I still have that splinter. If only I had not doubted myself and my capacity to keep growing, we would have probably made it big.
To me, this experience taught me that you can actually learn faster than you think. You don't need to be technical at something to create a product on it. I had no experience in design, manufacturing clothes, or selling. I was literally a 14-year-old kid who recently stopped playing video games and was interested in making money. I had no idea how to build an e-commerce website. I learned how to build a website. I had no Idea how to do a product shoot. I learned how to do it. There. Boom. On the go. When you have a clear purpose, the learning flows seamlessly.
When EVLVE closed, a classmate came to me.
Proshack
Smoothies and açaí bowls right outside Tec de Monterrey · 2024 – present · co-founder with Santiago Treviño
After I closed down EVLVE, one of my classmates, who I always talked about business with, came to me. He invited me to participate in his business idea. He told me how he had been trying to start for over a year and a half and cycled through over 8 business partners, but he simply couldn't get the right associate. He knew I got stuff done. And he had always wanted me on board, but I always rejected it since I was fully centered on EVLVE. When we shut down EVLVE, I found it a great time to hop on board this new venture. From that moment, 4 months later, we were celebrating our grand opening outside the Tec de Monterrey campus.
Sales rocketed as we opened, there were huge lines of people willing to sit in the sun in order to get a taste of our smoothies. Very soon we ran into a problem. Customers were getting impatient with the long lines and our inability to serve them fast. We were trying our best. But the scrappy 2x1.5 meter trailer was not helping in our favor. We even hired a second full-time employee, but this only drained our costs even more.
Currently, we are expanding. The old trailer is ready to be replaced with one 4x the size and a more legitimate kitchen space.
Then I tried to build something with my brother.
Biomap
Blood-biomarker tracking · Aug 2026 – present · co-founder with my brother José
Biomap surged as an idea between me and my brother talking about the advancements that would be brought by AI. We wanted to find how we could implement AI to solve a common medical issue in Mexico. At first, we explored doing gut microbiome tests to help dietary needs. We jumped right on the idea. We got on meetings with specialists, we did the branding, and we designed the product. It was only after all that which we noticed the current data that you can derive from a 16S rRNA sequencing and shotgun metagenomic test was not so reliable and quite expensive for the average Mexican population.
So we went back to the drawing board. We settled to find a solution for the 45% of Mexican adults that have metabolic syndrome. What can we build with AI to help these people? After doing superficial investigation with Claude, we settled on: “sell Mexicans a recurring metabolic blood panel over WhatsApp and keep the results as a longitudinal record”. After quoting prices for the tests for the chosen blood panel with over 5 laboratories and spending all my afternoons building the product for a week, we noticed no client actually needed this solution enough to pay a premium for it.
Yes I know. In retrospect it seems pretty stupid. But that's how we learn.
Currently, I am in the middle of a series of interviews with endocrinologists and bariatricians to gather more information before building anything.
My summers and late nights went here.
The workshop
Protexa XLAB
R&D intern · summer 2024, 2025 · 212 hours · protexa.mx/xlab ↗
Xlab is the R&D sector for Protexa where I spent my 2024 and 2025 summers working as an intern. I can't thank the team enough for always being so kind and welcoming.
From Ollie, I learned to design components and create complex assemblies in Fusion 360.
From Gabriel, I learned to prototype with fast iterations using 3D printing
From “Machin”, I learned the basics of CNC turning and VMC.
From Pepe, I learned to create all types of chemical mixtures. On one occasion, we made aerogel from scratch for a prototype of a new waterproofing technology.
During my time, I worked on “QUBIT”, an automated assembly line replacing Protexa’s production of waterproofing agent. The process of imagining a piece, designing it in CAD, building a 3D print to prototype, and then machining the actual metal component was truly beautiful. This was a common procedure for my work in the lab.
In XLAB they had two philosophies that stuck with me:
- Iterate fast. If it takes 14 fast tries to get it right, that's better than taking long trying to nail the first attempt. Don't wait for everything to be perfect to keep building.
- Integrate vertically. Most “QUBIT” subcomponents were manufactured and machined in-house. This reduced unnecessary costs, increased control, and allowed faster iteration.
Skills learned: Fusion 360, 3D printing, assemblies, CNC machining, fast iteration.
Crimson Claw, FTC Robotics
CAD lead · 2023 – 2025 · Nationals 2025 · @robotics.asfm ↗
I'll take the time to tell you about my hectic first-year experience in robotics:
Five days before the final event, the robot was barely movable. Our coach was telling us not to compete. Most team members were out of hope. I was one of them. After going back home to eat, I told my mother about our terrible failure. She ate in silence after finally speaking: “You still have five days left to do everything you can. And if it doesn’t work, you’ll have learned something from it anyway.” My mom gave me the spark I needed. I called one of my team members: “I'm on my way back to school; let's try to finish this thing.” I didn't think much of it then, but I would have never expected my whole life routine would be: build robot. Sleep. Repeat. For the next 5 days.
To cut it short, we qualified to nationals, placing 3rd and were awarded the “Design Award”.
3rd place and Design Award 2024, qualified to nationals in Mexico City.
1st place, Think Award 2025, qualified to nationals in Mexico City.
Some things I build don't sell. They grow.
Community
1,200 trees · school representative for Pronatura Noreste, Comunidad Uuchul and Apoya Tu Bosque Local · 2023 – 2026 · 150+ volunteers · 20+ activities
I walked into Ms. Gaby Sanchez’s office after missing the deadline for community service. She offered me a challenge: Pronatura Noreste wanted to organize a reforestation in one month, but we needed to raise $100,000 MXN. Five students had already volunteered to lead it, but none had followed through.
Soon after, I started spending my afternoons in her office doing cold calls to anyone I could and planning logistics. One month later, the wildfire-damaged area was reforested. I coordinated multiple events on my own during the first year, then built a team in the second to expand our outreach. After almost three years as school representative for Pronatura Noreste, Comunidad Uuchul, and Apoya Tu Bosque Local, we reached 150+ volunteers across more than 20 activities.
The people who showed up. Every one of these groups was volunteers giving up a Saturday.
Side trails
- AI second brain — building an AI second brain using claude code to automate tasks and support my productivity.2026
- Xoch'l — helping my mom relaunch her existing chile-condiment brand, 4 SKUs. New packaging at 50% lower unit cost. Launch pending.2026
- GenoBit — project coordinator at Tec's student genomics and bioinformatics group. We're building a model that detects Alzheimer's from biomarkers.2026
Things I carry
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the piano, the necessity to build, my family, exploring nature.
Recognition
NOLS
22 days sea kayaking in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2024 · backpacking the Wind River Range, Wyoming, 2025
Now
Some ideas that I am thrilled about and currently exploring:
- Building a centralized digital medical record
- Personalized medicine using genetic data and environmental influences
- Manufacturing electrical subcomponents in northern Mexico for US data centers
Why I want to go to SF:
I believe that in order to create something truly life-changing, one must be at the frontier of whatever he wants to innovate in. To me that is tech. That's why SF would be one of the biggest "renaissance points” where I can surround myself with the community I seek of tip of the top frontier knowledge pursuers. I will also bring my unique perspective and strategic location to leverage emerging opportunities in LATAM.