Innovation Strategist
Universidad Politécnica Salesiana / IEEE Entrepreneurship Region 9 / YP Chair Ecuador Section
Adam Leno
Pedro Pineda is an Ecuadorian innovation strategist and IEEE member with a background in Electronic Engineering and dual Master’s degrees in Information Systems Management and Data Science & Artificial Intelligence. With over eight years of experience designing and scaling innovation programs, he currently leads entrepreneurship and incubation initiatives at Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, including reTHOS and EMPRENDIEEE, two nationally recognized platforms supporting early-stage ventures with social, environmental, and digital impact.
Pedro serves as Chair of IEEE Young Professionals Ecuador Section and as Regional Coordinator of the IEEE Region 9 Entrepreneurship Ambassadors Program, connecting leaders from across Latin America to foster grassroots innovation, empower young professionals, and support cross-border startup discovery.
In 2025, he was recognized as an IEEE Young Professional Innovator in the YP Laureates Program at the VIC Summit in Tokyo, Japan, honoring his work in inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.
His work integrates technical expertise with a strong commitment to equity, connecting academia, public institutions, private partners, and youth to co-create sustainable, community data-driven solutions.
Session: Build it, Leverage it, and Pitch it, powered by IEEE Entrepreneurship
The “Build it, Leverage it, and Pitch it” session, powered by IEEE Entrepreneurship, offers a space for aspiring entrepreneurs and young professionals exploring opportunities in entrepreneurship to explore and learn what It means to create a startup. Susana Lau will first detail how to translate a vision into a sellable product, showing the main reasons startups fail, followed by a segment on utilizing IEEE’s resources to fuel entrepreneurial growth. Concluding the session, Pedro Pineda will focus on mastering assertive communication to effectively tell one’s story and secure crucial funding.