The Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) held another edition of Get started 2026.2an event that since 2017 It established itself as a reference in entrepreneurial training within the university community.
What was born as Entrepreneurial Space —with the need to strengthen the entrepreneurial culture among students— evolved to become a space for learning, innovation and networking that, on this occasion, brought together teachers, students, directors, officials, and representatives of the business and government sectors.
Organized by the General Directorate of Linkage, Exchange and Social Responsibility, through the Business Development Officethe meeting, held at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 4 at the University Cultural Center (CCU)had the purpose of promoting creativity, innovation and the development of business skills.
Throughout its nine years of history, the event accumulated the participation of more than 4,578 students and teachers, and was held in different university venues such as the CCU, the Centro Cultural de las Fronteras (CCF) and the University Gymnasium.
It is currently held semi-annually, keeping alive the commitment to training new generations of entrepreneurs.
The day began with the official protocol, which included the welcome message by teacher Kathya Yazmín Sánchez Pérez, general director of Linkage, Exchange and Social Responsibility, and the opening statement by Dr. Daniel Alberto Constandse Cortez, rector of the UACJ.
“Everyone is a winner now”: the Rector’s message
In his speech, Dr. Constandse Cortez thanked the support of the General Directorate of Linkage, Exchange and Social Responsibility, the Subdirectorate of Linkage and the Academic Secretariat, as well as the leadership of the directors of the institutes, whom he described as “the heart of the University”.
The presidium was also made up of teacher Guadalupe Gaytán Aguirre, academic secretary, in addition to the directors of the institutes: Dr. Jesús Meza Vega (ICSA); teacher Tania Dolores Hernández García (ICB); Dr. Erwin Adán Martínez Gómez (IIT); and Dr. Fausto Enrique Aguirre Escárcega (IADA).
He highlighted that the simple fact of participating already turns students into winners: “Presenting 30 jobs with 150 students who joined these teams, already makes them winners.”
He recalled that Emprendizate was born in 2017, nine years ago, with the purpose of supporting students who have an idea, who see things differently and who care about a problem and look for a solution.
Likewise, he stressed the importance of working as a team, pooling ideas, reaching agreements and sharing the same objective to carry out a project.
“It is very important to have the ability to dream and see things differently, but the most important thing is to dare to be here, to dare to do things differently, to propose solutions and to give a better structure to the entire environment in which we live,” express.
Addressing those who were participating for the first time, he encouraged them not to stop: “Maybe you have to try it several times, propose it several times, modify it several times. It’s good that it is like this, because in this way they transform, innovate and see how to present their work and their project in the best way.”
He congratulated them for their bravery and invited them to continue participating in future editions.
“Don’t be afraid of failing; be afraid of not trying”: Sánchez Pérez
For her part, teacher Sánchez Pérez, defined Get started 2026.2 as “the perfect bridge between your classrooms and the business world”and noted that the true impact of the event is not limited to a school event.
“Our goal is to sow the seed so that you become leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. We want you to see in every challenge a business opportunity and in every problem a viable solution to face the great challenges we have as a society.”
He explained that the participants had an extraordinary setting for three things: present their business idea – the result of their creativity, effort and dedication; present your speech and demonstrate your ability to convince demanding judges, with a social, technological and environmental focus; and receive invaluable feedback from expert mentors who have already walked that path.
He added that the great benefit of defending your projects is obtaining direct access to the UACJ connection program, “the space where your ideas will stop being sheets of paper and become solid and structured business realities.”
“Young people: innovation, technology and environmental commitment are in your hands. Don’t be afraid to fail; be afraid of not trying. Take advantage of every constructive criticism, learn from experts and, above all, believe in the power of your own ideas,” he concluded.
He thanked the Business Development Office and the Liaison Subdirectorate for their previous work, and said goodbye with an invitation: “Leave your mark and embark on your path to the future.”
Subsequently, the students presented their business ideas and presented pitches with a social, technological or environmental focus before a jury made up of specialists.
Among the jury, the teacher Hugo Becerra, CEO of Diest Consuln, stood out; engineer Abril Rangel, director of Frente Norte/Startup Juárez; engineer Carlos Torres, CEO of Merkatics; teacher Ángel Hiram Cárdenas Rocha, from the Business Incubator Headquarters; and Iván Eduardo Muñiz, president of Toastmasters Paso del Norte.
As an additional benefit, participants obtained feedback from expert mentors and the possibility of accessing the UACJ Incubation Program to develop their projects.
With a format that combined protocol, keynote lecture and project evaluation, Get started 2026.2 It maintained its character as an institutional linkage action and its commitment to preparing students for a dynamic and competitive labor market.
Source: comunica.uacj.mx
