A Collaboration Between Supply Chain and Entrepreneurship

The Tizana Mexicana team at the second round of the 2023 Dempsey Startup Competition.

“Celebrating my culture and heritage is important for me and I am glad I got to leverage my identity to create magic at Foster,” shared Foster MSCM student and participant of the 2023 Dempsey Startup Competition, Claudia Sanchez. 

An Extensive Background in Supply Chain 

Claudia grew up in Mexico and completed her undergraduate degree in Global Trade and Business from ITESO, a university in Mexico. After graduating in 2016, she started her career at a tequila company, Clase Azul. As a Logistics Analyst there, Claudia was responsible for the export of tequila from Mexico to different countries, particularly the USA, along with the distribution in those countries. 

The first two jobs of her career pushed her to explore supply chain management aspects such as logistics and coordination. While exploring this newfound field, an interest sparked. Foster MSCM felt like the natural next step in the process of opening up new opportunities for herself in the field of supply chain management.

Staying Connected to Her Culture 

Foster MS Entrepreneurship student Suleiny Altamirano founded Tizana Mexicana, a passion project that turned into her capstone project. It is a platform dedicated to showcasing the talents of Mexican artisans. The curated boxes contain handmade products such as jewelry, home décor items, and other accessories by Mexican artisans and the creators’ unique stories.  

After meeting Claudia at a Foster event, Suleiny brought her on the team to manage the logistics of importing. Claudia’s background in the import/export of goods came in particularly handy during the project.

“Our hope is to diminish the barriers of language, currency, and gender pay gaps for those talented people,” shared Claudia. “We don’t just want to introduce them to the U.S. market but also teach them the basics of business such as accounting and marketing.” 

Dempsey Startup Competition 

The team competed in the 2023 Dempsey Startup Competition, organized by the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship. Out of 117 projects in the first round, Tizana Mexicana was one of 37 teams selected for the second round – the Investment Round.  

“It was undoubtedly an amazing experience,” said Claudia. “This project was an opportunity for us to share our Mexican culture and heritage with some important people including judges and investors.” 

Step one for the competition was to present a business model, which brought them to the presentation in the second round. 

“We wanted people to fall in love with the little piece of Mexico we were representing with our stall,” said Claudia. “We were glad to see how many people believed in our project and were willing to invest in it.” 

Interested in hands-on learning experiences like this? Learn more about how Foster MSCM can support your passion projects.