In the competitive world of technology startups, the conversation tends to focus on companies that develop innovative products or services for a particular market. However, a focus on the social side of tech is becoming increasingly prominent in the age of AI, and this year has seen the emergence of a leading solution for purpose-driven innovation in Latin America.
In a region with diverse social problems, young people seeking job opportunities to support their families face several challenges, including high rates of human trafficking through labor fraud. To address this, RAMONA IA emerges as the first artificial intelligence dedicated to detecting and preventing these crimes in real time.
Founded by Daniela Camberos, it proposes a solution to combat one of the most urgent and silenced crises in the region: human trafficking and labor fraud. And it does it all through a bot available on Telegram, a lightweight app that works even with limited connectivity and on low-end devices.
Ramona operates 24/7 addressing a two-fold problem. First, the AI detects human trafficking and labor fraud. “Criminal networks use job offers as the first hook to recruit victims. Ramona validates in real time whether a job offer is legitimate or fraudulent through pattern recognition algorithms, achieving 98% detection accuracy,” explained Camberos in an interview with Contxto.
Additionally, the solution seeks to boost the democratization of job coaching. “Many people, especially young people and vulnerable populations, do not have access to career guidance that allows them to prepare for interviews, improve their CVs, or understand their labor rights. Ramona offers this coaching completely free of charge,” said the entrepreneur.
So far, this solution has protected more than 800 people from trafficking networks and empowered more than 2,000 women with access to fair jobs in Mexico.
Recently, RAMONA IA received the prestigious CAF Women Innovation Award, positioning it not only as a local leader but also as an international benchmark. “We competed against 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and winning confirms that we are solving a real problem in a unique and innovative way,” said the creator.
This award, granted by the Development Bank of Latin America and Women in Tech LATAM, is a recognition of the startup’s ability to transform complex social challenges into viable and scalable technological solutions. The recognition not only positions RAMONA IA as a leader in technological innovation, but also makes Camberos the first Mexican to receive the award, opening the door for the international expansion of her initiative, which will represent Latin America at the Women in Tech Global Awards 2025 to be held in Paris on November 14.
Entrepreneurship with human impact
The story of RAMONA IA’s birth is deeply rooted in Daniela Camberos’ professional experience and social commitment.
From her early years as a human resources specialist, Camberos detected two simultaneous and critical problems affecting young people and vulnerable communities: the absence of effective mechanisms to validate legitimate job offers and the lack of access to adequate career guidance.
“RAMONA was born from a dual problem I identified in human resources: the total absence of mechanisms to validate legitimate job offers and the lack of access to career guidance for young people, especially in public universities and vulnerable communities,” explained the founder.
For Camberos, the convergence of these problems was a necessity to design a single technological solution: “The key moment was when I understood that with a single technological solution we could protect people from fraudulent offers and at the same time prepare them to access legitimate and dignified opportunities. That’s when I decided that Ramona had to exist,” she said.
One of the big challenges for Camberos and her team was how to finance and structure a company with such a strong social focus in its DNA.
Unlike many startups that seek external funding from very early stages, Camberos opted for a bootstrapping funding path: “So far it has been financed entirely with our own funds and revenue from our first implementations. This allowed us to maintain full control over our social mission and avoid pressures that could compromise the real impact on vulnerable communities.”
However, the CAF Woman Innovation Award represented a turning point for the startup: “More than an award, it was an institutional validation that opened doors in governments and institutions; it transformed the question of ‘Does it work?’ into ‘How do we implement it on a large scale?'”
A vision that transcends borders
The startup not only seeks to solve a Mexican problem, but its vision extends to all of Latin America and other regions with similar challenges such as Africa and Asia. It also hopes to leverage support through strategic alliances with multilateral organizations. As Camberos points out: “This recognition opens doors for us to reach more governments, organizations and people; Ramona is no longer just Mexico, it is all of Latin America.”
This strategic positioning adds value to the startup’s proposal, which combines technology with a firm commitment to social justice, equity and sustainable development.
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