Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Antonio Figueroa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Antonio, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Yes, that’s one of the things that defines us at Raken AI Labs — we don’t just follow industry standards, we challenge them when they don’t make sense for our clients or the markets we serve.

Most companies in the AI and data space are either highly technical software vendors or traditional consulting firms with long, rigid project timelines. We broke that mold. At Raken, we blend the agility of a startup with the strategic depth of a trusted advisor — offering AI-powered solutions that are ready to deploy, tailored for business users, and delivered in weeks, not months.

One example: we partnered with a large multinational retailer operating over 20,000 stores across North America and LATAM. They operate at massive scale, and speed matters. We delivered machine learning models to detect fraud and optimize operations — unlocking tens of millions of dollars in business value. Rather than building from scratch, we accelerated results by adapting proven models and embedding them into everyday decision-making.

Another key difference is our human-first approach to AI. While others focus on dashboards and data pipelines, we focus on empowering business users through AI agents — systems that can understand business context, provide intelligent recommendations, and help users take action.

Our model isn’t just localized for LATAM — we are actively scaling across LATAM and the U.S., helping companies in both regions turn data into strategic advantage through accessible, scalable AI solutions.

So yes — diverging from the standard isn’t just our strategy. It’s our identity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My journey with technology started long before AI became mainstream — back when the internet was just starting to connect people around the world.

I was born in Arica, a small city in northern Chile, and after finishing my studies, I moved to Mexico in 2001. I spent over two decades in Monterrey, where I built my career and reputation as a technology leader, advisor, and connector. In 2023, I moved to Florida, driven by the desire to take on a new personal and professional challenge: bringing our work in AI and data innovation to a global stage, starting with the U.S. market.

Throughout my career, I’ve always seen myself as a technology gatekeeper — someone who constantly scouts for cutting-edge tech, tests it, and shares what works with clients and partners. That curiosity and drive have led me to work with some of the most important corporations in Latin America, helping them adopt AI, build data-driven cultures, and solve tough business problems with practical, impactful solutions.

But my connection with tech goes way deeper than business. On a personal level, I met my wife online back in 1998, when the internet was still a novelty. We started talking on IRC in Unix, then kept in touch through early platforms like Ciudad Futura, ICQ, and MSN Messenger. After four years of a long-distance relationship — mostly online — we finally met in person and got married. That experience showed me early on the power of technology to build real human connections, and it continues to shape how I think about innovation today.

I’m not someone who was sporty growing up, but today I’m a big fan of cycling — both road and mountain biking. I’m a gadget enthusiast, so you’ll often find me flying drones, playing video games, or watching tech-driven sci-fi movies. Lately, I’ve taken on new challenges like learning golf and tennis — it’s all part of staying curious and growing, personally and professionally.

At Raken AI Labs, we create and deliver AI-powered solutions that help businesses make better decisions faster — from customer intelligence and sales optimization to operational efficiency and smart expansion. What makes us different is that we don’t just build software — we bring ready-to-use AI, built on real-world experience, with a deep understanding of LATAM and the U.S. markets.

I’m most proud of the trust we’ve earned — with long-term clients, meaningful partnerships, and a team that believes in delivering value with speed, honesty, and creativity. If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s that we’re here to make AI useful, usable, and human.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the moments that truly tested my resilience — and reshaped how I lead — happened just a couple of years ago.

At Raken AI Labs, we had built a strong consulting business, with great clients across LATAM and revenues above $8 million per year. Things looked solid on paper. But in 2023, everything shifted. We faced serious challenges: a misaligned commercial team, delayed payments, and key clients restructuring. For the first time, we were struggling with cash flow, and I had to make some of the hardest decisions of my career — letting go of people I had worked with for years, halting operations in some markets, and rethinking everything we had built.

At the same time, I was moving my entire life and family to Florida — starting fresh in a new country, with no local network and a company to rebuild. It would have been easy to stop, to scale down, or to accept defeat. But I didn’t. I leaned into my experience, reached out to my network, secured new investment, and began transforming Raken from a consulting firm into a product-driven AI company, with scalable SaaS solutions and a clear focus on the U.S. and LATAM markets.

We’re still on that journey, but today we’re leaner, faster, and more focused than ever. I’m working directly with clients again, building new partnerships, and launching innovative AI agents that bring real value to businesses — not in theory, but in practice.

That experience reminded me that resilience isn’t just about surviving — it’s about adapting, rebuilding, and having the courage to change direction when it’s needed most. It also reminded me why I do this: not just to grow a business, but to keep learning, keep pushing, and keep building something meaningful — even when it’s hard.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My career began in the world of data architecture and business intelligence, working with national and international consulting firms across LATAM. I then had the opportunity to lead the global business intelligence team at CEMEX, where I was responsible for financial reporting systems and helped oversee a major migration to SAP. Later, I moved on to PepsiCo Foods LATAM, serving as Head of Business Intelligence during a critical transformation phase — again, combining BI strategy with SAP modernization.

After years in the corporate world, I felt it was time to turn all those experiences into something of my own. I believed in the future of Big Data and Machine Learning, especially in Latin America, where adoption was still early. I took a leap of faith and, with support from an investor, launched my startup with an initial capital of $100,000.

At first, things looked promising — we landed our first client, hired our first employees, and started building. But just a few months in, everything changed. My investor had to exit the business unexpectedly and took all the capital with him. We were left with almost nothing. For months, we operated without salaries, trying to build a company from scratch while facing pressure from our families to return to regular jobs. By the end of 2015, we were on the brink of shutting down.

I vividly remember one night around 11 p.m. — I was in bed, physically and emotionally drained. Suddenly, I got a call from a former colleague at PepsiCo. He said: “Antonio, what are you doing right now?” I told him I was resting. He replied: “Get up, take a shower, and come over. I’m at a BBQ with some friends and there’s someone here you need to meet.”

As any true entrepreneur would, I got up. By midnight, I was at a barbecue full of people I didn’t know, and my friend introduced me to a senior executive from a large corporation. We had a great conversation, and he invited me to his office that following Monday. Just two months later, we closed the biggest deal in our early history — a project with a well-known brand that catapulted our business forward.

That one opportunity turned things around. It gave us the traction we needed, leading to over 50% annual growth rates and scaling from 2 to 90 employees in under 5 years.

It was a tough journey, filled with uncertainty, but that moment taught me the value of perseverance, relationships, and showing up — even when everything seems lost.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rakenailabs.com
• Instagram: anfiguero_sk
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/antoniofigueroabarraza

Image Credits

Antonio Figueroa