Felipe Briceno

A Chilean innovator who revolutionized disaster preparedness through technology

Felipe Briceno is a Chilean geophysicist and tech entrepreneur whose work in disaster risk reduction has made a transformative impact across Latin America. As founder of Prepard, a platform that provides real-time disaster alerts and preparedness tools, he has developed AI-driven solutions to mitigate the effects of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and climate-related disasters. His systems now serve over 5 million users in 18 countries, with particular success in high-risk regions like the Andean volcanic belt and Pacific Ring of Fire areas.

Briceno's breakthrough came during Chile's 2015 seismic crisis when his early warning system provided critical 30-second advance notice for the 2015 Illapel earthquake. This inspired his creation of the first open-source disaster preparedness framework, which has been adopted by UN agencies and integrated into national emergency systems in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. His 2021 TED Talk How AI Can Save Lives During Disasters has over 2 million views, establishing him as a leading voice in disaster tech.

Key innovations include:

• VolcanoCast: Real-time eruption forecasting system used in 12 active volcanoes
• QuakeAlert: Earthquake early warning system with 98% accuracy
• ClimateReady: Flood prediction tool adopted by 40+ municipalities