Mariana Costa Checa

Empowered Latin American women through tech education with Laboratoria

Peruvian social entrepreneur Mariana Costa Checa co-founded Laboratoria in 2014 to address two critical gaps: tech talent shortage and gender inequality in Latin America's workforce. Her coding bootcamp model has trained over 2,500 women from low-income backgrounds, achieving 85% employment rates in tech roles.

Laboratoria's innovative income-share agreement allows students to pay tuition after securing jobs. This model became a blueprint for World Bank-funded initiatives across 12 countries. By 2022, graduates increased their earnings by 3.8x on average according to UNDP impact reports.

Her advocacy influenced tech giants like Google and Microsoft to establish diversity quotas in LATAM. Costa Checa was recognized in Time 100 Next list (2021) and addressed the UN General Assembly on SDG 4 implementation strategies.