Miryam Lazarte

Miryam Lazarte is the founder and CEO of Global Startups Accelerator (formerly LatAm Startups), a leading Toronto-based accelerator that helps international tech companies—particularly those from emerging markets—scale into North America. Under her leadership, Global Startups became a designated organization for Canada’s Startup Visa Program and secured $3 million in federal funding in 2022. Since then, the nonprofit has operated self-sustainably, generating the majority of its revenue through private clients while maintaining a startup mindset. Miryam is also General Partner at GSA Ventures, a pre-seed fund that invests in immigrant-led tech startups emerging from Global Startups programs. The fund supports founders building scalable solutions with global potential from a Canadian base. Since 2017, Global Startups has supported over 300 tech companies, helping them validate, launch, and grow in North America. Under Miryam’s direction, several of these companies have become market leaders—including two that reached unicorn status in Latin America—demonstrating the accelerator’s ability to attract and support high-growth ventures. Originally from Colombia, Miryam’s entrepreneurial journey began early in life. She is deeply committed to strengthening economic ties between Canada and Latin America, a region of over 800 million consumers. Her work has been widely recognized: she was named one of the 10 Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians in 2022 and received the Newcomer Entrepreneur of the Year award from Startup Canada in 2019. Miryam is a frequent speaker at leading tech and investment conferences in Canada and internationally, where she champions inclusive innovation and the untapped potential of global talent.