Rooted in Heritage, Latinas Rising in Tech
By Gloria Romano-Barrera
In an industry where Latinas remain vastly underrepresented, Karol Figueroa and Valentina Ratner are redefining what it means to lead in tech. Rooted in their heritage and driven by passion, both Latinas have carved unconventional paths to become CEOs in a space often dominated by men and traditional career trajectories. Figueroa, founder of HIK Trainings, turned her love for gaming and marketing into a mission-driven Edtech company focused on inclusive coaching powered by AI. Meanwhile, Ratner, co-founder of AllSpice.io, channeled her engineering background and entrepreneurial spirit into transforming hardware collaboration through software innovation. Their stories reflect not only the resilience and vision required to succeed in tech but also the importance of representation, mentorship, and staying true to one’s values. Together, they embody a rising movement of Latinas breaking barriers and building the future of technology.
Karol Figueroa
Founder
HIK Trainings
When Karol Figueroa dreamed of her future, she never imagined becoming a CEO. "My dream was to become a CMO one day," she recalls. But a pivotal moment changed everything when a colleague asked, "Why not a CEO?"
Today, Figueroa leads HIK Trainings, an Edtech company challenging corporate norms. Her mission is clear: "I want to be able to influence the world and make it a little bit better."
As a Latina in tech, representation holds great significance for her. And there were not many places to look for that representation.
"There are only 11 percent of Fortune 500 Companies CEOs who are women, less than 1 percent are Latino women," she explains. Her approach is intentional - from keeping her last name Figueroa to creating diverse teams and innovative products that serve a multilingual audience.
Her journey from H&R Block to Microsoft's Xbox, and eventually to founding her own EdTech company, was anything but traditional—she has no STEM or coding background. Yet she proves that passion, perspective, and transferable skills can matter more than technical expertise.
“I am not a coder at all, but I am a video gamer, so I had to leverage that knowledge,” she shares. “I have played video games with my dad since I was little on his PC, and on the computers out playing. It had never even occurred to me that I could be the CEO of a company because I never saw it. I never saw the representation of it in real life. And from there, I started studying what a CEO does for a CMO, and what the differences are. I learned that most CMOs end up landing the role of CEO because of their marketing knowledge. And when my whole company became a thing, it was when I was in my dream job at Microsoft, while at work at Xbox. My former team curates all of the video games that show up on the console, with 80 million monthly average users. We managed $6.1 billion of revenue. I was leading an international team of 26 people—both contractors and full-time employees. It was a dream come true. But even in the middle of it all, something didn’t feel quite right. I couldn’t name it at the time, but I knew something was missing. That’s when I realized: I could create something of my own. Something with real impact. I wanted to leave my mark by making the corporate world just a little bit better, one step at a time.”
She shares her passion for creating unique solutions that resonate with people's needs and the impact of her coaching sessions on individuals. Today, she is excited about the upcoming launch of her company's products in the English and Spanish markets as well as the development of a gamified AI chatbot named Koachai. Koachai is the life coaching version of her original creation, Hi Koach AI—a platform designed to help both companies and individuals extend the impact of learning through engaging, AI-powered tools.
“I love creating, especially things that truly resonate with people’s needs,” she shares. “That’s my favorite part. I get to coach individuals, contribute to the gaming world I’ve always loved, and build meaningful graphics and tools. But more than anything, I love my team—our investors, partners, and everyone at HIK Trainings. They’re incredible. Coming to work every day with people who believe in our mission and are genuinely passionate about making a difference—that’s what drives me. Knowing we’re helping influence someone’s life and behavior for the better makes it all worth it.”
Figueroa envisions HIK Trainings as a leading company in corporate training and coaching, focusing on making a positive impact on employees in the modern world.
Valentina Ratner
Co-Founder and CEO
AllSpice.io
Valentina Ratner’s journey is a testament to courage, resilience, and the power of following one’s passion. As the Co-founder and CEO of AllSpice.io, Ratner and Co-founder and CTO Kyle Dumont built a platform that is transforming collaboration and automation in electronics and hardware engineering. This year, they are also launching AI functionality within AllSpice's platform, bringing agentic AI to hardware workflows after raising their $15m Series A.
Ratner’s path to technology was not always clear. Growing up, she thought she would pursue a career in finance, accounting, or work in the business world. But a pivotal moment in high school changed everything.
“I got to go in and spend the entire day with this professional and go to the different meetings and see their work, and I thought it was the most boring day I've ever experienced,” she shares. “The best part of that day was when I was walking out of one of the branches, I saw the maintenance team fixing one of their ATMs... That was the most interesting conversation of that entire day. And I went home that day, and it kind of shifted my mentality... I realized that I was going to be an engineer.”
Prior to launching AllSpice out of graduate school, Ratner worked at Amazon as a PM, managing infrastructure projects and internal productivity tools. Ratner holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, an M.S. in Engineering (Computer Science), and an MBA from Harvard.
Her drive to innovate was born from firsthand experience. Reflecting on her path, she shares that through her work experience, she has been able to see what the state-of-the-art hardware collaboration looks like.
“We started building our own internal infrastructure of how we were going to manage and collaborate,” she shares. “I got to see both the impact that the tooling could have on the teams and also how software is built. It was just incredible to see that infrastructure and how that world looked compared to the hardware world.”
Ratner’s success is rooted in her willingness to take risks and her resilience in the face of uncertainty. Her journey was not without challenges. Rather was born and raised in Argentina and came to the U.S. for college, where she navigated the process independently.
“My parents didn't speak English, so I did everything from translating all of my syllabus to get my credits accepted to navigating the currency controls in Argentina to figure out how to come to the U.S.,” she shares. “And I think that process built a lot of resilience in me.”
Ratner’s leadership is rooted in her values and her ability to communicate a vision. Her leadership style is both strategic and empathetic.
“I think the hardest part is just getting started,” she shares. “There’s this idea that there’s a perfect time and you can always do more research, you can always be more certain. But at the end of the day, I think entrepreneurship, it’s a lot about taking a big risk, and I think that’s the hardest part, like the early days, where we didn’t have anything, and just kind of taking the first step and bringing something to life out of nothing. It’s something that I’m really proud of. A lot of what I do at AllSpice today is communicating where we’re going, to our employees, to our customers, to people who want to join the company. So storytelling and being able to share our vision... is really, really important.”
Her impact is felt deeply by her team. As Robert Byrne, Director of Marketing, describes her as the most tactical and empathetic person he has ever reported to.
“She’s a leader who keeps in mind all of our unique journeys, whether it's our background or if we've had unconventional resumes or things like that, and she leads with that empathy, not just for me, but for all of us,” he shares. “The end result is not just creating a place that we all want to be, but... she’s able to pull strengths that we didn’t even realize that we had, and then just lean into that.”
Ratner is excited for the future of Latinas in technology, as she sees more women going into STEM fields and technology.
“I think it’s come a long way,” she shares. “I was part of the Society of Women Engineers when I was in college, and that’s how, through one of their conferences, I met people on Amazon, and then that’s how I applied for jobs at that company. I think every year it gets bigger and more exciting, and also, what technology means, it gets broader. Before, there used to be five, six disciplines; I feel like nowadays, pretty much any career becomes a technology career.”
Ratner’s advice to young Latinas and women entering STEM is encouraging.
“Go for it. It's challenging... but it's the most rewarding thing I've done, and I'm very, very glad I did it,” she shares. “There isn't a perfect time. It's a roller coaster, but it's a fun ride.”
Ratner’s story is one of success built on courage, innovation, and a deep commitment to her values and her team. Her journey continues to inspire those around her and paves the way for future technology leaders.