Jonice Ward
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Lara turned boredom into a business.
Hexar | Caba, Caba AR
Lara Pizarro turned boredom into a business
Growing up, Lara Pizarro liked to learn but found school boring. “My parents taught me to love science as if it were magic... But when I started going to school, it didn't feel that way. Learning was repeating, and curiosity and wonder became boredom.” That disconnect was troubling, and she knew she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Lara fits right in at Sky’s the Limit because she took an issue in her personal life and founded a business that addresses it. Her business, Hexar, is making learning at school more engaging.
Early signs of leadership
Before the idea for Hexar was born, Lara started a students’ union at her high school. First she identified the need for a union because there wasn’t an established communication channel between students and faculty/staff. Then she had to convince the other 500 students to support the idea of a union. She wanted them to understand the value of a more inclusive structure, not just for their high school experience but for their futures as well. “Developing critical and creative thinking in students has always been a priority, for it is the only way to secure a better tomorrow together with incentive, innovation and motivation.”
Lara prizes her intellect, communication skills, honesty, ethics, and integrity. These qualities smoothed the way for her rise to leadership. Her position as president of the students’ union led to media interviews and documentary appearances. Lara was honing her leadership skills while advancing the cause of her fellow students.
Chasing change
Meanwhile, in the classroom, Lara and her classmates were still bored. Finally, they decided to do something about it. Hexar is a platform that provides schools and teachers with games-based math and science learning tools. Lara’s intent is for schools to produce students with skills to match the job market’s growing need for technical knowledge.
“I was never interested in entrepreneurship at first. But I was committed to solving a lot of social problems my community was facing. For me creating a business doesn't have to do with the business itself, but with the change-making potential it has.”
As Hexar has evolved, Lara has encountered resistance from the traditional business community. Even a sector as innovative and forward-looking as edtech has pockets of discrimination and systems of oppression built into it. The Hexar team is diverse and egalitarian, but the world in which it exists is not.
“As a young Latin American woman, leading a socio-technological start-up, I have come face to face to the gender bias and youth discrimination that hold the world back. Having a leadership position and being a CEO in a mostly men led ecosystem is hard. I need to work twice as hard to build trust and respect not from my team, but from the world.”
That makes the resources Lara gets from Sky’s the Limit all the more valuable. With help from her mentors, Podcast Producer & Host of Bizz E Bee Podcast Daisy Hayes and Accenture Management Consultant Lena Hairadin, Lara has made sure Hexar is a good fit for its market by conducting a customer analysis. She has also put together “a killer pitch deck” to wow potential clients.
“My mentors have provided me with amazing feedback, insights and guidance.”
Lara’s goals for Hexar’s future are also goals for her own future. She intends to publish ten games and get them in ten schools while monetizing the games, being a leader in the edtech startup space, and being able to work for Hexar full time.