Felipe Spath

Buddhist, Business leader, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Global soul, Project manager, Social entrepreneur, World traveler

Felipe is TEDxAmbassador, part of the 2017 Acumen Global Fellow cohort, and has wide experience managing business, combining operational expertise with the ability to understand cultural and social diversity. He was International Chief Operations Officer at Archie's, a restaurant chain with companies in Colombia, Ecuador and United States. He developed an understanding of sustainability issues and frameworks when founding La Juanita Finca Verde , a rural transformation platform which combines ancient knowledge with vanguard developments towards establishing thriving rural dynamics, through several initiatives including an eco – hotel, permaculture volunteering, and a wandering rural cinema. Passionate and energetic doer, with the ability to understand the context, design according solutions, and lead towards effective implementation he co founded Th1nk, a design thinking lab for social impact, and SOLE Colombia, which provides innovative educational methodologies for rural Colombia. He has been organizing and mentoring several TEDx events at rural and peripheral locations, through which he has developed skills at coaching speakers towards powerful communication, and designed experiences for social transformation through the amazing inspiring power of ideas. Felipe holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.

My wife, traveling, eating consciously, practicing yoga and meditation, interacting with people, observing, working with communities, sustainability, sharing, finding balance personally and in our world.

Rural hubs. Coworking rural spaces which include a local market - restaurant where actions towards building a thriving vibrant countryside are weaven.

Business Management, design thinking, Food - growing, making, eating, Hospitality Management, Social entrepreneurship, Social Work Networking, tourism & travel, Yoga & Meditation

I started watching TED a few years ago, completely loved it. Then I included TED talks into a curriculum I was designing for a Buddhism and sustainability course. A friend organized TED x Ceiba, an independent event at Bogota, Colombia, and through him I got to know and be fascinated much more about TED. I organized TEDxGuatavita with a group of Colombian enthusiasts interested in rural transformation. The main theme was Hay Campo en el Campo, which translates "there is space, opportunities at rural areas" It was an amazing experience. Many projects started after this TEDx event, and we are starting a platform Campo Abierto, to reduce the gap between ideas and actions. We have also hosted TEDxGlobal, and TEDxYouth day live stream events, which have grown our TEDx rural community. Have afterwards collaborated, or organized several events including: TEDxAguaLinda, TEDxLasAguas, TEDxCazucá, TEDxZapatero, TEDxUniSabana, TEDxHabana

Connecting people, ideas and cultures towards generating transformation.