Liza Velarde

Mentor & Strategic Advisor @ Otilia Ai

About

I’m a mission-driven, healthtech entrepreneur and YC alum with 10+ years of experience launching and scaling technology companies across Latin America and the U.S. As Co-Founder and CEO of Delee, I led the development of a regulated liquid biopsy system—Cytocatch™—for the detection and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Under my leadership, we secured $3M+ in venture and grant funding, built a binational team of scientists and engineers, and negotiated 11 LOIs with hospitals and clinical partners (worth $2.5M in presales). We also filed 3 patents, published in leading journals, and participated in Y Combinator’s W17 batch and StartX Med. I’ve worked across highly regulated environments, managed full grant lifecycles, and built commercial strategy from 0 to 1. I’m passionate about healthcare innovation and impact—and I mentor founders through programs at UC Davis, Campfire (Gob. de Jalisco), and Tec de Monterrey. 🔗 Quick links to explore my work 🎥 Cytocatch™ Product Demo (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTSZPOxrvbs 🌐 Delee Website: https://www.delee.co/ 🌎 YC Company Profile: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/delee 🏅 Forbes México – 100 Mujeres Más Poderosas 2020 https://forbes.com.mx/mujeres-poderosas-mexico-2020-listas-revista-forbes/ I’m eager to bring this energy to new ventures as a CEO, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, or venture builder.

Country

Mexico

City

Monterrey

Industry

Biotechnology

Skill

Customer support, API, Resolución de problemas a distancia, Analítica de datos, Customer support metrics, Estrategias de mercado, Reflexión estratégica, Ideación, Business Development, Market Research, Customer Acquisition Strategies, Customer Acquisition, Planificación, Creación de valor, Análisis financiero, Planificación estratégica, Capacidad de análisis, Impacto social, Coaching, Para empresas (B2B)

Experience

Mentor & Strategic Advisor

Otilia Ai

2024-10 - Present · 2 yrs

Supporting the founding team of Otilia AI, an AI-powered companion for new parents that delivers real-time postpartum and early childhood guidance. The platform combines evidence-based insights with emotional intelligence to help families thrive from birth to toddlerhood. - Advising on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, and business model refinement - Coaching founders on fundraising strategy, storytelling, and investor engagement - Providing guidance on clinical partnerships, digital health compliance, and value-aligned growth - Sharing learnings from my experience scaling Delee from R&D to international recognition (YC, $3M+ raised, regulatory development) Otilia’s mission to support families during one of the most vulnerable phases in life deeply resonates with my personal and professional commitment to human-centered innovation in health.

Co-Founder and Strategist

Delee

2016-11 - 2024-5 · 7 yrs 7 mos

Founded and led a MedTech startup developing a regulated device for early cancer detection using liquid biopsy technology. - Raised $3M+ from venture capital, IDB Lab, CONACYT, and INADEM - Filed 3 patents and co-authored 4 peer-reviewed publications - Secured 11 LOIs with hospitals and clinics (valued at $2.5M) - Built and led a binational team across R&D, clinical, and regulatory - Oversaw FDA- and ISO-aligned development and documentation - Negotiated key partnerships with multilateral and government institutions - Selected for Y Combinator (W17), StartX Med 20, The Ganesha Lab

Business Office Manager

Zen Fluidics

2015-8 - 2017-1 · 1 yr 6 mos

Managed commercialization and supply chain strategies for a biotech instrumentation company. - Streamlined vendor partnerships and prototyping workflows - Led cross-functional efforts to align R&D output with customer insights

Counselor of Microbusiness

Incubadora de Empresas ITESM, Monterrey, N.L., México

2012-8 - 2013-5 · 10 mos

Achievements: Award of the best performance as counselor of Microbusiness. Responsibilities: Counselor of the “Boquiaches” Enterprise in finance. Counselor of the “Merengue Limón” Enterprise in finance, logistics, marketing and operations.

Education

INSEAD

Social Entrepreneurship

2019 - 2019

Every year, Cartier Women's Initiative fellows are offered a place on the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme as part of the partnership in the Initiative, to help them maximise the impact of their businesses that have the potential to transform society. Learn more about the CWI here: https://lnkd.in/dnEBSdR Learn more about ISEP here: inse.ad/isep #CWI #INSEADforGood

Y Combinator

2017 - 2017

Babson College

Emprendimiento/Estudios sobre emprendimiento

2015 - 2015

BABSON’S globally recognized entrepreneurial thought and action (ET&A) Methodology teaches undergraduates, graduates and executives to balance action, experimentation and creativity with a deep understanding of business fundamentals and rigorous analysis.

Draper University

Entrepreneurship

2014 - 2014

Draper University is a school for innovators. We are helping people do the great things they are capable of. Expect to be inspired. To do things you didn’t think were possible. To be fearless. To build a network of friends, mentors and colleagues that you will take with you on your path.