Alejandro Manzanares

Alejandro Manzanares is JP Morgan Chase’s Head of Business Growth and Entrepreneurship for the firms’ Advancing Hispanics and Latinos Center of Excellence. He previously worked at the Aspen Institute’s Latinos and Society Program, where he led a new place-based initiative on supporting the recovery and growth of Latino-owned businesses in six Latino-majority cities, and supported the launch for the inaugural Latino Business & Entrepreneurship DC summit.

Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, he worked at the National League of Cities, where he helped build and transform the City Innovation Ecosystems commitment program from a pilot program, into a multi-year 7 figure digit funding. The program asks Mayors & city economic development staff across the country to identify roadblocks to innovation, entrepreneurship and STEM education, and partner with companies, national entrepreneurial support organizations, universities, foundations and entrepreneurs to commit to equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem building solutions. Alejandro has been responsible for awarding almost $3MM in pass-through grants to 100+ cities and non-profits to support national ecosystem building efforts.

Previously, Alejandro supported the launch and worked as a co-founding member for the 32nd global Endeavor office in Puerto Rico. He also supported the growth of Gustazos.com, the largest daily deal website in the Caribbean, where he held leadership positions, including business development and international expansion efforts.

He is is the recipient of the 2023 L’ATTITUDE Ventures Game Changers award, recognizing his contributions to the VC and entrepreneurship world. Alejandro has served as a Board Member for the Center for Research and Public Policy in Puerto Rico, as an Advisory Board Member of the Ecosystem Building Leadership Project, an International Business Innovation Association initiative supported by the Kauffman Foundation to advance the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building field of practice. Alejandro has been selected as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, as a HIVE Global Leaders Participant, & as a Starting Bloc Social Innovation Fellow.

Alejandro has an MPA from Northeastern University in Boston, a BA in Business Administration from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, and holds a Management Certificate from the Harvard Business School Online.