Raúl is a Co‐Founder of Welcome Tech, Inc. (dba SABEResPODER), a venture-funded
mobile technology platform dedicated to empowering immigrant communities by
connecting them with essential information, products, and services. Under his leadership,
Welcome Tech has evolved into a "digital Ellis Island," replacing the traditionally
difficult "sink or swim" approach with a supportive digital ecosystem for immigrants
to thrive in U.S. society.

Born to Mexican migrant farm workers, Raúl's personal journey has fueled his mission to
empower immigrant communities. He worked in the fields during his youth, and this
experience remains a driving force behind his leadership and advocacy.

Prior to launching Welcome Tech, Raúl served as Vice President of Diverse Growth
Segments at Wells Fargo. He has held other prominent roles such as President of the Latino
Education Achievement Project (LEAP), Press and Public Affairs Attaché at the Consulate
General of Mexico in LA, and Research Director for the Program on Mexico at UCLA.

Raúl's leadership extends beyond Welcome Tech. He is Chairman of the Board at Emerging
Markets Development Corporation (EMDC) and Vice Chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF). He is also an active Board member (and Past Chairman) at MALDEF, the Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America.

In addition to his current leadership roles, Raúl has a distinguished history of service in key organizations. He served on the National Latino Advisory Council for Nielsen (2008–2016), as a Board Member of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC: 2006–2013), and on the Board of Avenida Guadalupe Association (AGA: 2006–2010). He also held Chairmanships at both SAHCC (2012) and AGA (2009–2010), further contributing to the advancement of Latino communities.

An accomplished writer, Raúl has co-authored a book on financial aid for higher education, written over 50 published articles, and is the lead author of 18 educational booklets covering financial services, healthcare, and higher education, with more than nine million copies distributed nationwide.

His contributions to the Latino Community have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s National Corporate Advocate of the Year Award (2007), San Antonio Business Journal's 40-Under-40 List (2009), the Corporate Responsibility Award by MALDEF (2011), the prestigious Gilberto Bosques Medallion from the International Law Mexican Academy (2019), and the National Ohtli Award (2020) from the Government of Mexico.

A frequent panelist and speaker at national and international forums, Raúl was selected by
his peers at UCLA as the 1997 Student Keynote Speaker at “La Raza Undergraduate
Commencement Ceremony.” Since 2003, he has lived in San Antonio, Texas.