Carlos Andrade is the CEO and co-founder of Manzana Verde, a foodtech startup tackling food, labour, and economic injustice in Latin America. Born in Piura, a small city in northern Peru, Carlos overcame cancer at age 23, an experience that reshaped his values and led him to create a purpose-driven business. In 2019, together with co-founder Larissa Arias, he launched Manzana Verde to bridge the gap between healthy eating and affordability for the Latin American middle class.
Since then, Manzana Verde has delivered over 4 million meals across 6 cities in Peru, Mexico, and Colombia, helping more than 40 small restaurant owners grow their businesses and generating over 1,200 jobs. The company’s zero-CAPEX model uses partner kitchens and proprietary tech to deliver affordable, tailored nutrition starting at $4 per meal.
Carlos’s work has been recognized by Seedstars as Peru’s Best Startup (2019), awarded by the Peruvian Ministry of Production, and supported by leading venture funds such as Salkantay, FJ Labs and Matterscale. Today, he continues to inspire young entrepreneurs from underserved regions, proving that it’s possible to build a scalable, tech-enabled business with high social impact, starting from a small city in an emerging market.