A DC startup founder will be Chile’s new minister of technology and innovation, joining the administration of the South American country’s incoming president.
Ximena Gates-Lincolao, cofounder and CEO of the tech training software startup BuildWithin — and recently in the spotlight for helping local governments build an agentic AI platform connecting jobseekers to opportunity after mass federal layoffs — has been appointed to lead the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation under president-elect Jose Antonio Kast.
A dual citizen of the US and Chile, she’ll focus on job development, tech-related infrastructure like the country’s data center industry, its robust copper and lithium supply and creating support systems for startups.
“I want the ministry to have an open door to startups, just as it does to the scientific community.”
Ximena Gates-Lincolao, incoming Minister of Innovation in Chile
“I want the ministry to have an open door to startups, just as it does to the scientific community,” Gates-Lincolao told Technical.ly. “Chile already has strong foundations … These efforts matter and should be strengthened.”
Through BuildWithin, Gates-Lincolao has worked with local governments in the DMV in developing tech apprenticeship programs. She’s also held several public sector roles, including assistant superintendent in DC’s public school system.
Gates-Lincolao’s first day as minister will be March 11, along with Kast, who campaigned on a law-and-order, anti-immigration agenda. His win follows a wave of other conservative elections in Latin America, including in Ecuador and Argentina.
She’s inheriting a complex job market. Chile’s IT sector is continuing to grow, while the unemployment rate has hovered between 8.3% and 8.9% the last few years. During the height of the pandemic it reached 12%. For five years before that, it held steady around 6%.
There is existing infrastructure for startups to grow, like the government-sponsored accelerator Start-Up Chile, plus several venture capital firms headquartered in the country.
It has one of the highest GDPs in Latin America, which grew by 2.6% in 2024 largely due to its critical minerals exports — which also provide a great amount of jobs, but its scarce water sources have made that work more complex. Stabilizing those supply chains has become a central bipartisan issue in the US, and Gates-Lincolao said she’d work with leaders on tech-related issues.
“There is significant opportunity to align around shared priorities, reduce friction, and remove barriers that slow innovation and growth,” she said. “This is a moment to think strategically and act with ambition.”
Gates-Lincolao said she’ll be transitioning away from BuildWithin, though she will be involved with its upcoming 2.0. launch in February. Technical.ly caught up with her plans for Chile, working across party lines and eagerness to work with startups.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you land this role?
The opportunity arose because the president-elect asked me directly. I consider that an honor.
He reached out because he recognizes that this is a defining moment for technology and society. The decisions made now will shape economic growth, national capability and social outcomes for decades. He wanted someone with experience building systems, translating vision into execution and working at the intersection of technology, institutions and people.
You have a history of working with the government, specifically at the local level. What skills will translate to this leadership role in Chile?
Across every role I have held in government, my guiding principle has been proximity to people and service to the public. That requires empathy, the ability to listen and learn quickly, and a systems-level approach to problem solving.
While my direct government experience has been in the United States rather than Chile, the core leadership skills are transferable: building high-performing teams, working within regulatory frameworks, coordinating across agencies and aligning diverse stakeholders toward shared outcomes.
Startups prize speed and iteration. Governments often move slowly. How do you reconcile that?
Speed and rigor are not opposites. There is a role for rapid iteration, and there is a role for deliberate, evidence-based planning. The most successful startups combine both. They move quickly, but not blindly. The same principle applies to effective government leadership.
History shows that many transformative technologies did not originate in fast-moving startups, but through patient, disciplined public investment. The internet emerged from ARPANET, developed by the US Department of Defense. GPS began as a military navigation system. Early advances in artificial intelligence … were all supported through sustained government-funded research when commercial applications were uncertain.
The pattern is consistent. Government invests early where risk is high and timelines are long. Public institutions establish shared infrastructure, standards and foundational capabilities. The private sector then builds on that foundation, scaling and innovating at speed.
My approach is to bring discipline to execution. Move quickly where iteration is appropriate, and anchor decisions in evidence, coordination and long-term impact. Governments do not need to imitate startups. They need to create the conditions in which innovation can compound.
You’ve said in another interview one of your goals is to democratize innovation and economic opportunity. What concrete steps would you take in Chile?
First, I will listen, learn and understand. I am not starting from scratch. My starting point is respect for what already exists and for the people who have been building it.
I will work across sectors and political lines. I am not a political person. In my experience, the greatest progress comes when leaders focus on outcomes and service rather than ideology.
“I will work across sectors and political lines. I am not a political person.”
Technology literacy and AI capability must become foundational. Not only for engineers, but for students, workers, public servants, researchers and entrepreneurs. Building that literacy alongside responsible AI development is essential if innovation is to translate into real economic opportunity.
It is also critical to recognize that AI depends on physical infrastructure. This moment will require skilled trades such as electricians, technicians, plumbers and builders. These are essential, well-paid roles that must be treated as central to the future economy.
Democratizing innovation means giving people the tools, skills and pathways to participate, not simply observe.
What lessons from BuildWithin will you take to this role?
The premise is that every person has skills and potential, even without formal credentials. Over-reliance on degrees and pedigree unnecessarily limits opportunity.
That is why we focus on skills-based hiring. It carries risk, but it also allows people to demonstrate what they can actually do. I believe strongly in that tradeoff.
Artificial intelligence is creating new roles that people can upskill or cross-skill into. Some roles, such as systems prompt development, open the AI ecosystem to people from the humanities. Data annotation does not require a college degree. Quality assurance and testing are learnable with modern tools.
Through partnerships with government and industry, [BuildWithin] developed and received approval for multiple AI apprenticeships, including machine learning curator, systems prompt engineer, and data annotator. We are preparing to announce a partnership with Enabled Intelligence and the DC Department of Employment Services, where 54 data annotators were hired to support national security projects.
A university degree remains valuable, but it is no longer the only pathway. Systems must allow people to demonstrate their potential.
Chile has a growing data center industry. How will you approach power, water and workforce concerns?
My approach is to engage the private sector with clarity and predictability while remaining aligned with national priorities.
When expectations around sustainability, infrastructure planning and talent development are clear, the private sector can innovate faster. When they are not, projects slow and trust erodes.
In the initial phase, my focus will be on convening perspectives and listening. I will engage stakeholders across sectors, build on good practices already in place, and develop a clear understanding of the landscape. Any future approach must balance economic growth with responsible use of power and water, as well as strong local workforce participation.
That balance is achievable when government, science, industry, education and labor work together.
How will you work with startups in Chile?
I am genuinely excited to work with startups. Founders are builders, and startups are essential to innovation, economic growth and job creation.
Many startups are emerging from academia, with researchers translating scientific work into real-world applications. In the United States, university spinouts have shown what is possible when bridges between science, industry and entrepreneurship are intentional. Chile has the talent and research capacity to deepen those connections.
It is also important to be clear that you do not need to be a technologist to start a technology company. I was not. What matters is understanding your industry, your customers, and the problem you are solving. Technology is an enabler, not the starting point.
My focus will be on listening, engaging, and reducing friction so ideas can move from research to application and from insight to impact.
What will your relationship with BuildWithin look like going forward?
I will always be a builder at heart, but BuildWithin is not dependent on any one person. It is a strong team with a flat culture, and every contributor has played a meaningful role. This has always been a collective effort.
BuildWithin is more than me, it has the best team in the world, the best technology and is built to last.
