Maria del Carmen Herrerias Salazar© Casai

María Herrerías Salazar

Founder of the most disruptive startup in Latam hospitality.


UPDATED SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 3:35 PM EDT

María del Carmen Herrerías Salazar has extensive leadership knowledge in the finance and hospitality industry. Like any great ideas, the notion of her startup was conceived in a social gathering with friends, at a barbecue in Mexico City. They began discussing different ways to update the hospitality industry, taking the best of Airbnb’s short-term rental model of individual units and pairing it with the quality control and standards that guests expect from a hotel chain.

The rest is history! They founded Casai, a company that provides travelers with premium accommodations, locally sourced designs, and smart home technology. In 2020, T=they raised $23 million to expand its business across Latin America.

© GettyImages

She began her career at Compass Investments and later became the FP&A manager at both Grupo Presidente and AT&T. Earned her bachelor’s in administration at the University of Iberoamericana and holds a postgraduate degree in finance from the University of Anáhuac.