About Success Through Technology Education (STTE) Foundation
Stories, STEAM & Startups
STTE Mission
To develop and deploy entrepreneurship and STEAM-based educational programs for students and adults that accelerate and advance economic development.
STTE Vision
To become a national leader in innovation, entrepreneurship, and STEAM education impacting a globally competitive marketplace.
STTE, a nonprofit organization, launched in 2018 in the Southwest Texas Borderplex Region with the intent of a twenty-year vision to support efforts that develop, deploy, and advance educational programs focused on harvesting entrepreneurship ecosystems, a STEAM ready workforce, and technology comprehension. Within our existence, we have collaborated with industry partners to address challenges through the design and deployment of innovative educational products.
Strategic Goals
- 1. 100% Digital literacy for youth by 2030
- 2. Increase Percentage of students going into STEAM Fields
- 3. Build an entrepreneurial ecosystem through innovative programs, mind setting products and access to capital opportunities
STTE’s Leadership
Dr. Beto Pallares, Chairman
With over 20 years of experience in developing ecosystems, Dr. Pallares, Adventure Capitalist is the founding member for the STTE Foundation. Dr. Pallares is a professor at New Mexico State University and the Sun Cruces Angels Chairman.
Noah Carp, Board Member
With over 20 years of experience in education, technology, and professional services firms, Noah’s successful career in finance, operations, and strategic planning leadership roles has spanned non-private, privately held, and public companies. Noah is passionate about addressing the gaps of inequity that continue to exist in our education systems.
Kathy Hansen, Board Member
Kathryn Hansen, New Mexico State University, Arrowhead Center’s Director, has extensive experience in the management of programs and in business and technology development. She has managed large technology development contracts for both the private and public sector.
Alysha Swann, Board Member
Alysha Swann is Executive Director for Insights Science Discovery. Alysha has a wealth of experience in workforce development and youth programs. Alysha has a proven track record and a passion for serving youth.
Joseph Sapien, CEO
With over 17 years of Experience Developing STEAM Educational Programs, Joseph leads the organization through Innovation, Project Management, Brand Strategy, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building. Sapien holds a B.A. in Design, Innovation and 3D.
Stephanie Schilling
Stephanie Schilling as the new Ventures Manager at STTE. Stephanie’s arrival marks a significant milestone, bringing a wealth of experience and a rich educational background to our team. She is pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from Marywood University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Arizona.
STTE’s Journey
2018
2018 – Launched the first TechStars Youth Startup half-day camps in the two largest El Paso school districts, impacting 1,082 high schoolers.
2018 & 2019 – Organized two mega STEAM career exploration conferences, impacting 3,020 youth with $75K dispersed in prizes and scholarships.
2018-2020 – Launched three teacher awards ceremonies that recognized and rewarded 26 stellar educators from the region.
2019
2019 – Developed and deployed the first-ever Virtual Reality Sun City Renewable Energy Challenge, impacting and rewarding $10K to youth.
2018 & 2019 – Organized Summer STEAM Camps with Robotics, App & Game Development, and Entrepreneurship impacting 400 youth.
2019 & 2021 – Launched 2 Dia de los Muertos Startup Pitch events with 25 startups participating and $211K cash and prizes gifted.
2020
2020- Deployed Laptop Donation Drive-Thru to help low-income students by providing 25 laptops.
2020 – Launched E-Series, virtual panel discussions to provide insight into remote learning with 125 attendees.
2020 – Launched Unicorn Academy, the first-ever entrepreneurship virtual workshop in Augmented Reality, with 60 participants.
2020 & 2021 – Launched SayWhat.tv, a news media channel educating teens on issues that matter. Partnered with NexStar Media and reached over 10K in viewers.
2021
2020 and 2021 – Designed and deployed the first-in-the-world Augmented Reality Science Fair climate change book with seven countries signed up to compete.
2021-2022 – Launched LatinXPV, assisting ten startups through a five-pillar approach and $120K in resources.
2022
- El Paso Pitch Startup Competition where ten Hispanic led startups pitched to access venture capital on May 21, 2022 at UTEP. InternBytes. com won first place. $30K in non-dilutive cash prizes was awarded to startups. Learn more here.
- LatinX EdTech Summit and Educator Awards: Bridging the Digital Divide took place on June 16, 2022 at the Starlight Event Center.
- Unicorn Academy – Entrepreneurship education in the metaverse with interactive textbook launches first version. Learn more here.
2023
- Open AI Hackathon – Ten teams competed with two startups created and $1.7 million total fundraised. Learn more here.
- LatinX EdTech Summit and Metaverse Teacher Awards: Bridging The Digital Divide – Awarded 8 hologram educators and awarded $20K to EdTech providers. Learn more here.
- Skills for Sustainability Launched – The first U.S. funded project by The Trust for the Americas, provides training for the water industry. El Paso Water hired 11 participants. Learn more here.
- The Inaugural Southwest Collegiate Cup – Seven college startup innovations competed in the First-ever southwest region startup cup. Colorado State University won first place with New Mexico Tech winning second. Other colleges included University of Texas at El Paso, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Texas Tech Lubbock, and University of Texas Permian Basin.
- Dia de Los Muertos – The third installment was a two-day event with four high school teams, seven college teams, fifteen investors, twenty startups and $50K in non-dilutive prizes awarded to startups. Learn more here.
What’s in Store for 2024
- One Million Business Model Canvas Challenge: A transformative effort to create one million business model canvases generated with AI through Startosphere.
- Industry AI Hackathons: Collaborative events where tech enthusiasts and industry experts come together to solve real-world problems using artificial intelligence.
- Augmented Reality Science Fair: An interactive event showcasing the latest advancements in science fair projects through augmented reality.
- Skills for Sustainability: A program focused on equipping individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to promote and implement sustainable practices in sustainability industries.
- 3rd Annual LatinX EdTech Summit: An annual gathering that highlights the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in educational technology, specifically within LatinX communities.
- STTE Ventures Year 2: The second year of an innovative program, supporting five startups with resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
- Southwest Collegiate Cup 2.0 & Southwest Startup Showdown: A combined event featuring a collegiate-level competition and a startup pitch contest showcasing the brightest ventures from the Southwest region.
