Ayde Soto

Fam, let me put you on to Ayde Soto, this woman is legit the real deal in tech and startups. She’s a Mexican-born tech whiz who’s been crushing it for over a decade. She jumped into the game with a bunch of big-name gigs, Sun Microsystems, British American Tobacco, Marcatel International, and more, gaining mad experience as a systems engineer and tech consultant. Basically, she’s been around the block, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

But what really sets her apart is her move into founding her own thing. She’s the co-founder and CTO of SimpleCitizen, a company she started back in 2015 to shake up the U.S. immigration process. And no cap, she’s made some serious waves. She got into Y Combinator in their S16 batch, which is a huge deal, and she’s the first female entrepreneur from Utah to do it, plus one of the few Latina founders at YC. That’s a major marker, showing she’s breaking barriers on all fronts.

Her tech is the real deal, she built proprietary software that automates and streamlines immigration paperwork. Think about that, helping over 2,000 families and saving around 5 million bucks in legal fees. That’s more than a business; it’s changing lives. She’s grown the product to cover over 48 visa types, proving she’s got the skills to scale and adapt. And she’s a vocal advocate for women and minorities in tech, not just building her company but actively making the entire system better.

What’s crazy is her process, from a systems engineer to a founder who’s making a real impact, shows she’s super motivated by solving real problems. She’s not in it for the fame or the money (though those come), but to create meaningful change. And her background, working across different industries and companies, gave her the tools and grit to jump into entrepreneurship and succeed.

Now she lives in Salt Lake City, but her reach is national. She’s active in the local tech scene, always pushing forward, always advocating. Her story is one of hustle, breaking glass ceilings, and building tech that actually makes a difference. Honestly, she’s the kind of founder you look at and think, ‘Yeah, this is what innovation and perseverance look like.’ No bullshit, just pure grind and impact.