Simon Levy Builds Bridges for Cross-Border Business Ventures

Published : 1 month ago, on 09/09/2024

The world is an increasingly interconnected place. Between the growth and stabilization of e-commerce and Internet-based online retail, the business world has needed to grow and change dramatically. Successful enterprises are more and more incentivized to be multicultural, cross-border ventures between entities in multiple nations in order to meet business needs and secure new investments.

Simón Levy understands the complexities of these cross-border ventures better than most. As the founder of the IDEASIA Fund, Levy has had to familiarize himself with the complexities of cross-border ventures between China, Mexico, and Latin America. His entrepreneurship combined with his twenty years of experience navigating business relations between China and Latin America makes Simón Levy an expert in achieving global marketplace success.

Recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a World Urban Leader by the Global Agenda Council, and a Global Entrepreneur by the World Entrepreneurship Forum, Simón Levy is a rising star in international business relations. With 19 years of experience leading a private investment platform focusing on tourism infrastructure and IT in Asia and Israel, Simón Levy has proven his capacity as a driver of profit and value in global trade.

Educational Background

Simón Levy knows the value of a broad, multicultural education and has pursued extensive academic achievement by studying and partnering with schools around the globe. After receiving his Bachelor degree in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), he traveled to further his law education at the Renmin University of China. After that, he received his diploma in International Private Law from the Hague Academy of International Law before returning to Mexico for his MBA in International Management from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

Even after a combined decade of rigorous study, Simón Levy was still hungry for knowledge, earning diplomas from IE Business School and the Tecnológico de Monterrey in International/Global Studies and Business Administration, respectively. Since then he’s also attended and completed courses, modules, and degree programs from Yale University, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, while also returning to UNAM for his Doctor of Law (J.D.) in Public-Private Partnership Law.

With extensive studies of international law, business and private law, and business administration under his belt, combined with supplementary studies in leadership, politics, and most recently data science and AI, Simón Levy prepared himself for the highly intricate, complex, shifting nature of international business relations and operates as an expert in his field.

A Career With Global Ambitions

Simón Levy’s career has always been aimed at the international stage, and that goes back to the beginning. From a humble internship with USAID, where he worked on public policy management, NGO relationships, and more, he would get his first taste of working across national borders and navigating international challenges. After USAID, he spent six years as a Representative for the Academic Sector for the Advisory Council of the International Trade Practices Unit (UPCI) under Mexico’s Ministry of Economy. However, his entrepreneurship started much earlier.

Simón Levy’s entrepreneurial ambitions were apparent from adolescence. He started his own trading company at 12 years old, importing tech products from China to Mexico while teaching himself Chinese to best facilitate the business. By 17 years old, while studying for his first law degree, he’d already made his first $3 million. He opened the LATINASIA Development Group in 2003, connecting Chinese and Latin American markets. It grew rapidly, and its success allowed Levy to sell it in 2010 as part of a merger and acquisition deal with China Development Bank and China Boda International Holdings Group. Levy also served as the Chairman of the Board for the IDEASIA Fund from 2004 onward, where he oversaw the leading Asian/Israeli private investment platform in its investments and successes, which included establishing the first investment smart area zone in Beijing.

The wisdom, experience, and knowledge Simón Levy had gained over his years of study and career success continued to serve him well in his next major role. From 2012 to 2018, Simón served as Mexico City’s Investment and Development Agency CEO, and in 2018, he became the Federal Undersecretary of Tourism in Mexico. Over the years, his leadership, expertise, and decision-making have facilitated significant, impactful investments and connections between Chinese and Western companies.

Inspired by an Interconnected, Better Future

For Simón Levy, the ever-changing geopolitical and economic situation around the world is a source of inspiration and a font of potential. “I want to create welfare and development opportunities, and I love navigating new challenges,” he says. It’s all for a purpose: Levy has long held a deep desire to break down barriers and resolve the injustices faced by many around the world, especially for those who lack the resources to take advantage of the opportunities that should be everyone’s right.

This drive toward positive impact is more than just talk. Levy is the creator of Es Posible, the largest digital teaching community in Latin America. The initiative offers free education to those who cannot usually afford it and was particularly effective and necessary during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also mobilized his resources and network to help find survivors of the Line 12 collapse in Mexico City, putting his money where his mouth is and trying to help those in need.

Perhaps his most successful positive impact venture came in 2022 when he led and announced a partnership between his own Vessel México and Chinese company Weisu. The partnership led to the opening of a new plant in Nuevo León to construct modular houses, creating 2,000-3,000 new jobs. The produced units are usually pre-built and can be used as single-family homes or reworked for us in the agro-industrial sector with great success.

Values and Guiding Philosophy

Simón Levy operates both personally and professionally on a simple trifecta of cornerstone values: ethics, honesty, and loyalty. Importantly, all three of these are specifically aimed at improving the lives of others. He says, “I believe that maintaining a strong moral compass is essential for long-term success and meaningful impact.” He also does his best to stay humble and grounded, as he doesn’t want to lose his lifelong learning and growth mindset. “By appreciating the small, significant moments in life,” Levy says, “I keep myself balanced and maintain a clear perspective.”

With all of his career exploits and his various initiatives, it’s natural to wonder how Simón Levy defines success. For Levy, being successful means seeking alignment. “Success is being aligned between who you are and what you want, and that alignment generates the results you are looking for,” he explains. “It’s about finding harmony between your personal values and your professional goals, leading to achievements that are both fulfilling and impactful.”

With plans to continue progressing new international, cross-border deals and initiatives in the future, and with his goals of building further bridges between Chinese and Latin American companies and cultures, Simón Levy shows no signs of slowing down. By all accounts, he will continue to facilitate mutual understanding between global regions and drive international business growth for years to come.