Leadership Expeditions Guide

Nicolás Vélez

Nicolás “Nico” Vélez is a mechanical engineer, adventurer, and entrepreneur driven by a deep passion for mountains, people, and purpose-oriented projects. Educated in Santiago, Chile, he has built a remarkably diverse career spanning mountaineering, tourism, agribusiness, and technology.

A former mountain guide in Ecuador and Peru, with climbing experience in Chile, Antarctica, the United States, and Tibet, Nico combines extensive field expertise with sharp business insight.

He co-founded URCU, an expedition management platform, and ORIJIN, a data management system for agriculture. As founder and CEO of Café Vélez, Ecuador’s first specialty coffee roaster, he led the company through a successful merger with a chocolate brand before its acquisition by an Italian corporation.

Today, Nico leads an adventure travel and education company in partnership with Vertical in Ecuador, designing transformative experiences that connect people with nature—and with one another. A proud father of three, he continues to blend exploration, innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to inspire growth—on the mountains and beyond.