About
Alejandra Ríos Spínola is a Mexican entrepreneur best known as the CEO of Grupo Ambrosía—one of the country’s largest food‑and‑events companies—and as a “shark” on Shark Tank México. With more than a decade of experience in finance, strategy and hospitality, she balances board‑room rigor with genuine enthusiasm for fresh ideas. An alumna of both the Tec de Monterrey (B.A. in Financial Management) and Harvard Business School (MBA), she is also an active angel investor whose portfolio ranges from sustainable fashion (Básicos de México) to healthy snacks (The Positive Foods). In every role she champions diversity and inclusion, offering budding founders both capital and confidence to scale their ventures.
Before Fame
Ríos Spínola grew up in Mexico City in a family that ran restaurants, but she chose to forge her own path before joining the firm. After earning her finance degree with academic‑excellence honors at the Tec, she worked as an analyst at the investment bank ADR – Lazard and later became Senior Manager of International Financial Planning and M&A at Alsea, the operator behind Starbucks and Domino’s in Latin America. Those years, she says, taught her “to love the numbers as much as the idea.” Wanting a broader view, she moved to Boston for her MBA at Harvard, where she joined Soldiers Field Angels, a seed fund created by HBS alumni. The combination of Wall‑Street discipline and venture exposure would later shape her style in the televised tank.
Trivia
- Youngest shark: When she entered Shark Tank México for Season 6 in 2021, she was 35, making her the youngest regular investor on the panel at the time.
- Kindergarten prophecy: In an interview she recalled that for a career‑day costume assignment in preschool she put on a tiny blazer and briefcase because she already wanted to be “a business person.”
- Triple foodie: Beyond executive duties, she once studied restaurant management at Ambrosía’s own culinary center and completed short gastronomy courses, a nod to her love of both spreadsheets and soufflés.
- Tech‑forward investor: Many of her angel bets lean into e‑commerce and digital wellness, reflecting her belief that Mexican startups must use technology to “jump from local to national, then to the world.”
- Visibility advocate: As the first openly lesbian shark on the show, she often highlights LGBTQ‑led ventures, arguing that representation helps entrepreneurs pitch without fear.
Family Life
Alejandra shares her life with her wife, Mercedes Saenz. The couple’s relationship, proposal and wedding moments appear frequently on Alejandra’s Instagram reels, where she calls their home “our favorite startup.” They split time between Mexico City and a small ranch that houses rescue animals—dogs, horses and a pair of mischievous goats—because, as she jokes, “every CEO needs a board of directors that occasionally eats the lawn.” Her openness about her marriage has made her a role model for queer professionals in Latin America.
Associated With
On Shark Tank México she negotiates alongside business heavyweights Arturo Elías Ayub, Rodrigo Herrera Aspra, Marcus Dantus and fellow tiburonas Marisa Lazo and Deborah Dana. Off‑camera, she remains active in Harvard’s Soldiers Field Angels, trading deal flow with classmates who backed unicorns such as Kavak and Bitso. She is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), rubbing elbows with hotelier Braulio Arsuaga and other Latin American CEOs. These networks reinforce her mantra: “good ideas grow faster when smart friends ask hard questions.”
