Paula Salazar, a graduate of the biotechnology undergraduate program in Quito's branch campus, was invited to take part in "Taller Viva 2018", an event on entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation which was held in San Jose, Costa Rica. During the event, she presented her project COMFY, a disposable toilet cover that seeks to reduce the high rate of diseases contracted by women when they use public toilets. 

Paula Salazar was the only Ecuadorian entrepreneur who attended this international event. She spoke about the innovation ecosystem and ventures that have been created in the university's coworking StartUPS center. "It was a great opportunity to be here with 52 entrepreneurs of Latin America; we have presented possible solutions to problems that will improve people's quality of life", she said. 

Some of topics that were held during the event were: strategies to create an impact, business models, measuring investment and others. Salazar said one of the topics that most caught her attention was "Latin American Canvas", a business model adapted to our reality and context. 

Regarding the project "COMFY", she said that "there is no fixed formula to start a business, one has to build it. These meetings help see the opportunities and threats of your product, they help us grow as entrepreneurs and work for the common good". 

She also took part in a summit on leadership and innovation with representatives from organizations in the region to discuss sustainability, a vision that is still not supported by societies. Both events were organized by "Viva Idea" and INCAE Business School, which seek to create networks, identify strategies to increase the impact of organizations, learn team work tools and create initiatives.