Nerma Albertorio Barnés

Managing Director
Project Makers

Puerto Rican-born and raised entrepreneur and an active community leader in the island's entrepreneurial ecosystem. One of her most significant accomplishments was the creation of Centro para Emprendedores (Center for Entrepreneurs) in 2012. Since then, she has been able to impact over six thousand people, help establish over 100 small businesses and startups, and design and successfully implement entrepreneurship educational programs. More recently, after the hit of Hurricanes Irma and María and the Pandemic, her work was crucial in defining how to support small businesses during a crisis after natural disasters. She helped raise over 15M in capital for startups and small business owners during her career. Because of her contributions, Nerma was recognized as Mentor of the Year in 2015 and Puerto Rico Entrepreneurship Pillar in 2018; she is a Cordes Foundation Fellow and an Aspen Fellow. Also, Nerma co-founded 100 Ventures, a private firm that provides support services to startups and small businesses. Recently, she joined Project Makers, the first private social impact fund in Puerto Rico, as Managing Director.