Santiago Diaz

Santiago Diaz, an industrial engineering student at the Universidad Panamericana, joined the ecosystem through the Author × AI MMXXVI cohort in Mexico City. he is building a platform that pairs backpackers with hosts on a labor-for-stay basis: the traveler lists skills (barista, kitchen, mechanics, basic plumbing) and a destination, the host posts available rooms in exchange for a set number of hours of work, and the two sides match through a catalog model with a small entry fee on each side. The project grew from his own backpacking experiences across Asia and the United States, where housing emerged as the single biggest cost barrier keeping young travelers from going.