Rafael Espinoza
Founder & CEO, Universal Student Exchange
Rafael Espinoza is the CEO & Founder of U.S.E. Argentina – Chile and Peru (Universal Student Exchange), one of the world’s biggest Summer Work and Travel recruitment organisations with almost 3,000 participants being sent every year. U.S.E. also works with other programs such as Internship/Trainee, Summer Camps and Language Courses.
Rafael began his entrepreneurship in 1996 when he launched Uniglobe, a Canadian Travel Agent franchise in Peru. As part of the travel agency, he started a Summer Work and Travel division (U.S.E.) which split in 2000 to become a separate organisation. In 2000, Rafael was also part of an IT startup (formerly: Certfica.com, now Comscore) with investors including Fundacion Chile and the IFC (World Bank) with offices located in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru. This gave him the possibility of initially managing the Peruvian and then later, the Chilean and Mexican offices. In 2002, Rafael decided to step aside from Certifica and open U.S.E.´s second office in Chile, followed by a third office in Argentina in 2005.
U.S.E has become the leading innovator in connecting and recruiting potential clients for its programmes through the implementation of comprehensive international digital media strategies.