Mateo Nicolás Salvatto
I was a Systems student at the ORT Institute in Argentina, where I previously studied Electronics and am currently pursuing a Systems tertiary degree.
I am also the CEO and co-founder of Asteroid Technologies, a company with a goal to develop projects that help introduce the world to the fourth industrial revolution.
The moment I stepped foot on ORT’s Almagro campus, I knew it was the perfect school for me. Nine years later, and after studying for eight years on site, I am now working as ORT Argentina’s Head of Innovation.
ORT has changed my life in many ways and has provided me with everything I need. It taught me to get involved in things that matter and the impact you can make with your contribution.
Robotics club was a big part of my school life; I travelled around the country on behalf of the school team. In 2016, my classmate Matías and I were champions of the International Robotics Tournament at Technion University in Israel!
ORT teachers prepare you for the jobs of the future, by helping develop key skills such as critical thinking, innovation, and complex problem-solving. The education was orientated to our interests, not the other way around. We had the ability to learn whatever we wanted as long it was enriching for our future careers.
At ORT I was taught to be curious, to always be ready for failure but never to give up, and that I could use technology to change the world. After graduating, I wanted to use my knowledge to help others, so in summer 2018 I developed Hablalo!, through my company Asteroid Technologies. It is an app that helps more than 40,000 people with communication problems.
One of my favorite stories came when I was sitting around a table with high-ranking executives from different companies, and suddenly we realised that we were all ORT alumni! It’s incredible how many successful alumni ORT has, and it really builds a great feeling of community that benefits young people who are searching for a job, entrepreneurial or educational opportunities.
Being an ORT alumni has been an incredible asset to my professional career, and since graduating, I have received many job opportunities and have been offered a few scholarships from several universities. All the different opportunities that I was presented with at ORT, such as the national and international robotics competitions, have helped me develop a great career so far, and have also meant I have never stopped working in the technological field.
ORT has given me a sense of belonging and a feeling of being part of a bigger community with a greater purpose of shaping a better future for our societies – aspects that I believe no other institution could provide me with. I always say in my talks in various countries: I wouldn’t be who I am, or where I am, if it wasn’t for the best educational institution in the world: ORT!
