Lucia Mari Sanguino grew up surrounded by hospitality. Born and raised in Ibiza, Spain, she spent much of her early life around hotels, developing a close understanding of the people, workflows, and guest experiences that shape the industry.
Now she’s a student in the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) M.S. in Technology Management program and the co-founder of AIVA TECH, a startup building what she describes as an “intelligence layer for hotels.” The company recently announced a $1.5 million pre-seed round.
We spoke with Mari Sanguino about her path to SPS, the hospitality problems AIVA TECH is designed to solve, and what she has learned as an early-stage founder.
Can you tell us about your background and what led you to SPS’s M.S. in Technology Management program?
I’m originally from Spain and was born and raised in Ibiza. I later moved to the U.K. to study at University College London, where I completed a bachelor of arts and sciences with a focus on economics and emerging technology.
I had a huge curiosity about stepping further into technology, especially as different AI technologies were becoming available to the general public. Whatever industry I ended up touching—which, in the back of my mind, was always hospitality—I knew I wanted to become more technically fluent.
The Technology Management master’s program was the perfect intersection between business and technology. It gave me a way to think about how technology can leverage any industry in terms of product, vision, and strategy.
You have written that some of your earliest memories are in hotels. How did growing up around hospitality shape the problem you are now trying to solve?
I worked in hotels in different roles, and that taught me how to understand workflows: how things function, who responds to what, and the mechanics of everything.
But the real value came from living it. Hospitality is a very human industry. It is a very experiential industry. Understanding workflows is one thing, but understanding the people, the sentiment, and the empathy that goes into the everyday work of being at a front desk or being a housekeeper is a different kind of skill.
Some of my earliest memories are in hotels. I remember going back every year and seeing Ana, the same receptionist I had known since I was three. You create bonds with people in the industry that are different. That has been the biggest blessing in building AIVA.
How would you explain AIVA TECH to someone outside the hospitality or technology industries?
In simple terms, I would say, “We used to have a lot of information about you, but we never knew you. Now we do, and we know the hotel equally as well.”
So be ready for a hotel experience you have never had.
AIVA TECH recently announced a $1.5 million pre-seed round. What does that milestone mean to you?
For us, it’s not a milestone. It’s just a step closer to the speed we needed to match the demand we were seeing.
You describe AIVA TECH as an “intelligence layer for hotels.” What operational gaps is it designed to address?
Hotels work with around 15 tools to manage their property. Each tool may be useful, but they are completely fragmented. You end up having a siloed view of your property and your guests.
That is the first issue we address. We connect to these systems and centralize that data so hotels can understand what is happening in real time.
There is also so much information that goes unrecorded in a hotel: when a guest asks for a towel, complains about the air conditioning, or mentions how great Sarah from reception was. We are creating a new system of record that goes beyond the traditional systems the industry has seen for generations and captures micro-interactions that, in my opinion, are some of the most valuable interactions a hotel can hold.
How has the M.S. in Technology Management program shaped the way you approach building AIVA TECH?
I was intentional with the courses I chose. Many were entrepreneurship-focused or AI/ML-focused. I wanted to make sure I had the technical knowledge to speak to my co-founder eloquently and understand the concepts she was putting forward.
I also used AIVA for most of my class projects. That gave me input from my peers and professors, which I could bring back to the company. Sometimes I would say, “This is feedback we have not thought about,” or “This is a route we did not consider.”
A few faculty members were especially important. My AI/ML class with Professor Mark Ritzmann challenged me to think not only about the technology itself but also about the environment around it and the consequences of how technology interacts with different industries. Katja Schroeder, associate program director of the M.S. in Technology Management and senior lecturer in the discipline of Technology Management, has also been incredibly supportive from day one and has known about AIVA from the minute I started the program. Cristina Dolan was also a huge support in cybersecurity, which is now something we bring directly into the business. One of the first things she taught me was: “You are a startup. You have to be equally as aware of all cyber risk as a big corporation.”
How amazing is it to have Columbia minds help you build your company and shape your company? That is the ideal for any founder.
What advice would you give to other students or early-stage founders trying to turn an idea into something real?
I have two main pieces of advice.
The first is that founders are your biggest assets, both on a business front and on an emotional front. Another founder will not only make warm introductions sincerely; they will also be an emotional support throughout the journey. At a Columbia event, I met Gabby Steele, who is also a founder. She has become almost like a mentor to Paula and me. Learning from people who are one step ahead of you is key.
The second thing is that ego is your biggest enemy as a founder. What is important is the vision. Do not let ego override that vision.
Make sure you are listening more than you are speaking. Be willing to adapt as you see new opportunities, as the market shifts, or as you receive an opinion you may not want to hear but that could have a big impact on how you go to market or build your technology.
Those are my two learnings: founders are your biggest assets, and do not let ego override vision.
About the Program
The Master of Science in Technology Management at Columbia University prepares graduates to lead digital transformation, and align technology and business strategy with an ethical lens. Through experiential learning, industry partnerships, and Columbia-supported research, students gain fluency in digital platforms and emerging technologies, and learn to design human-centered solutions that drive innovation and sustainable impact.
The program is available for part-time or full-time enrollment online or on campus in NYC. Learn more about the program here.
