Chile's Minister of Science and Technology, Ximena Lincolao, disclosed assets worth US$60.903.336 in her official declaration, ranking her among the richest in President José Antonio Kast's cabinet. She credits her wealth to the successful sale of her startup Phone2Action and other US investments. Of Mapuche origin, Lincolao describes her path as fulfilling her 'American dream'.
Ximena Fabiola Lincolao Pilquián, 57, recently took office as Chile's Minister of Science and Technology. Born in Santiago, she grew up in Maipú in a family of Mapuche descent and studied Pedagogy in Spanish and Philosophy at the University of La Serena, graduating in 1992. After teaching for four years in Chile, she moved to the United States 30 years ago with just US$500, taking jobs as a nanny and waitress before advancing in public education in Washington DC.
She earned a PhD in Administration and Political Science from George Washington University and held roles like deputy superintendent of Education. In 2012, she co-founded Phone2Action, a 'civic tech' platform linking citizens to legislators, with Jebidiah Ory and Patrick Stoddart. The firm raised US$325,000 in 2013, US$4.6 million in 2016, and got investment from Frontier Capital in 2019, expanding via acquisitions before rebranding to Canary Capitol and acquisition by Quorum.
Lincolao left in 2021 to start BuildWithin, an AI training platform, remaining a co-founder. Her assets include dividends from startups, a cocktail brand, properties in Virginia worth about US$2.5 million and in Chile around US$380,000, and funds like US$56 million in Penfed. She declares separate property but includes shared assets with husband Eric Gates, a Cisco Systems engineer.
"It was a good success," she said of Phone2Action, stressing: "Investing in risk is not optional if you want an ecosystem to exist." Close sources note her transparency by including spousal assets beyond legal requirements.
