In the town of Atlixco, Puebla, Dr. Diana Laura León Hernández is turning her lifelong dream into a lifeline for her community.
While travelling across Mexico as a medical student, Diana saw firsthand how distance and cost prevented people from accessing essential diagnostic services. Through Emprende Juventud Poblana, a youth entrepreneurship programme delivered by Impact Hub Mexico with support from the Julius Baer Foundation, Diana gained the tools, funding, and mentorship needed to launch ULTRALAB — a diagnostic centre providing affordable and accessible ultrasound, clinical laboratory and electrocardiogram services.
Before founding ULTRALAB, Diana worked as a healthcare provider travelling to different regions across Mexico. During her visits, she noticed a recurring pattern: patients were delaying or avoiding preventative diagnostic tests because services were either too expensive or too far away.
“It was when I realized that many people were delaying important medical tests due to financial limitations, distance, or the difficulty of finding prompt healthcare services,” Diana notes, “At that moment, I understood that I could make a meaningful difference by creating a place where high-quality diagnostic services would also be affordable and accessible.”
Coming from a low-income household herself, Diana intimately understood these barriers —and that realisation fueled her vision. Even with this clear vision, she lacked the entrepreneurial knowledge – in business plan development, legal frameworks, and the fundraising skills to bring her vision to life.
Her journey took a turn when she was accepted into Emprende Juventud Poblana, a programme designed to foster youth entrepreneurship in Poblana, Mexico. The programme offered business education, seed funding, and personalised mentorship opportunities, helping participants to develop viable businesses and income within their communities.
Supported by mentors including attorney Inti Alva and Jaqueline Hernández, Diana was able to navigate initial seed funding. With support from the Coppel Foundation, she was able to legally register ULTRALAB — Diagnostic Ultrasound and Clinical Laboratory — and prepare to open her business.
Beyond serving her community, Diana was driven by a deeper personal mission: to honour her father. The site for her clinic held special meaning, as it was a building her father had built years earlier, hoping it might one day become his daughter’s medical office. Today, she continues to honour her father’s memory through the clinic.
Diana was able to purchase her first ultrasound machine and was officially open for business. However, the beginning of her clinic was not as she had imagined.
The first week I opened the business, I had not a single patient. I was afraid that I would not have enough income to pay my employees and have money for myself
Nevertheless, Diana’s hard work paid off. Within the following weeks, she began to welcome two to five patients a day, slowly expanding her client base and expanding beyond ultrasound services and including clinical laboratory testing as well as electrocardiograms.
“When I launched my business, many new doubts arose,” Diana said. “…having my mentors available to schedule a call or message them was key. They addressed all my concerns and covered details I didn’t even know I needed to consider.”
Today, ULTRALAB continues to grow as a diagnostic clinic offering services to those who need it most — particularly low-income families and patients who previously faced long journeys and high costs for basic screenings. No longer a proposal, ULTRALAB has become a working clinic, serving patients who once had nowhere nearby to go. By providing affordable, high-quality diagnostics closer to home, Diana is actively addressing a gap rooted in geographic and economic inequality.
“I would tell young entrepreneurs that they will never feel completely ready. What matters most is taking the first step, learning along the way, and not letting fear make the decision for them.”
The transformation of ULTRALAB from concept to clinic is proof of what becomes possible when opportunity meets determination. Programmes like Emprende Juventud Poblana, made possible through partners including the Julius Baer Foundation, empower innovators to tackle disparities within their communities and implement lasting solutions.
Diana’s journey reminds us that when passion meets support, it can help build a more equitable and accessible future.
Caroline Ross is an emerging global development professional with a passion for philanthropy, global health and social impact. She is currently an intern with the Julius Baer Foundation.
Prior to joining Julius Baer, she worked with non-profit organisations, including Full Court Peace, and contributed to a global health initiative focused on Malawi with the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She also volunteers with Crisis Text Line.
Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Hamilton College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology of Development at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
