A project that began as a class activity turned into a technological proposal of national scope. A team of students from the Faculty of Business and Legal Sciences at Montemorelos University recently won second place in the Technological Base category of the XIX National Entrepreneurial Expo of the National Association of Schools of Accounting and Administration (ANFECA).

The event took place October 9-10, 2025, at San Luis Potosí Autonomous University, in Mexico, where around 400 students from universities across the country participated.

The team was made up of Francisco Muñoz, Dafne Martínez, and Ian Chocolat, students from the Administration and International Business program; as well as Rubén Nava, Franco Gonzáles, and Zimry Hernández from Public Accounting; and, more recently, Juan Rodríguez from the Information Technology Management Engineering program, who was responsible for the project’s technical development.

The system suggests implanting a subcutaneous microchip that records real-time data such as location, temperature, and activity of the animal, with the support of LoRa technology, a low-power, long-distance wireless communication standard for that enables small data packets from sensors to travel miles. This allows early warnings to be generated and a digital health card to be created that allows for preventive decisions.

Muñoz explained that the idea came up in 2022 as part of a course on Fundamentals of Administration. The inspiration came from a widely known need in the livestock sector related to the loss of animals due to theft, loss, or diseases not timely detected, as well as the lack of efficiency in current traceability systems. They named their project Senzos.

From an academic assignment to a vision of entrepreneurship

The team highlighted that the project evolved at the pace of their academic training. Each member contributed with what they had learned in their marketing, finance, human resources, accounting, and engineering courses.

“Everything was developed as part of the course,” explained Martínez. “We had no external consultants; what we achieved has been the result of class work.”  

The team acknowledged, however, the constant support of professors such as Adriana Ruiz, Benjamín Chay, Fernando Martínez and other professors at the School of Engineering and Technology.

“The professors’ support encouraged us to think big and identify real needs. That helped us present a viable project,” Martínez said.

Although the prototype is still in development, the team is working with engineering students to refine the system, strengthen the software, integrate solar energy, and create a mobile app.

The team is also looking at the possibility of expanding the technology to other types of livestock and exploring international competitions, after receiving positive feedback from ANFECA.

Students emphasized that, although Senzos does not have a single advisor, the sum of teaching contributions and abilities development that UM provided them have been fundamental to make their project a reality.

“The university gave us the platform to get here,” they said. “Without that link, we would not have had access to these experiences that motivated us to see the project as an actual company.”

The original article was published on the Inter-American Division news site.