November 3, 2022 – LUMEN Solutions Office, Coyoacán
The day dawned with a light mist enveloping the streets of Coyoacán. Inside the LUMEN Solutions building, however, the atmosphere was absolutely clear: a clear direction, a clear vision, and a clear purpose.
Rodrigo entered the main office with a cup of coffee in hand and the dark circles under his eyes of someone who sleeps little but dreams a lot. He greeted the staff with a brief, almost shy, but sincere smile. It was hard to get used to the idea of being "the boss" in a place that already had more than thirty employees.
Not so long ago—he thought—he was taking classes at the School of Engineering, eating tamale sandwiches on campus, and studying in the old library, hoping not to fail vector calculus.
Now, in his inbox, there were requests for quotes from companies in Monterrey, Querétaro, Puebla... even Colombia and Chile.
A little over three months had passed since LUMEN went online. Three months in which everything accelerated at breakneck speed, but Rodrigo had been cautious: he preferred to grow step by step, consolidate rather than show off, deliver results rather than embellishments.
And now the results were beginning to speak for themselves.
November 5 – First Major Contract
The first serious signal came from a mid-sized company in the logistics sector. They needed a system that would help them predict delays on delivery routes, dynamically manage warehouses, and optimize their loading schedules.
Rodrigo decided this would be the first major project outside of the university pilot. It wasn't a giant company, but it was real, it paid well, and it would test LUMEN outside of the academic world.
The contract was signed for 950,000 pesos, with a projected quarterly renewal. When Carlos, the accountant, gave him the breakdown, Rodrigo felt the physical impact of growth for the first time.
"This isn't just a startup in the idea phase anymore," Carlos told him. "You're already generating cash flow. This is a business, Rodrigo."
And it was. Finally.
November 8 – Unexpected Recognition
That same week, Sofía—the marketing manager—called him from her cubicle in a tone of voice that mixed excitement and amazement.
"We're on TechRadar Latin America!"
Rodrigo approached with his coffee, looking over his shoulder.
The article was titled: "LUMEN: The Mexican startup that's quietly reinventing AI (so far)."
It said things like "elegant algorithms," "unusual hybrid model," "efficiency without compromising ethics," "the company everyone is ignoring and no one should."
Rodrigo didn't know whether to smile or sweat. He liked the peace of mind of growing without the world watching him too much. But he also knew that to sustain the company, visibility was part of the game.
"Let them talk, but don't ask too many questions," he said with a half-smile.
"Rodrigo, you won't be able to hide this forever," Sofía replied.
And she was right.
November 11 – Team Meeting
Friday afternoons had become an internal tradition for everyone to gather in the common room. It wasn't a formal meeting, but rather a kind of collective coffee break where progress, ideas, problems, and sometimes conspiracy theories about AI were discussed.
Rodrigo asked everyone to sit down. He had something important to share.
"This week we surpassed the break-even point. LUMEN now generates more than it spends. It's official."
There was applause, a few whistles, even a "Viva México, cabrones!" from Diego, the most eccentric developer on the team.
"And that's not all," Rodrigo continued. "We're closing a second contract with an insurance company to predict high-cost claims based on customer profiles and historical patterns."
Silence. Then, more applause.
"I don't want this to overwhelm us. It's just the beginning. But I needed you to know. You're doing amazing." Thank you.
Some were moved, others smiled sideways. But everyone knew they were building something real. Something big.
November 14 – Returning Home
That night, after closing the office, Rodrigo didn't go to the lab. He didn't stay coding or correcting documentation. Instead, he went home.
In his small apartment, his children, Orion and Airin, slept in their personalized medical capsules—the most important gift he had activated since the Ark. Although they were barely three months old, their brains and bodies already showed signs of accelerated, carefully controlled development.
Rodrigo looked at them for a long time. He sat between the two capsules and began reading aloud a children's story, an old one, without holograms or AI. Just words, paper, and his voice.
"...and the little fox learned that being different didn't make him less valuable, but quite the opposite. It made him unique."
Airin turned her head slightly. Orion stretched. They were both still asleep, but Rodrigo swore that, in their micro-gestures, there was understanding.
She closed the book, turned off the ambient light, and sighed.
LUMEN was beginning to climb. The world was beginning to look. But that moment, with them by her side, was all she needed to remember why she was doing this.