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Businessman and New Mexico State University alumnus Richard Leza has been named the third inductee into the NMSU Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, NMSU said in a Dec. 1 news release.
Born in Laredo, Texas, Leza’s family moved to Placitas, a colonia of Hatch, New Mexico, where he spent his childhood as the fourth of 10 children with a single mother. He worked in the fields picking crops and was the only member of his family to finish college.
Leza was a co-founder, president and chair of Hispanic-Net, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a network of successful Hispanics to improve and enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for Hispanics in high-tech, the news release said.
Through his more than 40 years of experience in finance, manufacturing, engineering, medical devices and application software, Leza provided initial seed and first-round capital, hands-on guidance to management teams and strategic assistance to his portfolio companies, NMSU said. He was an entrepreneur and investor in many technology startups, including Flex Star Corp., the first automatic testing equipment corporation for hard drives; Optimal Learning Corp., the first interactive educational software company; EndoTherapeutics Corp., the first disposable surgical trocars for minimally invasive surgery; and CastaLink, Inc., an initial provider of real-time web-based supply chain collaboration solutions for mid-size companies.
Leza was the founder and CEO of RMC Group, Inc. and AI Research Corporation. RMC was a management consulting firm. AI Research Corporation was an active venture capital firm that specialized in business-to-business software, information technology and medical analytical software applications. The firm had specialized in early-stage investments with a market focus approach for creating long-term commercial products.
Leza has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from NMSU, a master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an honorary doctorate from NMSU.
Leza is a distinguished alumni for the NMSU College of Engineering and received the 2021 James F. Cole Award for Service to the university.
A virtual reception will take place 6-8 p.m. Dec. 16 to recognize Leza. The public is invited to join the reception by registering at https://2021_nmsu_entrepreneur_hall_of_fame.eventbrite.com.
