ABOUT BETO
Beto Altamirano is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and public policy innovator who credits the example of his immigrant parents and his upbringing on the U.S.–Mexico border with instilling in him the belief that true leadership is grounded in service. He is the CEO and Co-founder of Irys Technologies, a venture-backed company at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and national defense. Under his leadership, Irys has become a trusted partner to the U.S. Air Force, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies, delivering platforms that protect critical infrastructure and defense operations.
Driven by a commitment to expanding opportunity, Beto co-founded the Better Futures Institute, a nonprofit that has trained more than 200 students and partnered with UTSA, Toyota, USAA, and the City of San Antonio to create career pathways in technology and design, while also improving the city’s 311 Mobile App. He is also co-owner of Shotgun House Coffee Roasters, a Westside coffeehouse and retail brand that reinvests in community spaces for students and families.
In public life, Beto has served as Vice Chairman of the Port Authority of San Antonio, where he worked to attract high-impact enterprises to the region, and represented the United States on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Task Force on Digitalization in Energy. In 2025, he ran a historic campaign for Mayor of San Antonio, placing third in a field of twenty-seven and outperforming all sitting council members. Following the campaign, he launched Plan 210 PAC, dedicated to advancing policy innovation and civic leadership across the city.
His contributions have been recognized by the MacArthur Foundation, Google’s Latino Founders Fund, Forbes 30 Under 30, the Aspen Institute, and he is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. Beto earned a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an Archer Center Fellow, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a U.S. Latino Leadership Fellow and New World Social Innovation Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership.
Beto lives in Midtown San Antonio with his wife, Anna Fernandes, a tech executive and lawyer, and their son, André. High school sweethearts, Beto and Anna share a love of food and community and can often be found exploring and supporting local shops and restaurants across the city.