It can no longer be denied: we’re in the age of artificial intelligence. From platforms dedicated to AI-generated answers and images to it being a prominent feature in our phones, websites, and apps, it’s only time before every enterprise has their own take on AI.
In this field, one trailblazer is Nicolás Duran, Founder and CEO of Cotalker Inc., who is redefining how enterprises harness artificial intelligence.
Duran has over 15 years of technology entrepreneurship, and as an innovator, he has successfully pivoted in providing services that take traditional workflow tools and make them into AI-integrated systems, driving digital transformation across industries like banking, logistics, and mining.
To say that Duran is an AI-driven innovator would be an understatement, as he says: “It’s all of the above, but especially my AI-first mindset. I design products assuming AI is a core capability, not an add-on. I’m a heavy, daily user of AI across coding, research, ideation, and architecture. More importantly, I translate that capability into usable products and scalable organizational practices.”
Based in Miami and Santiago, Chile, his leadership has propelled Cotalker to G2's #1 BPM software in Latin America and top 7 globally, raising over $4 million in venture capital. His expertise creates intelligent, adaptive processes that can be used instead of rigid, static processes. Still, despite AI ruling most of his work, he prioritizes human-centered technology, valuing simplicity, accountability, responsible AI adoption and continuous learning and innovation.
Duran's expertise lies in designing AI-enabled enterprise workflow automation that shifts organizations from rigid, static processes to intelligent, adaptive solutions, saying: "I believe AI is one of the most powerful tools humanity has ever created—and I’m driven to ensure it’s used to empower people, not replace them.”
Humble Beginnings in Innovation
Before Duran got his start in redefining AI, he was first a college student that managed to luck out with his very first entrepreneurship project. While studying business at one of the top universities in Chile, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, he was also a young father and an athlete. He had a passion for sports, and after a brief exchange student summer in California, he came back to Chile with fresh eyes — and the need to do something bigger.
In his entrepreneurship class, he was required to create a project. Due to his passion in athletics, he managed to conceptualize his first major skateboarding event, followed by a mountain bike competition. Initially, he didn’t earn from his events — in fact, he even lost money after producing them. However, he did what every young entrepreneur should do: he charged it to experience, and tried again.
One could say this attempt to start over despite loss is the reason why we still have someone like Duran in the field. After the initial loss, he kept producing events, eventually founding Epic Noise, a cultural and sports events company. Soon enough, they were producing events on the international stage, such as the Chaka Hills Longboard World Cup, bringing in athletes from Canada, the US, Peru, and Brazil and Colombia.
Due to the nature of the events, Duran spent a lot of time marketing on social media, and it wasn’t long before he was an expert. Seeing how new social media platforms were starting to propagate on the Internet — Facebook, for one, was still considered a novelty — Duran took the leap and dove into creating a company specifically for social media strategy. It wasn’t long before they handled big clients such as the Lollapalooza, growing the client’s following from 0 to 100,000 organically in a short timeframe.
This company branched out: Duran started working on specific projects for influencer marketing, keyword strategy, and social media management. And then, finally, cameCotalker.
First, it was a process automation and communication platform initially pitched to large enterprises like CCU, who is the Heineken distributor in Chile. Eventually,Cotalker evolved, turning into a checklist and workflow automaton for sales forces and field operations. This time around, Duran is heavily focused on AI integration, with an engineering team dedicated just to build their first AI product, Look.
The function of Look is simple: you enter a business process, and they automatically design and deploy a complete workflow application. Instead of traditional consulting that would take hours upon hours to approve and complete, Look manages to do whatever’s needed to do in seconds.
Breaking Free from Static Automation
Traditional, static automation isn’t the most recommended way to do operations in this day and age — especially when there’s AI-driven systems as an alternative. Static automation is designed to perform repetitive actions that would otherwise take too much time if done manually by a human, but it still often traps companies in inflexible systems. Unfortunately, this can lead to low adoption, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies in operations.
Duran recognized this early on. In evolving Cotalker from a low-code platform into an AI-augmented powerhouse. He integrates applied AI directly into operational decision-making, allowing workflows to learn and adjust dynamically. Look as the AI-first workflow builder allows users to describe processes conversationally, and then generating adaptive systems instantly — replacing weeks of consultation within seconds. For example, a major Chilean bank, Coopuech, became Duran’s client underCotalker. Instead of taking weeks to approve standard loan applications, Cotalker manages to process approvals and denials to minutes all while maintaining compliance. Only more complex loan situations need to be read and reviewed by humans. As a result, employees are freer, the workflow is smoother, and clients also get more customer service satisfaction. Duran’s skill in blending AI with enterprise needs shows his expertise. This doesn’t just lead to better efficiency, but a whole new world of Cotalker earning its own reputation in the space.
As Andres Meirovich, Managing Partner and Director of Genesis Ventures, notes of Duran;s work and direction: “Mr. Duran led the company through its full technological evolution: initially as a low-code workflow automation tool and later as an AI-enhanced process management suite that blends intelligent automation, real-time data analytics, and high-performance operational tooling.
“Mr. Duran’s expertise in artificial intelligence is grounded in hands-on product development and real-world enterprise application.” With such experience in Duran’s hands, people have definitely turned their heads in how he’s managed to do all his successful work.
Innovative Products Driving Change
When prompted on what the businesses his innovative products serve, Duran had a long, thought-out answer. Simply put, he describes everything he does: “The automation of operational processes, especially maintenance and field service workflows for industries with critical infrastructure, can help businesses in the areas of mining, energy as well as ports. We provide end-to-end traceability, work orders, and asset management.”
Duran’s portfolio also includes Buddy, another AI-driven assistant, showing off Duran’s dedication to innovation. Buddy is meant to support frontline workers in typically high-stakes environments, helping reduce logistics friction and improve safety, all while giving people the necessary tools to adapt to their reality. The pressure felt by frontliners can’t be helped, and sometimes, a situation that boils down to a case of mere panic can cost or save a life. Buddy helps alleviate such cases.
Duran believes most companies could benefit from Look. As he puts it, the benefits of AI-driven tools are great: Early use cases include autonomous service dispatch and scheduling for HVAC companies in Florida—AI answers calls, classifies issues, assigns technicians, and generates reports without human intervention, allowing small-to-medium businesses to scale operations that were previously bottlenecked by manual coordination.
Another standout innovation is how Cotalker works when providing AI-supported development workflows. With the use of AI-assisted coding and quality assurance, time-to-market is up by 50%. Duran’s tools have since been used by clients like Coopuech, which transformed their supply chains by providing real-time insights to help out and predictive maintenance. Duran implemented AI-supported development workflows at Cotalker, using AI-assisted coding and QA to cut time-to-market by up to 50%. Serving clients like Coca-Cola and Maersk, these tools have transformed supply chains, providing real-time insights and predictive maintenance.
A top executive at Gerente Gestión Comercial Productividad de Canales, Luis Manuel Orellana Covarrubias, admires how optimized everything can become with Duran at the helm: “Today, more than 1,000 BCI employees rely on Cotalker’s systems across training, support, operations, and customer-facing processes. The platforms Mr. Duran developed have reduced onboarding time, improved service delivery, accelerated resolution times, and materially increased productivity across our organization.”
He continues: “We chose to work with Mr. Duran, and continue to do so nearly a decade later, because of his rare ability to design adaptable, enterprise-grade digital solutions that meet the stringent demands of the financial sector. His personal oversight, technical expertise, and methodical approach consistently deliver outcomes far beyond those of standard software providers. In every engagement, he has proven himself indispensable to the success of our digital-transformation efforts.” To work with Duran is a well thought out choice — and evidently, one that pays off for every peer and client he has.
Delivering Lasting Value and Legacy
Still, despite every innovation that’s been borne from AI in Duran’s case, he still advocates for its responsible use.
First and foremost, Duran believes in building with the use of technology and software — especially AI. With these tools, he believes in leading and developing teams to reach their full potential in order to create value across the entire ecosystem: ROI for investors, a better quality of life for users, and generally, good profit for those involved. To be able to pull all this off, his work needs to create enduring value that fosters trust and usability. Instead of seeing AI as a feature, it’s best to have a fresh perspective on it as an operating layer, using it in reducing redundant workflows. As a result, clients would report reduced manual work, faster insights, and empowered teams.
As a builder of practical AI, Duran wants to be remembered for simplifying complex work. He mentions: “We simplify complex, paper-based, or manual processes for end users—field technicians, sales reps, store staff. Automation reduces errors, saves time, lowers stress, and lets people finish work faster and go home earlier while increasing overall productivity." In his eyes, AI should be the one doing the work for you, adapting around your needs and helping you focus on what really matters in your profession. Overall, he believes in adaptive systems that deliver measurable ROI, positioning him as a leader in enterprise transformation.
In Conclusion
Duran is everything that you would consider as a top trailblazer and innovator in his field. His extraordinary ability to bridge tech and AI as a CEO shows that he’s naturally skilled in the design of overall systems and workflow automation platforms. He has long been a groundbreaking individual, starting young in his entrepreneurial dreams as a cultural and sports events producer, social media strategist and manager, and now, as an AI-driven CEO. ThroughCotalker, Look, and Biddy, he drives forward large-scale digital transformations for major banks, mining companies, and other infrastructure-heavy industries across the globe, primarily in Latin America and the US.
Beyond innovation, we can see Duran as someone with a high level of creativity to be able to pull off innovating and producing at the scale and length of time he has. He’s focused on making sure there’s a high ROI for everything he puts effort into, and he serves as a trusted, solution-oriented peer in the industry. Outside his core product, clients still flock to him for advice, knowing that no matter what, Duran will deliver results when needed.
Nicolas Duran demonstrates real extraordinary ability as a Tech/AI CEO in the design and leadership of AI-enabled enterprise workflow automation platforms. With the groundbreaking Look andCotalker as products, he manages to transform processes for all his major clients all over the world, delivering measurable efficiency gains, cost reduction, and innovative AI-driven process autonomy at enterprise scale.
