About Irma

Irma Cedeno Verdon is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, author, and business expert dedicated to driving innovation at the intersection of business, education, language, and culture. As the founder of Diáfano, Irma leads a pioneering language learning platform that provides schools with high-quality and culturally responsive language programs. Beyond the classroom, Diáfano also extends its impact to corporations and nonprofits, where it offers tailored professional development language courses to organizations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the J. Paul Getty Trust, among others. Under Irma’s leadership, Diáfano has been named a Top 10 Company for Social Change by Revolt TV and AT&T and honored as a Black and Latino Tech Award Winner. 

Irma holds both a BA and an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University as well as a Certificate in Women’s Leadership from Cornell University. Her writing spans fiction and nonfiction, with a deep focus on themes of identity, entrepreneurship, and empowerment. Her debut book, Happy Business, Happy Life, serves as the foundation of her business program of the same name, which offers a curriculum-based entrepreneurship initiative that provides practical entrepreneurial training for both children and adults. In addition to her work in education and entrepreneurship, Irma is also the co-founder of Main Couture, a forward-thinking fashion brand that blends timeless design with modern sensibility.

Irma is a passionate advocate for transformative learning and equitable access. She is continuing to shape industries and push for systematic change on a global scale. No matter what she is doing—whether that’s launching entrepreneurial initiatives, mentoring future changemakers, or spending time with her baby daughter—she is deeply committed to creating opportunity and impact in her work!