Hispanic Heritage Month | Isabel Rafferty Zavala

Isabel Rafferty Zavala is the Founder and CEO of Canela Media, a technology-driven media company and the leading streaming destination for Latino audiences in the US and Latin America. Under her leadership, Canela Media grew into one of the most recognized Hispanic media brands in the country, earning a spot-on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list, the Inc. 5000, and multiple industry awards.

A serial entrepreneur with deep roots in Hispanic digital media, Isabel previously founded Mobvious Media, which she scaled into the #2 Hispanic-focused mobile ad network before its acquisition by PRISA. She has raised multiple rounds of institutional capital across her companies — including a $32M Series A for Canela Media — demonstrating a consistent ability to build, scale, and attract investment in the multicultural media space.

Her latest venture is Zully, an AI-native microdrama platform built on proprietary generative video and dynamic storytelling technology, designed to reach global audiences at scale.

She has been recognized as a National Entrepreneur of the Year by EY, a Top Female Founder by Inc. Magazine, a Notable Hispanic Leader by Crain's New York Business, and one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Mexico by Forbes — two years running.

Born in Mexico, Isabel is a bilingual mother of four and a board member of Father Joe's Villages.