Ambar Palacios López

Jun 10

CEO & Founder

She/Her/Ella | Union City, NJ

Ambar is a queer Mexican American entrepreneur and proud small business owner. As the Founder and CEO of Neta Collab, she has dedicated her career to building creative and cultural power while supporting social justice movements and organizations.

Since launching Neta in 2018, Ambar has prioritized thoughtfully building a business while bringing culture and heritage into our work. From an impactful multicultural upbringing between Mexico and Vermont, to experiencing failures in the educational system, and starting work at a young age at a catering business (her boss asked her to review their finances at 12 since she was more “tech-savvy”). She’s proud to be the daughter of an immigrant and to remember the growth we’ve made at every step.

Background & Experience

Ambar has over 15 years of experience in marketing, focused on building creative power and supporting social justice initiatives. She began her first consulting firm in LA, where they developed creative marketing campaigns for startups. During this work, she pivoted to working with nonprofits, including joining the teams of Good Call NYC and Children of Promise, justice-centered organizations based in Brooklyn NY that work with communities impacted by incarceration, and serving on the board of Restless Development USA.

In 2018, Ambar launched Neta to build a space for similar-minded team members with social justice, electoral, creative, and marketing expertise dedicated to providing organizations with capacity and resources.

Goldman Sachs 10ksb 2024 Alum
LBAN at Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative - Education: Scaling Up Your Venture 2023
2023 Tory Burch Foundation Entrepreneur
2019-2023 Restless Development USA Board Member
2016-2023 Google Next Gen Tech Policy Leader
2017-2019 Good Call NYC Communications Director & Advisor
2018 Children of Promise NYC Social Media & Communications Consultant
2012-2014 Massachusetts College of Art & Design - Interrelated Media

Speaking, Accolades, & Recognition

2024 Entreprenista 100 Award Winner
2024 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow
Luminary x Clover 2024 Fellow
Power25 Awards Walkers Legacy
Say Hola Wealth Podcast Guest
National Latino Leadership Council Panelist
We Are LA Tech Podcast Guest
General Assembly Guest Lecturer

Connect on LinkedIn

Roots in: Now based in New Jersey, Ambar has roots in Brooklyn, LA, Mexico City, and Vermont.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me: Adventuring outside, either by the mountains or the ocean, being creative and starting projects to decorate my home, and spending time with my partner and family.

Recent Projects

Case Studies

New York Immigration Coalition

Our work for New York Immigration Coalition was through a partnership with the Abundant Futures Fund .

Together, we provided creative services to support their campaigns, provide additional creative capacity, and think innovatively about supporting and celebrating immigrants in New York.

OC Action & We Are California

Through partnerships with OC Action and We Are California, we became the creative partner behind the ground-level push to turn out Latino and BIPOC voters in the November 2025 special election.

Our work focused on identifying creative opportunities to mobilize low-propensity voters, build Prop 50 awareness, and grow the kind of civic power that doesn't stop when the polls close.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center

Neta Collab and The Center collaborated to develop a comprehensive rebrand for Cycle for the Cause, honoring 30 years of HIV/AIDS advocacy while positioning the signature fundraising bike ride for sustainable growth and broader engagement with the LGBTQ+ community.

Órale

Neta Collab partnered with Órale on a full rebrand and rename, developing a powerful identity rooted in their mission to build a thriving immigrant-led movement to end criminalization and secure bold protections for immigrants.

We also designed a bilingual cookbook celebrating community recipes and the cultural significance of food equity, featuring recipes with stories and community photography, into a warm, professional publication.

Poder in Action

Through a partnership with Poder in Action , we became the digital creative partner for one of Phoenix's most rooted grassroots organizations — building collective power with BIPOC and working-class communities fighting for systemic change.

Our work focused on identifying creative opportunities to advance community liberation, meeting people where they already are: online, in the community, and in the fight.

Texans United for Justice

Our work for Texans United for Justice was through a partnership with the Abundant Futures Fund.

Together, we provided creative services to support their campaigns, provide additional creative capacity, and think innovatively about sharing vital resources and information for immigrants in Texas.

Define American

Define American's research identified the "Moveable Middle" — people open to pro-immigrant perspectives but not yet convinced. The research proved what messaging strategies actually work with this audience.

We redesigned the report series, each built on the last: from understanding audience segments, to showing how stories shift perspectives, to illustrating how immigrants enrich communities. Bold typography, vibrant colors, and custom illustrations made complex research built to be read, shared, and acted on. The unified visual system turned research findings into a movement.

Techbridge Girls

Neta Collab partnered with TechBridge Girls to provide comprehensive creative support across branding, bilingual curriculum design, program identity, and impact communications, helping the national STEM equity nonprofit show up with clarity, consistency, and power across every audience they serve.

Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

Through our ongoing partnership with the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we became the creative team behind their 2025 Impact Report, shaping how the foundation tells its story to funders, partners, and grantees.

Our work focused on rebuilding RSCF's Theory of Change, elevating grant partner voices, and pairing hard numbers with the storytelling that shows why the investment matters.

Tapestry Health

Neta Collab and Tapestry Health collaborated to develop comprehensive marketing services, including social media management, educational content creation, and strategic planning, to advance accessible, community-centered healthcare across Western Massachusetts.

Arizona Center for Empowerment

Through a partnership with the Abundant Futures Fund, we became the creative partner that brought Taste La Tradición to life, a bilingual cooking and culture platform rooted in community, storytelling, and the fight for immigrant dignity in Arizona.

Our work centered on celebrating the resilience, traditions, and everyday richness of Arizona's immigrant communities, and turning that celebration into a full campaign with real reach.

RedefinED Atlanta

Ads management and creative development for social media, voter informational documents, and direct mail for the 2025 Atlanta School Board elections, including the runoff election.

National Immigration Law Center

Through a partnership with the Abundant Futures Fund, we partnered with the National Immigration Law Center to create bold, culturally rooted storytelling that centers farmworker voices.

We created an immersive landing page experience and video series centered on farmworker testimonies. Using a consistent multi-platform approach — a promotional anchor video, three individual audiovisual stories, and a dedicated digital hub—we shifted how people understand the humanity and resilience of the people who feed us.

Prevent Suicide New Jersey

Campaign management for NJAAP’s Prevent Suicide New Jersey program, focused on reaching youth across NJ.

Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Branding and design work for Latinos in Heritage Conservation programs and campaigns - supporting the leading organization supporting the preservation of Latinx places, stories, and cultural heritage in the US.

We collaborate with their team regularly to bring their campaign branding to life and provide long-term resources to their communications team.

Back to About Us

Ambar Januel

Ambar Januel is a marketing strategist, artist, and creative director focused on utilizing innovative digital solutions to advance social justice issues. Ambar is passionate about growing political power through genuine community engagement, working with Latinx (especially immigrant and Spanish speaking communities), amplifying creative voices in the advocacy space, and empowering organizations authentically by advancing community leaders first.

https://www.ambarjanuel.com