Ricardo Nunez Cuesta

Ricardo Nunez graduated from Michigan Tech in 2024 with his BS in Computer Science.

While a student, Nunez immediately took the skills and knowledge he learned and put them to use. In his last semester at Tech, he founded a startup—PaisaTax—and continued working on it full-time after graduation. Two years later, the startup received an acquisition offer and its first clients. Now, PaisaTax has four employees, including a fellow Tech graduate.

“Michigan Tech gave me the tools to learn,” he said. “I learned that when you put a conscious and consistent amount of time into something you believe in and truly care about, meaningful results eventually follow.”

Using a proprietary algorithm, PaisaTax generates complete tax returns using computer vision by allowing users to simply upload their tax documents and answer a few guided questions. It’s the only platform in the industry with its level of automation, supporting W-2, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B, 1099-R, and 1098-E forms—compared to other tax software that only supports W-2 situations. 

While Nunez made connections with many professors at Tech, he noted that Leo Ureel played a formative role in his journey. After applying to and being rejected by more than 100 companies in his sophomore year, Nunez was offered a paid research position for the summer under Ureel. Nunez shared that he didn’t feel comfortable charging for his hours since he didn’t produce any output, and the response from Ureel changed his perspective and stayed with him: Research may not produce immediate results, but it is necessary work to produce the end result.

“There are many people at Michigan Tech who are far smarter than me,” Nunez shared. “But Leo chose to take a chance on me. That belief made a lasting difference—and it’s one of the reasons I had the confidence to pursue my startup idea.”

He chose to attend Michigan Tech because he knew of its academic reputation, and he wanted to be challenged, which he was. 

“My four years at Michigan Tech were extremely challenging, in the best way,” he said. “I learned that mental health, physical health, and learning/work go hand in hand. You can’t neglect any one of them without everything eventually breaking.”

In addition to his academics, Nunez’s time at Tech taught him that asking for help is a necessity, not a weakness. 

His advice for current Tech students? “Don’t be afraid to ask for help or feel like you’re wasting someone’s time. It’s good to feel lost; that’s a signal of growth. We don’t grow by doing what we already know.”

Updated February 2026