MercadoLibre Teams with Wayra to Fund Argentine Startups
May 17th, 2013By Narayan Ammachchi
Start-up accelerator Wayra and MercadoLibre have joined forces to fund and train early-stage technology entrepreneurs in Argentina. The e-commerce portal MercadoLibre said it would ‘co-invest in certain ventures’ selected by Wayra, a start-up accelerator from Spanish telecom giant Telefonica.
The agreement comes weeks after Wayra issued a call for young entrepreneurs to send in their applications for venture capital by May 26. The e-commerce portal is likely to invest in companies capable of creating new applications and services to its community of buyers and sellers. MercadoLibre recently announced the launch of an investment fund of $ 10 million that will be entirely focused on new ventures that use their platforms.
According to analysts, MercadoLibre’s aim is to strengthen the e-commerce ecosystem in the region it operates. MercadoLibre is “an ideal partner for acceleration and internationalization of our companies,” said Andrew Sabol, Country …
Telefonica Buys Controlling Stake in Brazilian E-health Care Firm
February 5th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
Telefonica Digital, the digital arm of the Spanish telcom giant, has acquired a controlling stake in Brazil’s chronic care management firm Axismed.
Telefonica has not disclosed how much money it paid, nor did it say the precise size of the stake it purchased. Ten-year-old Axismed has hundreds of medical professionals under its belt, and claims that it is caring 180,000 patients across Brazil.
For Axismed, a relationship with Telefonica gives access to the telecom company’s broad marketing network and sales resources. With this acquisition, analysts say, Telefonica gets a strong foothold in Latin America’s expanding e-health services market.
But the biggest beneficiary seems to be the Brazilian company because linking up with a telecom company helps Axismed better utilize mobile applications, video conferencing systems and biometric solutions.
Axismed says its customers include some of the leading healthcare operators and large private companies, and claims that its service has helped …
Revitalized ICT Environment Brighten Nicaragua’s Outsourcing Outook
January 25th, 2013By Narayan Ammachchi
The prospects for Nicaragua’s outsourcing industry appear to be brightening by the day, given the way the country is positioning ICT services. For Chris Marlett, founder and CEO of US-based MDB Capital, the changing ICT landscape and lower prices for connectivity intensify the attraction of doing business in Nicaragua. Broadband prices have dropped by 90 percent over the past eight years, he says.
Telefonica’s VC Fund Makes its First Investment
January 15th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
Spanish telecom giant Telefonica’s newly-founded venture capital fund Telefonica Digital has agreed to invest in a British technology company TaskHub.
The operator has not disclosed how much money it was putting into the British start-up that acts as an online marketplace. All it has said is it is investing “a six figure sum”.
The transaction marks the first investment in a start-up by the venture capital division of Telefónica. The investment has been made through Telefonica Digital’s UK division Wayra Academy.
Taskhub is an online job market that allows users to outsource small jobs and tasks to trusted individuals or businesses in the communities in which they live. The site allows people to post a task and the price they are willing to pay for it. Relevant experts, who are verified on the basis of a range of checks, including customer …
Telefonica’s Wayra and MIT Sign Global Partnership
January 27th, 2012Source: The Next Web
Telefonica‘s startup accelerator Wayra and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) signed a global partnership, the two entities announced. The agreement was signed during the launch of Mexico’s Wayra Academy.
As we reported, Wayra is an initiative promoted by Telefonica Digital to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in the ICT sector. Wayra works as a startup accelerator, selecting ten projects in each country in which it operates, which then receive mentoring and other resources at one of the newly opened Wayra spaces.
Initially launched in seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela), Wayra is now expanding to Europe, starting with the imminent launch of a Wayra Academy in Madrid.
Following Wayra’s agreement with MIT, the two entities will collaborate on a series of initiatives in Latin America. Wayra academies in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina are the first to join the …
Pointing the Way to Financing for Mexico’s Startups
September 15th, 2011Source: Portada
In recent years, startup companies have changed the digital and economic landscape. Google, Facebook and Twitter launched the startup trend in the U.S. Today, startups represent an important part of the country’s economy (and in many cases, the world).
What are startup companies? They are small, recently created companies with limited capital. They generally revolve around some sort of digital innovation (mostly related to Internet), offering the possibility of rapid growth in a very short time. The abundant presence of startups can give a jump start to a country’s economy, both in terms of job creation anddissemination of knowledge in specific sectors.
Latin America’s moment…
At a time when Europe and the U.S. find themselves in a difficult economic and financial situation, many large companies are now turning their attention to Latin America’s growth. Telefónica recently announced a major restructuring that highlights its commitment to Latin America. In fact, Belen …
