Latin American Start-Up Outlook Looks Bright, Say Potential ‘Unicorns’

Published
15 Mar 2018
2018
Share

Alem Tedeneke, Media Lead, Public Engagement, Tel.: +1 212 703 6642; Mobile: +1 646 204 9191; Email: ated@weforum.org

· Latin America will see many more billion-dollar enterprises, known as unicorns, in the future

· It is a matter not only of market valuation and breaking the $1 billion mark, but also of helping to solve problems and create jobs

· More information about the meeting: http://wef.ch/la18

São Paulo, Brazil, 14 March 2018 – Latin American technology entrepreneurs are forecasting a bright future for “unicorns” as technology start-ups are gaining importance in the regional ecosystem. It is a matter not only of market valuation and breaking the $1 billion mark, but also of helping to solve “significant problems for the region and create jobs,” said Enrique Ortegon, Chief Operations Officer of Salesforce.com, USA.

“We have gone beyond the tipping point in Latin America. We are going to see many more unicorns. I am optimistic that this will lead to sustained growth during the next decades,” said Hernan Kazah, Managing Partner at Kaszek Ventures, Argentina. “We still lack players, but we have many more than we did 15 years ago. In 20 years from now, we will see much better coverage [of start-ups].”

Start-ups should have the right to fail before they succeed, as experimentation is often the key to success. “Becoming a unicorn is a symbol of success, but we want to have long, sustainable companies to improve life,” said Amiram Appelbaum, Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Israel. “You want to solve human beings’ issues. You do it locally and then you can distribute it worldwide … You have to accept failure. It is a story of failures and successes,” Appelbaum said.

Governments play a crucial role in supporting academia and reducing bureaucracy, as well as injecting capital where market forces fail. “The challenge of connecting scientists and entrepreneurs is more important than helping to induce start-ups,” said Andy Freire, Legislator, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina is has recently implemented pro-business legislation. “We have been working towards improving entrepreneurs’ lives. Before, it took 100 days to set up a company. Now it can be done in a single day. Everything is on the cloud,” said Freire. “We provide them with tools to become entrepreneurs.” Still, there is still progress to be made. Marco Crespo, Head, Latin America, Gympass, pointed out that, although it is easy to do business in Argentina, there are still restrictions in terms of human labour and moving staff from one country to another.

“We have seen some positive measures that have allowed entrepreneurs to accelerate,” said Kazah. “The ecosystem is much more developed. We are on the right track with talents.” Kazah noted that, although the region is still lagging in terms of technology, the situation in Latin America is encouraging. “There will be more unicorns breaking through the crystal roof,” he said.

The World Economic Forum on Latin America is taking place in São Paulo on 13-15 March. The meeting is convening more than 750 regional and global leaders under the theme, Latin America at a Turning Point: Shaping the New Narrative.

Notes to editors:

Watch live webcasts of sessions and get more information about the event at http://wef.ch/la18

Guide to how to follow and embed sessions on your website at http://wef.ch/howtofollow

View the best photos from the event at http://wef.ch/pix

Read the Forum Agenda in English at http://wef.ch/agenda or in Spanish at http://wef.ch/agenda_es

Become a fan of the Forum on Facebook at http://wef.ch/facebook

Watch our videos at http://wef.ch/video

Follow the Forum on Twitter via @wef and @davos, and join the conversation using #la18

Follow our Instagram at http://wef.ch/instagram

Follow us on LinkedIn at http://wef.ch/linkedin

Learn about the Forum’s impact on http://wef.ch/impact

Subscribe to Forum news releases at http://wef.ch/news

All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics that shape global, regional and industry agendas.

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum