Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped startups in Latin America, as it shows in the last edition of Google for Startups Accelerator LATAM. The program, which began on April 5, will last two months, and – like the last two editions of Accelerator – will be virtual.
The founders of the selected companies will have the support of dozens of expert mentors and speakers on business issues; marketing, branding, and public relations; organizational culture, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; and Google Ads, Google Cloud, and Android Play; among other technologies and organizational skills.
Francisco Solsona, Lead of Google Developers for Latin America, pointed out that one year ago, the Acceleration program of Google was scheduled to start in the first week of April 2020. However, the pandemic forced them to postpone the start a couple of times until the team realized that it was necessary to create an online version.
In the last year, Google developed modern and compact versions of their flagship workshops: AI / ML, PAIR, infrastructure and cloud modernization, innovation, culture, growth, storytelling, and OKR.
This is how Accelerator included a section dedicated to sharing the best practices of remote and geographically distributed work, and reinforced the contents related to economy, finance, and investor relations, given the urgency of these issues during the crisis. Also, the program offers virtual spaces for relationships and mentoring, which can help selected entrepreneurs to build contacts effectively.
The accelerator will allow entrepreneurs to learn from the best, scale their products, overcome technological challenges and establish connections with entrepreneurship networks in the region and Silicon Valley, to become agents of change and innovation in the ecosystem of our region.
The 13 startups came from three countries: Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. They stand out for the talent of their teams and their proven ability to create global solutions to problems present in the region. Seven of them have women on their leadership team.
In this cohort, the fintech and e-commerce sectors were especially represented, with four companies each. The other companies belong to market segments such as real estate, healthcare, smart cities, and AI applied to the media.
13 startups in the Spring program of Google Accelerator
- Beepquest – Mexico: Offers a solution to companies to ensure compliance with standards, procedures manuals, and quality control.
- Be-Go – Mexico: Offers a simple solution to freight forwarders to offer their services to those who need them.
- Flat – Mexico: An application that simplifies and shortens the real estate sale process.
- Glitzi – Mexico: Offers beauty and spa services at home through an online solution.
- GuruHotel – Mexico: It makes it easier for hotels to start up and manage an electronic commerce platform in minutes, reducing commissions to intermediaries and transaction costs.
- Instaleap – Colombia: Offers solutions to help businesses streamline and make their last-mile logistics smarter.
- Kredi – Mexico: Offers those who need bank loans a way to compare their options and streamline the approval process.
- Medicato – Mexico: Provides 24/7 access to doctors and telemedicine services through a mobile app.
- Minu – Mexico: Allows employers to offer their workers the option of accruing the salary already worked, without the need for loans or payroll advances.
- Mozper – Mexico: Gives parents the option of generating and managing a bank card for their children, promoting savings habits and financial education.
- Vestuá – Chile: Used clothing marketplace, which allows people to obtain good quality pieces at a good price and give a responsible end of life to the garments that they no longer use.
- Vexi – Mexico: Credit card provider focused on young people starting their credit life, offering solutions to manage expenses and responsibly manage the card.
- Vozy – Colombia: Develops voice-based artificial intelligence solutions for companies, such as digital assistants or biometric analysis.
“The pandemic continues in our region and today I celebrate that these 13 startups continue to fight, opening a space in their respective verticals, offering decent work and growth options to dozens of people. These female and male entrepreneurs, together with their teams, make all the effort worthwhile. ”, Francisco Solsona completed.
Upon completion of the program, these startups will become part of the prestigious international group of alumni of Google Launchpad Accelerator, where they will join other large-scale Latin American companies such as Canasta Rosa, Ben & Frank, Platzi, Konfio, Ualá, La Haus, Ripio, ComparaOnline, Tienda Nube, and Miroculus, among others.