Tecnolatinas: Latin America Riding the Technology Tsunami

Abstract

Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC-IGO BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/legalcode) and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license.Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent. TECNOLATINAS REPORT 2 ABOUT TECNOLATINAS*The Surfing Tsunamis and NXTP Labs teams have joined forces to propose a new concept that identifies technology companies in Latin America.With the support of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF-IDB), this work seeks to measure the impact these young companies have on the regional economy, as well as the global reach of their innovations.Identifying them, systematizing dispersed information and presenting them under the same concept, is a key step in the consolidation of a sector that has been sailing for some time and which is nevertheless capable of generating value and employment at scale.This concept that we propose to designate the innovative talent of Latin America applied to innovation and technology, is also a way of recognizing that the talent that drives these companies are not exceptional, but we are facing a regional movement that is part of the Major industrial revolution of which we have memory. investors, corporations, academia, media and governments why they should be dedicating more time and attention to these companies and the opportunities they bring out.The report aims at providing answers to the following issues:How many Tecnolatinas there are, where they come from and how relevant they are.Why they are strategically relevant and how to identify the sweet spots in their ecosystem.Why they are emerging now. Is this another bubble?What their playbook is and which the toolkit they resort to; how they envision their local/regional/global playground; what approach to management and strategy they use; how they balance entrepreneurial spirit and growth.What the new frontiers and scenario drivers are, and in which of them Tecnolatinas may flourish in coming years.Who the stakeholders are and what they should be doing to make the most of this rapidly evolving trend.

Dependency in the Digital Age? The Experience of Mercado Libre in Latin America

“…They focus on spaces where there is local friction (i.e. the need for distribution, contracts, payment solutions)’ (Arrieta et al., 2017: 15). In the same vein, Andreoni and Roberts conclude that existing opportunities for regional digital platforms in the peripheries are mostly limited to tailored solutions that require location‐specific investments, such as e‐commerce and ride hailing, or that create what the authors define as ‘mini‐apps that run on super‐apps’ (Andreoni and Roberts, 2022: 1437).…”