CARTAGENA, Colombia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Endeavor invited 15 High-Impact Entrepreneurs from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico at its 43rd annual International Selection Panel. Endeavor now supports 691 High-Impact Entrepreneurs from 431 companies in 13 emerging market countries. The entrepreneurs were chosen at a Panel held from May 8 - 10 in Cartagena.
“I’m incredibly impressed with the quality of the companies we are seeing at our panels this year,” said Endeavor co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg. “In particular, we’re seeing a whole new generation of fast-growing technology oriented companies emerging in growth markets that are equal to what we see coming out of US tech hubs.”
Endeavor Entrepreneurs have had a significant track record of creating thousands of jobs and building sustainable growth models in their home countries. The International Selection Panel is the culmination of a rigorous multi-step Search & Selection process where top local and international business leaders interview and then offer guidance to entrepreneur candidates. Post-selection, Endeavor provides entrepreneurs with customized services provided by local business mentors and volunteers from Fortune 500 companies, consulting firms and top U.S. business schools. Additionally, Endeavor’s Catalyst program co-invests in Endeavor Entrepreneurs’ professional funding rounds.
Endeavor will host three more International Selection Panels this year in London (June); Istanbul (October) and Miami (December).
Entrepreneur(s)/Companies selected:
Argentina
Entrepreneurs: Pablo Orlando, Daniel Jejcic
Company: Good People
Description: Founded in 2008, Good People is building a global community for action sports fans both online via its social e-commerce site, and offline through its 12 brick-and-mortar stores and partnerships with industry leaders including Disney’s X-Games.
Brazil
Entrepreneurs: Wagner Furtado, Marcio Furtado
Company: Cash Monitor
Description: Wagner Furtado and Marcio Furtado, both from the financial services sector, founded Cash Monitor to help companies manage accounts payable and receivable, which often arrive from different parties at different times in different formats/currencies. Cash Monitor’s two solutions—conciliator credit cards for retailers/service providers and consolidated financial statements for large companies—reduce costs, improve security, and empower CFOs. Cash Monitor targets clients in industries with tight margins (e.g. retail, aviation, and diagnostic laboratories).
Entrepreneurs: Rogério Gabriel
Company: Prepara Cursos
Description: Prepara Cursos offers young, middle class Brazilians more than 70 computer-based vocational and language courses at affordable prices, providing them with the knowledge and skills required to secure their first job. The company serves more than 200,000 students in 350 branches throughout Brazil.
Chile
Entrepreneurs: Paolo Escobar, Eduardo Donoso
Company: Bionativa
Description: Bionativa develops, produces and sells natural pesticides to fruit growers in Chile. Founded in 2002, Bionativa is now riding the wave of demand for organic produce and growing quickly. The company has a six-person R&D team. Currently selling to Chile’s fruit exporters, the entrepreneurs have plans for regional expansion.
Entrepreneurs: Victor Devia
Company: OpenDat
Description: OpenDat develops and sells software that enables mining companies to on-board and manage employees more efficiently and cheaply than they currently do. HR management is a major pain point in the mining industry due to the highly regulated workflow of miners. The company sells its product to the major copper mines in Chile and it plans to move into the Peruvian and Colombian markets this year.
Entrepreneurs: Alfredo Gomez, Patricio Rojas
Company: Scrum
Description: Based in Chile’s mining centre of Antofagasta, Scrum provides copper and gold mining companies with software that allows them to monitor the quality and track the production process of their products from start of production to client delivery.
Colombia
Entrepreneurs: Andres Alban, Mauricio Hoyos
Company: Conexred
Description: Conexred brings financial services and products to Colombia’s lower class population. The company has a network of terminals that facilitate the third-party sale of products such as pre-paid cell phone minutes and financial transfers. Conexred places terminals in neighborhood cafes, drugstores, and convenience shops, giving Colombian microentrepreneurs the opportunity to supplement their income.
Mexico
Entrepreneurs: Jesús Saro Boardman
Company: FAGRO
Description: Fagro develops, produces and sells organic fertilizers to Mexican farmers. Fagro’s products allow farmers to export from Mexico to markets with stringent organic certification requirements and environmental regulations.
Entrepreneurs: Luis Pernia, Luis Martinez
Company: Proa
Description: Proa builds personalized safety and security solutions for new construction projects undertaken by contractors and architecture firms. The company both consults with clients on their structures’ specific needs in the context of international safety standards and partners with vendors to supply installations such as doors and alarm systems.
About Endeavor
Hailed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as “the best anti-poverty program of all,” Endeavor is leading the global movement to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. To date, Endeavor has screened more than 28,000 entrepreneurs and selected 604 individuals leading 385 high-impact companies.
With support from Endeavor’s worldwide mentor network, these high-impact entrepreneurs:
-Have created over 156,000 jobs
-Generated over $4.5 billion in revenues in 2010
-Inspire future generations to innovate and take risks
Headquartered in New York City, Endeavor currently operates in 15 countries throughout Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. As the high-impact movement expands globally, Endeavor will continue to prove that anyone with a big idea can succeed, from Silicon Valley to Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond.