☀️ Good morning!
February began and is ending with the announcement of three new Latin American unicorns. First, it was Bettterfly, a Chilean wellbeing benefits platform. Then it was Brazilian neobank Neon. Now it's Buenos Aires-based banking software company Technisys after a successful exit.
It was fully acquired by SoFi Technologies, one of the most prominent U.S.-based fintech companies. At the time of the acquisition, Technisys was valued at US$1,1 billion. It is now part of the groundbreaking Argentine unicorns, including Mercado Libre, Globant, and Tiendanube.
This week, we've also taken a closer look at two startups that have seen their businesses grow exponentially because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but who are also facing growing competition.
“If we hadn't been created in the pandemic, our growth would have been very slow," Juan Sebastián Jaramillo, co-founder of Pari, told us. He's Colombian, but Pari, an alcohol delivery company that promises deliveries under 25 minutes, is based in Mexico City.
It's really surprising how the delivery industry is growing and diversifying. When asked about competitors like JOKR and Rappi, Jaramillo said: "These platforms have too broad a selection of items. On the contrary, Pari is 100% focused on selling alcohol and liquor." Will this focus make the difference when it comes to making a profit in the crowded ultra-fast delivery scene?
Then, there's the edtech sector. Christian Patiño, CEO and co-founder de Coderhouse, emphasizes that its difference among other edtech startups is that his company "is the only online platform that teaches live classes on a scale.” Students are more engaged this way, he says, compared to pre-recorded courses that students can access on demand. Seeing that Coderhouse raised two funding rounds in 2021, this strategy seems to be working so far.
–Paola Villarreal
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