Fourteen startups in health, water, sanitation and hygiene were selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from 16 countries to participate in Demand Solutions, an event organized by the Inter-American Development Bank and is a Global Entrepreneurship Week featured event, that highlights entrepreneurship and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Demand Solutions event, to take place in Buenos Aires on November 15-16, will bring together some of the world’s most creative minds to share their solutions on how to tackle development challenges, specifically in the areas of health, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene, known by the acronym WASH.
A founder from each of the startups will travel to Argentina to participate in Demand Solutions and to compete in the associated Venture Night, where they will pitch their startups to the audience and a panel of judges. The founders will also take part in three days of activities with innovators, mentors, entrepreneurs, investors and the media.
The application and evaluation process was carried out through YouNoodle, a platform that specializes in competitions for startups. The startups were selected by a jury of specialists in the fields of entrepreneurship, health and WASH.
The selected startups and their representatives are:
| BIOBOT | Santiago Fux | Argentina |
| BLOODERS | César Esquivel | Mexico |
| BLOOMER TECH | Alicia Chong | Chile-Costa Rica |
| CANGAME | Eraldo Guerra | Brazil |
| COLAB – SEMDENGUE | Gustavo Maia | Brazil |
| COMMUNICARE | Kheston Walkins | Trinidad & Tobago |
| CPLANTAE | José Luis Ortiz | Mexico |
| ECOBOT | Lina Aramburo | Colombia |
| EL PIRATA VIGILANTE | Camilo Tobón | Colombia |
| HEALEK | Catalina N’Haux | Mexico |
| MAMOTEST | Guillermo Pepe | Argentina |
| REDIR | Mauro Torres | Venezuela |
| SMART WELLS | Daniel Perciante | Uruguay-Chile |
| WATER PACIFIC | Abel Quiroz | Colombia |
The organizers of the event are the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), part of the IDB Group; the City of Buenos Aires’ Under secretariat of the Creative Economy and Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Modernization, Innovation and Technology; the Federal Secretariat for Small and Medium Business and Regional Development (SEPYME) of the Ministry of Industry; and the investment fund and accelerator NXTP Labs.
Other partners include Microsoft, FEMSA Foundation, the Entrepreneur Impact Program of Autodesk, and the IDB’s Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL).
The Eighth Edition of the BID-FEMSA Water Award will take place during Venture Night (Nov. 16), where prizes for three of the startups on water, sanitation and hygiene will be awarded.
Demand Solutions will also dedicate one day to highlighting the talent of women “STEMpreneurs” who are innovating in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, during the annual forum of WeXchange, a leading Latin American forum focused on connecting and empowering female entrepreneurs with high-growth businesses. The open call closed on October 1.
Those interested in attending the Demand Solutions Argentina event may register on the event website.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.
The original post can be found on the IDB website.