EXIT: ¿Está América Latina ... by on Scribd

New technologies and the digitizalition of information have had transformative impacts on the global economy. Yet Latin America as a whole has played a passive role in the new digital economy. No Latin American company figures among the major global technology companies, and the Cornell University's Global Innovation Index places the region well behind other developed and emerging market economies. At the same time, a number of technology companies in the region--Argentina's Despegar and Mercado Libre, Mexico's Softtek, Brazil's B2W and Nubank, and Colombia's Rappi--have grown rapidly, achieving market values upward of $1 billion. In a new study published by the Latin American Program and Colombia's Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, authors Diego Molano, Guillermo Cruz, and Santiago Amador explore five "ecosystems" of digital entrepreneurship and innovation in Latin America: Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Medellín, Santiago, and São Paulo. They develop a unique methodology for identifying the multiple factors contributing to the success of these ecosystems and make policy recommendations for the public and private sectors in the areas of human capital, digital infrastructure, financing, regulation, and other areas.