WeXchange, the platform of the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, IDB Lab, which connects STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) entrepreneurs from Latin America and the Caribbean with mentors and investors, and Google announced the 15 women-led companies selected in the call for the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition 2023.
The finalists will present their solutions at WeXchange 2023, which will take place on June 13 and 14 in Bogotá, Colombia, as part of IDB Lab Forum, the IDB Group’s flagship innovation and technology event.
The competition received over 340 applications from 25 countries with solutions in edtech, healthtech, fintech, software as a service (SaaS), biotech, climatetech, agtech and ecommerce, among others. AVP Ventures, a venture capital fund, led the selection process involving 65 investors from 40 funds in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The selected companies will participate in the Startup Academy, Google for Startups’ micro-acceleration program, connecting them with technology, digital marketing, leadership, and capital-raising experts. In addition, the selected entrepreneurs will present their businesses to venture capital investors and key players in the innovation ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean at IDB Lab Forum.
The selected companies are:
B2Gov (Argentina): a company that uses data intelligence to facilitate access to public procurement information and present it in a uniform, systematized manner using business terms.
Dinie (Brazil): a credit infrastructure solution for e-commerce platforms, which makes integrated credit products for companies available to its micro, medium, and small business customers.
Enteria (Uruguay): a company dedicated to studying microorganisms that live in people’s intestines, vaginas, and skin to make informed decisions that impact people’s health.
Flevo (Argentina): a solution for student financing that offers payments, collections, reconciliations, and automatic invoicing.
GenderLab (Peru): a SaaS solution that allows organizations to measure, monitor, and act against workplace sexual harassment without relying on complaints.
IncluirTech (Colombia): a SaaS solution that facilitates financial loans to small producers and rural micro-entrepreneurs.
Kaudal (Peru): a platform that empowers employees to automate tasks using artificial intelligence and no-code tools.
MetaBix Biotech (Uruguay): a technology company that predicts emerging pathogens and measures microbiological risks for the agri-food sector.
Munay (Bolivia): a digital platform for micro-entrepreneurs, providing them with financial products, comprehensive technical tools, and a community of support on their entrepreneurial journey.
Nippy (Argentina): a technology platform that provides benefits and services to independent workers.
SmartTerm (Trinidad and Tobago): an education management platform that digitizes schools and facilitates a stress-free environment for teachers and students.
Suncast (Chile): a SaaS platform that calculates the forecast of solar and wind energy and sends them automatically in the format and schedule required by authorities.
Sylvarum (Argentina): a company that uses electrostimulation to control plant metabolism and improve crop yields in controlled environments.
Taxo (Ecuador): a tax automation platform focused on individuals, which facilitates the operational work of the accountant and reduces taxpayers’ friction with taxes.
Vopero (Mexico): a platform to buy and sell circular and sustainable fashion for women, men, and children in LATAM.
The WeXchange platform seeks to make it easier for entrepreneurs to connect with other entrepreneurs and investors and participate in training and mentoring. This year the WeXchange events are happening as part of IDB Lab Forum, and the participating entrepreneurs will be able to take part in both the regular sessions of the event, as well as exclusive activities for STEM entrepreneurs, which include talks, workshops, and sessions with experts by industry and for business.
WeXchange’s activities are made possible through the support of the Women Entrepreneurs Financing Initiative (WeFi).
More information about the event and registration can be found here: IDB Lab Forum.
About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group, the leading source of development finance and know-how for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion in the region by mobilizing financing, knowledge, and connections to test early-stage solutions with the potential to transform the lives of vulnerable populations affected by economic, social, and/or environmental factors. Since 1993 IDB Lab has approved more than US$ 2 billion in projects deployed across 26 LAC countries. www.idblab.org
About Google
Google is a leading global technology company dedicated to improving the ways people connect with information. Google’s innovations in Internet search and advertising have made its website one of the leading products on the Internet, and its brand is one of the most recognized in the world. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
About We-Fi
The Women Entrepreneurs Funding Initiative (We-Fi) is an unprecedented partnership to raise funds for women-led or women-owned businesses in developing countries. We-Fi’s partners include 14 governments, six multilateral development banks as implementing partners, and other public and private sector parties worldwide.