“Well-being is attained little by little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.” - Zeno of Citium
Argentina: Avancargo is a B2B trucking platform that provides carriers and shippers with better availability by connecting supply and demand. Avancargo provides transparent management towards all those involved in the logistics chain. With over 100’000 registered and audited trucks and with more than 1’000 monthly trips, Avancargo has become the household name for logistics in Southern South America. Get to know the case here.
Colombia: Alfred emerges as the one-stop-shop solution for vehicle owners. As its name states, just like Batman has an Alfred that takes care of everything so Batman can focus on being a superhero, Alfred takes care of everything related to its customer’s vehicles. This is done by making the process of requesting any maintenance service much easier and providing the required transparency/information gathering throughout the whole process. Get to know the case here.
Dive deeper into other fundraising firms in LatAm here.
Source: NASA.
LATAM's three largest space tech countries are Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
Brazil has the most advanced space program in the region, with the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) being the primary space organizations. Brazil has developed and launched several satellites, including the Amazonia-1 satellite in 2021, and has partnerships with other space agencies around the world.
Argentina has a well-established space program, with the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) being the primary organization. CONAE has launched several satellites for Earth observation, telecommunications, and scientific research. In 2020, CONAE launched the SAOCOM 1B satellite in partnership with the Italian Space Agency.
Mexico has a relatively new space program, with the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) being the primary organization. AEM has collaborated with other space agencies and launched several small satellites, including the AzTechSat-1 satellite in 2019.
Space tech firms to keep an eye on in LATAM
Colombia: According to an internal United Nations presentation, the plummeting price of coca, the main ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity and displacement in Colombia, as people abandon areas dependent on the illicit crop. The oversupply of coca, territorial disputes between trafficking groups, the influx of synthetic opioids in the United States, and the absence of buyers have led to economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis in rural areas that relied on coca cultivation for income.
Paraguay: President-elect, Santiago Pena, expressed that while Paraguay would like to increase trade with China, Taiwan offers better prospects for developing its largely agricultural economy. Pena emphasized the importance of maintaining relations with Taiwan to move towards value-added goods and industrial development, rather than solely relying on exporting raw materials to China.
Cuba: President Miguel Diaz-Canel assured that Cuba would participate "very constructively" in an upcoming European Union summit with Latin America and the Caribbean, despite recent calls for sanctions against him by the EU parliament. Diaz-Canel's visit to Portugal, prior to the summit, aimed to strengthen ties, and he expressed gratitude to Portugal and the EU for their opposition to the longstanding US economic embargo on Cuba, which Cuba considers the main obstacle to its development.
Brazil: The rollout of facial recognition surveillance cameras in São Paulo, Brazil, is raising concerns about exacerbating racism and inequality. Experts warn that the indiscriminate use of this technology could pose risks to data privacy, cybersecurity, and fundamental human rights, while the majority of individuals arrested through facial recognition in Brazil are already Black.
China and the US are Latin America's largest trading partners, exchanging goods and services worth over $1 trillion in 2021. Surprisingly, Germany traded nearly $60 billion with Latin America, twice the total trade with the entire African continent, highlighting its significant economic relationship. Additionally, while Latin American countries traded around $165 billion among themselves, strengthening trade connections between Argentina, Chile, and Colombia could lead to increased employment and opportunities for the region. Check out Latinometrics to get great data visuals about Latin America.
