Y Combinator Doubles Down on Latin America’s Growing Tech Ecosystem
-
Blossoming Tech Ecosystem
Last Friday, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation hosted its 6th Annual Investor Forum where 12 emerging managers showcased their funds and diverse set of strategies. For Nilo Ventures’ managing partner, Alejandro Garcia-Amaya, it was a chance to share with US pension funds and family-office managers, the incredible opportunity to invest in the next generation of Latin American (LatAm) tech companies.
Alejandro spoke in detail on LatAm’s connected and growing tech ecosystem and shared Nilo’s thesis to invest in Y Combinator (YC) backed Latin American tech companies.
YC Investment in LatAm Doubles in 2019
YC is widely recognized as the most successful accelerator in the world. The renowned accelerator has the most exits, +$100 Billion in valuations, and an incredibly low acceptance rate of 1.5% (vs. Stanford’s acceptance rate of 5%).
15 LatAm tech startups accepted into YC S19 batch
Before 2018, YC had only invested in 11 Latin American tech companies including Colombia’s unicorn, Rappi. This year, YC invested in 24 LatAm startups, 15 of which came from the undisclosed S19 batch alone. YC’s growing interest is one of the many encouraging signs that LatAm’s tech ecosystem is maturing.
Sectors to Keep an Eye on
The Latin American tech ecosystem continues to take off. LatAm has 19 unicorns, 13 of which were realized in the past 18 months. While technology will likely disrupt almost every industry in the region, below are three sectors in particular to keep an eye out for: Banking, E-commerce, and Logistics.
