In many ways, Colombia has been the stealth story of the Latin America startup scene. The country has gotten its economic house largely in order, the threat of terrorism has been massively reduced, and technology companies are popping up all over. We’ve profiled a few of them on this site, including GiftCode, SnappyGo and Edmond.com.co, and there are many other great stories coming out of the country.
A few days ago, Startup Weekend Barranquilla wrapped up, so I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the stories that came out of the event. In particular, I think it’s important to share some of the business models — good, bad and otherwise — so that people can use them as launching points for their own startup ideas. Winners at the end!
Here’s a short list of the participants:
Freework.in: A marketplace for talent, not unlike the Spanish startup UpStartUp, where employers can select designers and the like.
MiTaxi: Under the name “System of safe taxis” (sistema de taxis seguros, or @sidtaseg) this is yet another startup trying to solve the perennial pain point of getting decent taxi service in less than ideal metro areas.
Social Points: An application that uses gamification techniques to build and promote loyalty among customers of small and medium sized businesses.
Artkick: (@artkick_co) This is a clever concept to help comic book artists get discovered, Kickstarter style. Funds are raised for each episode, so that the artist can get paid as the series progresses.
Practicantes.co: A site that helps students find real-world experiences to improve their marketability.
GoOffers.co: A site that geolocates sales and deals.
Cantera.co: A site that encourages young people to participate in challenges in order to learn from their experiences.
Panggea: A mobile language app that helps people communicate like a local.
FormBand: An app that allows musical groups to find new members or fill empty functions.
Game Parental: A system for video game development.
UDressMe: Get suggestions of new clothes based on what’s already in your virtual closet.
Info School: Not unlike Mexican startup School Control, Info School informs parents of their childrens’ progress at school.
