Platzi prepares for PlatziConf in Bogota, announces three finalists

Contxto – Positioned as one of Latin America’s most prominent edtechs, not to mention a reliable source to learn about the latest tech trends and skills, Platzi is now going a step further.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, programmer, marketer, startup founder or all-around tech enthusiast, the Colombian startup will soon launch PlatziConf to showcase some of the region’s freshest talent.

With the Demo Day scheduled to take place on November 2 in Bogota, the conference intends to promote promising startups sweeping through Latin America. At the same time, the company with Colombian origins has also made it a competition with one-year of Platzi mentorship and a trip to San Francisco at stake.

After receiving 75 applications, Platzi held the first round of pitches with the top ten contenders yesterday on Thursday, October 24. From there, only three were selected to compete in PlatziConf’s Demo Day next week in Bogota where the winner will be revealed.

“No matter how much we prepare, each year, without fail, the number of records for Demo Day exceeds our expectations and puts us before the difficult task of choosing the best participants among dozens of spectacular ideas and projects that are being developed in Latin America,” said Platzi in a recent statement.

Each startup was evaluated based on scalability, growth, tech factors, feasibility, product-market fit, as well as having a U.S. visa to travel to San Francisco. 

“There were very high-quality startups this year,” said Platzi Head of Marketing Daniel Granatta in recent email correspondence. “Many have already received seed funding and started generating money.”

So without any further ado, here are the top three startups competing in PlatziConf’s Demo Day.

Dartspeed (Mexico/Colombia)

Websites can load reportedly within two seconds thanks to Dartspeed’s solution. Through improving domain speeds via optimization bots, the startup ultimately helps partners increase revenue. After all, potential customers abandon approximately 53 percent of mobile site visits if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. 

Ensuring flawless user experience on mobile websites is crucial for many companies to make conversions. In the end, if people have a negative experience on a mobile page, they’re 62 percent less likely to purchase from the company in the future.

SmartQuick (Colombia)

Optimize, control and monitor logistical processes through SmartQuick’s technology. Moving forward, the startup hopes to consolidate its scalable platform for all customers, on top of creating a lightweight sales platform to ensure exponential growth. 

Delivery control and route planning are two of SmartQuick’s main services. Through the startup’s data-tracking software, clients can control everything from placement orders, cargo monitoring, form signatures, etc.

Biobotix Labs (Mexico)

This healthtech develops wearable technology and AI for clinical monitoring purposes. Specifically, it’s useful for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and neurological injuries. At the moment, the company is still in the beta testing with active users and in the midst of raising a seed round. 

Working in tandem with the application, these wearable devices are capable of measuring a range of motion with high-precision. This solution is particularly useful for physical therapists and their patients.

Other semifinalists included:

Flota Guru (Colombia)

Partners use this platform to access quotes for heavy cargo shipments. Working with over 3,000 companies, it’s currently streamlining its use of logistics throughout the industry. Besides being able to easily compare rates, users can also monitor shipments in real-time for quality assurance purposes.

Apphive (Mexico) 

Functioning as the Wix of app development, this platform allows users to create their own mobile applications. Regardless of your tech competency, it only requires some dragging and dropping over the platform. As people say, codeless is the new black.

Meals (Colombia)

Hungry Colombians have access to Meals’ daily homemade dishes. Not only are they of high-quality and fresh ingredients, but also affordably priced. As of today, the startup is looking for strategies to increase clientele.

Insuti (Colombia)

Functioning as an insurtech, Insuti offers both life and vehicle insurance over the mobile and web platform. Currently, the company is seeking to scale downloads and conversion rates through staretic growth and marketing campaigns.

Mama Sherpa (Mexico) 

Growth marketing as a service is what Mama Sherpa offers to users wanting to accelerate their project, whether that be a company or brand. Services range from innovation and development, coaching, engagement, retention, data analytics, as well as plenty of marketing techniques.

Flit (Ecuador) 

Offering mobility as a service, customers can easily access commercial fleets through this cloud-based logistics solution. Regarding challenges, Flit is currently trying to improve reaction time to software updates over the platform. 

iD (Colombia) 

Architecture and construction meets IoT is what iD is all about. Some of its specialties range from adaptations, furniture development, modular architecture, as well as architectural design. Although applications are immense, right now it is still finding product-market fit.

-JA