Communications of the ACM
Latin Americans Surge Into High-Tech Fields
Wenceslao Casares, an Argentine native, is helping Latin American companies gain footing and financing in Silicon Valley.
Credit: Stanford Ecorner / YouTube
Silicon Valley is starting to attract a new wave of entrepreneurs from Latin America who have launched startups offering everything from digital wallets to video games for mobile phones. A recent article in Slate credits Argentine native Wenceslao Casares for bringing attention to the technology innovations in the region. Casares persuaded the former director of PayPal to take investors and startup executives on invite-only tours through Latin America.
Immigrants lead 52.4 percent of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley, according to a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation, but Chinese and Indian immigrants have historically led the way.
Many Latin American innovators serve as a bridge between their native homeland and the United States. For example, the startup Interesante is a Pinterest-inspired social network.
Singularity University's Vivek Wadhwa believes Brazil, with its nascent high-tech incubators, will produce the next Mark Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, CODE2040 has launched a pilot program offering summer internships with hopes of boosting the number of Latinos and blacks in Silicon Valley.
From National Journal
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