Chile, the leading innovation hub in Latin America, will be part of eMerge Americas 2023

ProChile and nine companies will represent the country, which will have its own panel called "Tech Talent: A global perspective from Chile."

MIAMI, April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third year, a Chilean delegation will travel to Miami to be part of eMerge Americas 2023, the premier technology conference transforming the city into a global tech hub scheduled for April 20-21.

This time, nine companies from the South American country were chosen to participate in Startup Showcase 2023, a program that will give them access to the world's leading tech investors and corporate partners. They are Admetricks, By Bug, Hacknoid, Infraseg, Mi Tribu, Nala, Option, Smarketing Sales, and Youtouch.

As part of the initiative, they participated in six virtual boot camps. Once they arrive in Miami, they will have the opportunity to pitch in front of a curated group of seasoned judges, and they will have an exhibit space during the event.

"About 100 companies were selected to compete, nine of whom are from Chile. This shows you that the country is at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship in Latin America," said Claudia Serrer, Trade Commissioner in Miami at ProChile, the government institution promoting goods and services abroad.

In addition to this program, there will be a panel focused on the country called "Tech Talent: A global perspective from Chile," where Claudia will discuss the Chilean tech ecosystem and the opportunities and challenges in the Florida market with two Chilean entrepreneurs: René Espinoza, Co-Founder and CEO at Lazarillo, and Eyal Shats, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at SimpliRoute. Their companies have been in the Sunshine State since last year.

Furthermore, the ProChile representative will be a judge in the Hemispheric University Consortium Social Ideas Challenge, a unique international contest seeking entrepreneurial ideas with social impact through university communities. Two groups from Chile will compete with students from Ecuador, Peru, and the United States.

Leader in Latin America

Since 2007, Chile has been the region's leader in the Global Innovation Index by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Last year, it was among the 50 more innovative countries worldwide.

According to the 2021/2022 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, Chile is the most innovative country for early-stage entrepreneurs.

The country exported $359 million in tech services last year, which is 0,2% higher than in 2021. Of this amount, $88 million – equivalent to 24,5% of the total – was sent to the United States.

According to ProChile, 136 tech companies have started operations in the US in the past five years, of which 34 chose Florida as their launching pad into the American market. Their offices are in different cities, including Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa.

Their expansion has been possible thanks to different initiatives hosted by ProChile, including GoGlobal, a soft landing and mentoring program carried out annually in Miami since 2019. More than 130 startups have participated in its four editions.

Part of this success comes from a government effort to develop a local innovation ecosystem and support the creation of technology-based, innovative, scalable, and high-impact companies. In 2010, the government launched Start-Up Chile, a public accelerator that seeks to attract global talent to Chile and counts Microsoft, AWS, Walmart, and Johnson & Johnson MedTech as its partners.

Its results speak for themselves: more than 2,000 companies are part of its portfolio, with a valuation exceeding $5 billion. Their combined sales are over $2 billion.

"These companies have had a great performance in our country, and our job now is to help them grow their operations into new markets, including the United States," said Serrer.

Miami NFT Week

At the beginning of April, four Chilean entrepreneurs participated in the "Web3 perspective and startup opportunities from Latam" panel at Miami NFT Week 2023.

The panelists were Daniel Pardo, Co-Founder and CEO of Wbuild; Ignacio Detmer, Co-Founder and CEO of Koywe; Nicolás Jaramillo, Co-Founder and COO of Arch; and Ignacio Ibaibarriaga, Founder of Trips3.

"By participating in these events, we want to give visibility to Chile's innovation ecosystem, its success stories, and its talented human capital," said Serrer.

SOURCE ProChile