The list of innovators under 35 “who could revolutionize the world”, made every year by the MIT Technology Review –Mark Zuckerberg was part in 2007- recognized three Uruguayans: Alejandro Esperanza (Gurucargo), Lucía Spangenberg (GenLives) and Marcelo Wilkorwsky (Oincs).
Almost 150 candidates were nominated in the Argentina and Uruguay edition of the poll, but only 10 were selected. An international jury of experts in the different projects areas made the selection.
In this fifth edition the goal was to “discover a new generation of innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs with a big talent in areas related to science and technology, biotechnology and medicine, electronic hardware, software, internet and telecommunications, transport, nanotechnology and energy” –pointed the magazine.
Gurucargo started as a way to facilitate international commerce making the process more transparent. Its founders Alejandro Esperanza, Andrés Israel, Eric Waizman and Eduardo Di Fabio noted that there was a lot of disorganization in the buy and sell logistic services process, so they searched to lead an international transformation trough technology. They made a platform that allow cargo agents to bid and compete to improve their fares, in which importers and exporters have all the information. The product was launched with the founding of their angel investor, Martín Naor.
“For the importer is the only way to know if he is paying a fair price for the shipping. In the past they have to call every agent, asking for fares, trusting in their words. Our platform collects all the supply and demand and make it transparent”, says Israel.
The endeavor was launched in 2014 and operates in various Latin American countries. Israel said that in their trip to Argentina for the event organized by the MIT, they will know industry leaders and will present Gurucargo to investors, founds and press. “The main impact will happen after the event”, he assured.
GenLives aims to determinate tendencies to contract illness (cardiopathies, Alzheimer, cancer, among others) trough a DNA test and a network of experts, bringing a diagnosis to undiagnosed patients, analyzing also genetic compatibility from the fathers to their future sons.
Genlives started in 2015, incubated by Biospin, created by the Pasteur Institute to promote biotech endeavors.
“I hope that this acknowledgement will bring more visibility to the project. That genomic medicine start to be more known”, said Lucía Spangenberg. She added that this is the first recognition she received and the first event of this kind she will attend, so she still doesn’t know what she will find.
Oinc founder Marcelo Wilkorwsky considers the recognition as a “gift and a cuddle to all the effort and dedication made to fulfill a dream”.
Oincs is an application that helps citizens to move safely in their cities, trough the user collective contribution of real time information about transit and crimes with the aim to achieve a city better life experience.
Wilkorwsky said that although the recognition is very recent, he is always prepared to this kind of events.
Besides being awarded by MIT, Wilkorwsky also will attend the Young Leaders of The Americas initiative in the United States. He said that he will learn about what is happening in the “entrepreneurship mecca” and the experience will help to assimilate innovations for his app.
Source: El Observador | Translation: Andrés Torrón
