The current scenario in Latin America brings good signs for what is to come in terms of entrepreneurship this 2022, according to the Argentine Silvina Moschini (President and co-founder of TransparentBusiness, the first pink unicorn in the region, CEO and Founder of SheWorks! The world’s most awarded women’s platform, and executive producer of Unicorn Hunters, the business reality show that provides seamless access to prominent investment opportunities prior to its IPO). During the last months of 2021, and thanks to the arrival of foreign capital that drives startups and unicorns, the number of small technology-based companies with high potential multiplied. Currently, there are international players who finance projects, business models that reach a high level of management, capital rounds and, above all, a lot of talent.
Below, Silvina Moschini shares the 5 most important trends for 2022 in terms of startups and unicorns:
Accelerated digitization
IDC predicts that 65% of global gross domestic product (GDP) will be impacted by digitization in 2022, which is impacting ramifications across all aspects of business and infrastructure. Technology is essential to change many things that were physically done by inertia or tradition and now, from a cell phone or a computer, can be solved more easily and quickly. The key to tuning in to change will be relying on effective technology solutions and ongoing training.
Disruptive financing models
During 2022, it will be necessary to expand the frontiers of digitization. Models such as equity crowdfunding – a form of investment in which, in exchange for relatively small amounts of money, public investors obtain a proportional part of the company’s capital – can be a magic formula to help entrepreneurs – and especially to Entrepreneurs – to obtain financing and expand their businesses. This transformation is a key step in democratizing access to finance and represents a magnificent opportunity for entrepreneurs.
A new regional map of unicorns
Latin America has become fertile land for unicorns. In recent years, the region has seen 34 of them born. Until 2020, Argentina had 5 and this year 6 more were added, reaching a total of 11. For its part, Mexico has 8 unicorns (Clip, Bitso, Kavak, Konfío, Jokr, Clara, Incode and Merama). This reveals the innovative potential of our startups in front of investors from all over the world and shows that the horizon of entrepreneurship during 2022 will be promising. Our experience at Unicorn Hunters, the business series where we connect ideas and investments, confirms this trend. And that’s not all: by 2022 we are expected to enter the era of decacorns (companies valued at more than ten billion dollars) and even hectares (valued at more than 100 billion dollars). These trends show us that the time to launch our projects is now.
Integration in hybrid teams
According to the Global Talent 2021 survey conducted by Oxford Economics, the most requested skills in the next decade will be digital (particularly the ability to telecommute). As we proclaim from SheWorks !, a social impact platform that seeks to reduce the female unemployment gap in the labor market, every day talent and the focus on results matter more, instead of where and how employees do their work. The hybrid model will remain in the new normal and will present a challenge to manage and integrate teams effectively, regardless of whether employees are in-person or remotely. This is a great alternative to promote work autonomy.
New generation of virtual interaction
Through interconnected virtual communities, the metaverse will change the way of interacting, living life and experiencing reality. Business opportunities, especially in marketing and branding, will create new industries as users shift their focus from the web to this more immersive experience.
Market trends indicate that 2022 will be a favorable year for startups in the region, especially for those powered by technology, which focus on Artificial Intelligence, fintech, climate-tech, cybersecurity and crypto, among other segments that took the ahead in the pandemic and portend a promising horizon for the rise of the next Latin American unicorns. In addition, I am convinced that digital acceleration and remote work will bring greater female leadership. Through SheWorks! and Skirt The Rules we work every day to make this happen and we show the world that talent has no gender: women are 50% of the population and the time has come for us to have 50% of the opportunities.
