As a single mother, Rosa Maria Costa prizes a flexible work schedule. For years, she navigated Sao Paulo’s infamously congested boulevards as a motorcycle courier for a radio dispatch service. She enjoyed the work, but it was hard to make ends meet and she had little time for her sons.
My kids complained that they never saw me,” Costa, 47, says.
Costa now works for Loggi, a Brazilian start-up that connects couriers to customers needing express delivery service. It allows Costa to work flexible hours so she can build her day around her 3-year-old’s school schedule. Best of all, she’s earning twice what she used to make with the dispatch company. “I’m working less and making more money,” she says.
Founded in 2013, Loggi is part of a new wave of Latin American start-ups that’s disrupting business as usual and creating new economic opportunities across the region. These companies are using technology to help close Latin America’s inequality gap, provide broader access to goods and services, and create jobs. They are important allies in Latin America’s efforts to strengthen its skills, technology, and innovation base—all critical elements to boosting prosperity.
This week, 50 of the region’s most promising start-ups—including Loggi—are joining a forum in Sao Paulo organized by the World Economic Forum and IFC. The gathering builds on the momentum generated by the region’s new wave of tech entrepreneurs and offers them the opportunity to tap into a network of global investors, corporate leaders, and policymakers.
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