SXSW 2014: Mobile In Latin America

The fact that mobile marketing is not bigger commercially in Latin America is a little mind boggling in my mind. Many creators of major streaming content already come from the region, for example Grooveshark was created in Mexico and Brazil is one of the larger in country user bases for the newly purchased WhatsApp that is part of Facebook’s global mobile domination.

From the session that was held at SXSW, directed by Pablo Salazar Rojo-managing director of Naranya Ventures, the big needs are that surfaced are really funding, knowledge, and education.

  • More education will create additional talent on the continent.
  • Building relevance for mobile will be based on more conferences and development of conversations in countries about how mobile can work for businesses and brands
  • Fiscal incentives are dearly needed to assist with funding. Some government budgets are $1mm and below

Naranya Ventures is building more accelerators in Latin America to build momentum and development of research, funding and acceleration of the conversations. One of the methods he discussed was using what works in Africa, with mobile payments, and social and leverage in Latin America to create structure at scale.

But the real thing we think that may stimulate growth are the tests that America Movil and others area pushing  in Latin America that have deeper pockets to invest and already have existing infrastructures in Central and some area in Latin America

Take a look at one of the upcoming events in May for 5/2-5/6 Emerge Americas in Miami here. It will be one in a series of many events that will help push this issue forward in the future.