Jorge Arlitt
Wayra, Telefónica’s international start-ups accelerator, has launched a new global call for projects to seek new business proposals in the area of Internet and new technologies. The start-ups should help monetize innovation efforts by the industry, providing products and simple offers but that provide specific and unique solutions for improving people’s lives.
Amongst other priorities, those businesses that Wayra decides to accelerate will feature applications and services for retail commerce, productivity tools as well as products that enhance customers’ communications and on-line purchasing experience
Entrepreneurs with projects or technology companies will be able to apply until June 8th in order to secure a place at any of the eight academies that are offering space as part of this call: Madrid, Barcelona, Dublin and Munich in Europe, and Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago de Chile in Latin America.
In Spain, the Wayra academies located in Madrid and Barcelona will incorporate 10 companies in their fourth cycle of acceleration.
After going through an exhaustive selection process, the best projects chosen will be able to participate in the acceleration program that provides them with funding, dedicated mentors, training and expert advice, a workspace for their team at the Wayra academy and a potential access to Telefónica Group businesses.
Wayra currently has a portfolio consisting of more than 317 companies grouped in over 20 digital industries. The funding allocated by Telefónica to early-stage companies accelerated by Wayra already exceeds 13.5 million euro, whereas third parties (public and private funds and angel investors) have granted funding for start-ups accelerated by more than 36 million euro
In addition, Telefónica has just launched the OpenFuture program, which includes a virtual accelerator, with universal and free access, and which will help young entrepreneurs to grow and advance in their project, and also come in contact with thousands of other entrepreneurs worldwide.
