Three Finalists Will Present Their Ideas to Richard Branson at the Pitch to Rich Mexico 2016 Finale
Pitch to Rich Mexico 2016 has selected the three finalists who will present their business projects to Richard Branson, Founder and CEO of Virgin Group. Thanks to Virgin Mobile Mexico’s initiative, in alliance with Laureate Mexico, this will be the first time a local edition of Pitch to Rich has ever been held in the country. The purpose of the contest is to promote entrepreneurship among university students.
Aliada, GWI and Lubvia were selected as finalists, standing out from over a hundred business plans presented by young Mexicans from more than 45 universities. The qualifying projects had to propose an innovative solution to employment, security and/or health issues affecting Mexican society.
The Finalist Projects
Aliada, represented by Rodolfo L. Corcuera Meier from Instituto Tecnológico Autonomo de México (ITAM) is a platform which helps people hire the best domestic workers in the city. The project also helps people who already have jobs to select the most convenient workplace and work hours for them.
Aliada has been operating for almost two years now, during this time it has helped improve the quality of life of several employees, reducing their commute by at least 50 percent, and providing them with more job opportunities, which translated into a higher income.
GWI is an app which responds to security concerns in Mexico. It was developed by a group of students from Universidad del Valle de México, Universidad Iberoamericána and Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey. The app consists of a security alert which allows the user to get in touch with people they know in case of danger or trouble. The user’s location will be sent simply by pushing a button on a bracelet which synchronizes with the smartphone through Bluetooth or by pressing the button directly on the app. Every time an alarm is activated, all nearby GWI bracelets will start vibrating to alert users in the area so the person in danger can receive help.
Lubvia, created by Enrique Ugarte, from Benemerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, is a device for pregnant women and newborn children. The objective of the app is to prevent fetal distress and sudden infant death syndrome. It is a patch with special sensors capable of detecting a baby’s vital signs, which are permanently monitored.
If any irregularity is detected, the device will send an alert to the parents’ smartphones to help them react within seconds, call the doctor and take any necessary action. The patch is placed on the mother’s belly during the 14th week of pregnancy. After the baby is born, the device is placed on the baby’s chest so the monitoring continues. It monitors heartbeat, temperature and breathing. The patch is made of silicon and hypoallergenic adhesive.
The jury, integrated by members of highly prestigious entrepreneurship organizations and prominent entrepreneurs, selected the best projects. The competing entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to showcase their business plans and their feasibility.
The winner will be chosen on Nov. 19 at the finals in UVM’s Cumbres campus in Monterrey. The winning team will receive nearly $10,700 from Virgin Mobile Mexico, and their project will be incubated at Universidad del Valle de Mexico.
In addition to the selection that the main jury –led by Richard Branson– will make, finalists will be able to get support from their followers, who can vote for them and help them win the “Public Award” prize through the following site: http://pitchtorichmexico.com/finalistas.
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