Hispanic entrepreneurship is living its best moment. Where there used to be isolated talent, there are now consolidated ecosystems, million-dollar funding rounds, and a shared vision of global impact. Startups founded in Spanish no longer compete within their region—they compete for the world.
The phenomenon isn’t random. Over the last decade, Latin America and Spain have multiplied their number of unicorns by five. Cities like Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Madrid, and São Paulo have become tech hubs with international reach. The talent is already there, and now, so is the capital.
According to LAVCA’s State of Latin American Tech 2025 report, venture capital invested in Latin American startups surpassed $15 billion in 2024, driven by the rise of fintech, edtech, greentech, and healthtech.
From idea to global impact
Mercado Libre, born in Argentina, needs no introduction. The company, which started as a regional marketplace, is now one of Latin America’s most valuable companies and one of the ten most influential Hispanic firms on the planet, as we highlighted in our article about the power of the Hispanic world.
But the new wave goes beyond the giants. Startups like Kavak, Rappi, Clip, and Ualá are proving that purpose-driven innovation pays off.
Kavak, the Mexican platform for buying and selling used cars, reached a valuation of over $8 billion and now operates in more than six countries. Rappi, founded in Bogotá, is active in nine markets and provides indirect employment to more than 300,000 couriers.
Ualá, founded by Argentine entrepreneur Pierpaolo Barbieri, combines digital banking and financial education, with more than six million users across Latin America. Its model was cited in our report on education and talent in the new Hispanic economy.
Spain: the bridge between Europe and the Americas
Spain has become the gateway for Hispanic innovation to enter the European market. Startups like Glovo, Cabify, Wallbox, and Factorial have achieved what once seemed impossible a decade ago—competing head-to-head with global giants from Madrid or Barcelona.
Glovo, which operates in over 25 countries, was acquired by Delivery Hero in a €2.3 billion deal, cementing Spain’s ecosystem as an exporter of tech talent.
Factorial, a human resources software company, closed a $120 million Series D funding round in 2024, becoming Barcelona’s newest unicorn.
These stories confirm the trend we explored in our special on investment and venture capital in the Hispanic ecosystem: money no longer stays in Silicon Valley—it’s looking for the accent of growth.
Innovation with impact
Hispanic technology is no longer just an imitator—it’s becoming a creator.
In Chile, NotCo uses artificial intelligence to develop plant-based foods that directly compete with Beyond Meat. Its algorithm “Giuseppe” can create recipes that precisely replicate animal proteins.
In Peru, Crehana, founded by Diego Olcese, has revolutionized online education with more than eight million users. Its hybrid model combines flexible learning, mentoring, and employability, uniting technology and human development.
And in Colombia, La Haus is digitizing the real estate market with transparency, connecting thousands of buyers and sellers across Latin America.
They all share more than ambition: they share a deep social conscience. Sustainability, inclusion, and gender equality are part of their DNA, as we analyzed in our article about sustainable companies with a Hispanic accent.
The wave reaches the United States and the Philippines
The phenomenon is also spreading to other Hispanic and culturally connected regions. In the United States, Latina Tech Accelerator and Miami Tech Week have fostered a new generation of Hispanic women founders with a global focus, such as Beatriz Acevedo of SUMA Wealth, previously mentioned among the Hispanic entrepreneurs changing the game.
In the Philippines, the startup Kumu has achieved what once seemed impossible—creating a local social network with Hispanic DNA that competes with TikTok and Twitch.
A future that speaks Spanish
The Hispanic startup ecosystem is leaving a deep mark on the global economy. Today, there are more than 12,000 active startups across Latin America, Spain, and the Hispanic diaspora, creating over 1.5 million direct jobs.
But beyond the numbers, the real change is cultural. Hispanic startups share a common identity: resilience, community, and purpose. They’ve learned to innovate with limited resources, to grow in unstable environments, and to prioritize impact over ego.
Spanish has become the language of emerging innovation. And as we noted in our report about language as an economic asset, the next global unicorn could be born anywhere in the Hispanic world.
Because if there’s one thing that unites this new generation of founders, it’s the certainty that the future, too, is being built in Spanish.
