High-Impact Entrepreneurship

With a recent showcase at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May in New York and in a limited edition MoMA design store collection, Destination: Istanbul, Endeavor company ilio has had something of its own spring awakening in the United States (read more about this here).

Next up for the entrepreneurial brother-sister team Demir and Mehtap Obuz–a sale on the high-end online retailer Gilt Groupe. The sale will start Wednesday, July 12th, at 9pm EST. (You can preview the sale an hour ahead of time on Facebook.)

To shop their designs, click here.

Catching up with Endeavor Entrepreneurs David Assael and David Basulto, founders of Plataforma Networks, at last week’s Endeavor Entrepreneur Summit in San Francisco, Fast Company’s Rob Salkowitz blogged about how their simple idea changed the landscape of the architecture industry.

In his post, “Chilean Entrepreneurs Redesign The Architecture Industry,” Salkowitz describes how the two Chilean architects were looking for more exposure, which meant having their designs published by one of the respected industry publications (there are fewer than a dozen). Frustrated by their South American vantage and lack of connections, the two Davids decided to shape their own futures by launching Plataforma Urbana in 2005, followed by Plataforma Arquitectura in 2006 and then the English language version ArchDaily in 2008.

“Almost overnight, the site exploded into a vibrant, well-trafficked, and increasingly influential forum. The obvious advantages of the Internet — instant global distribution and no arbitrary space limitations on content — conferred an immediate edge over traditional media, but what really launched the site was the quality of the professional community.”

Salkowitz notes that Plataforma Networks’ success had a lot to do with their timing–they were first, and they “maximized first-mover advantage by getting the site right from a design, editorial and marketing perspective.” The trio of websites have led to a new kind of fame for the entrepreneurs in the industry and beyond. They have been guests of royalty, governments and architecture schools around the world, and have brought a more cutting-edge company culture to Santiago (picture the house in the early days of Facebook, the article notes), where they have “a lot of crazy developers, not very much space.”

Perhaps most importantly, the entrepreneurs have globalized at least the Spanish- and English-speaking architecture worlds, where young talent is more exposed and architects have access to greater opportunities. Good designs and innovative ideas can now be spread in an instant, relieving frustration and creating a vibrant network of architectural talent.

Press release reprinted from Business Wire

SAN FRANCISCO–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–During the biennial 2011 Endeavor EntrepreneurSummit, the landmark event hosted by the global nonprofit organization that transforms emerging countries by support high-impact entrepreneurs, the official launch of IDEAME.com was announced as well as the successful completion of its first round of financing.

“There is an extraordinary pool of creative and innovative talent in Latin America which faces obstacles to find funding. IDEAME.com will fill that void by providing the necessary resources for those artists to turn their dreams into reality, and we think it’s a great initiative.”

The fundamental goal of IDEAME.com is to provide financial support for creative and artistic Latin American talent in all their expressions turning their ideas into reality on a global stage. Through innovative social networking and value-added technological services, IDEAME.com will allow creatives and artists to share their ideas with an online community, providing those members with the opportunity to take an active role in the development and execution of various projects and initiatives all on one platform.

IDEAME.com will serve as the conduit for projects by local talent, which often fail to come to fruition due to lack of financing, to be shared and allow the public to participate in creative endeavors of interest and worthy of development, thus capitalizing on the spirit of community and stimulating local economies.

According to Sebastian Uchitel, general manager of IDEAME.com, “The collective financing model, also known as ‘crowdfunding,’ has grown exponentially in recent years thanks to social networking.” Uchitel highlights that: “our platform seeks to secure financing for creative projects in Latin America in a variety of areas, including music, cinema, visual arts, design, fashion, innovation and technology. In the United States, sites like www.kickstarter.com and www.quirky.com, and international sites like www.verkami.com and www.pozible.com.au are already helping creative talent by raising millions of dollars in financing in exchange for gifts and other rewards. We are adapting those successful models on a global level to meet the needs of artists and creative talent in Latin America.”

Mariano Suarez

Wences Casares

The company has secured the support of a group of investors of notable prestige with a solid track record in online and creative throughout the region. “Among the investors are Eduardo Costantini Jr. (who served as executive director of the MALBA Museum for five years, cofounder of MUBI and president of Costa Films), Boris Hirmas Said (vice chairman of Yellow Pepper and a member of the Latin American Committee of the Tate Museum in London) and [Endeavor Entrepreneur and Global Board Member] Wenceslao Casares (founder of Patagon and Bling Nation), just to name a few of the most prominent investors,” added [Endeavor Entrepreneur] Mariano Suarez Battan, the renowned entrepreneur who sold his company Three Melons to Playdom/Disney in 2010 and one of the cofounders of IDEAME.com.

“There is an extraordinary pool of creative and innovative talent in Latin America which faces obstacles to find funding. IDEAME.com will fill that void by providing the necessary resources for those artists to turn their dreams into reality, and we think it’s a great initiative,” said Eduardo Costantini Jr., who will serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors.

The company plans to launch the platform in August 2011. The market rollout will initiate in Argentina and Chile and later on expand to other Latin American markets, including Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.

The press release below highlights Endeavor Entrepreneurs Gustavo Arjones, Juan Manuel Damia, and Martin Enriquez‘s social media analysis firm Socialmetrix, and is reprinted from Socialmetrix’s blog.

Congratulations to the Socialmetrix team!

Socialmetrix, the leading Social Media Analytics company in Latin America, today announced that A&N Media (A&N) had acquired a minority stake in the business.

A&N took the decision to invest having monitored Socialmetrix’s rapid growth across South America over the past two years.

Vivian Baring, Chairman of AN International Media said: “This is A&N Media’s first investment in Latin America. Socialmetrix is an exciting, cutting edge company, with a strong entrepreneurial team.

“Socialmetrix offers high quality products and services to both brands and agencies, which should enable it to continue its rapid growth. We look forward to working closely with the founders in driving the business forward.”

Socialmetrix was founded in 2008. The company specialises in analyzing online information in English, Spanish and Portuguese. It has partnerships with some of the biggest corporations, marketing and PR agencies in the world – helping them to understand what people are saying about their brands in the social media space.

The company has developed its own technology which, contrary to other products in their sector, is based on ontology matching rather than simple keyword counting.

Martín Enriquez, CEO of Socialmetrix, said: “We are delighted to welcome A&N Media’s investment and it is a real honour to be in partnership with them.

“We are confident that we will significantly benefit from A&N’s strategic added value. Its international coverage and extensive expertise in the technology and new media industries will play a pivotal role in expanding Socialmetrix’s reach and helping the company fulfil its considerable potential.

“The investment will directly finance the company’s international expansion, as well as an innovative and aggressive plan in product development.”

Socialmetrix offers two products. The first, Socialmetrix Echo, is a fully customizable solution that monitors not only the social media arena, but also traditional media online.

The second is Socialmetrix Brands, which monitors a pre-defined universe of brands across regions and industries, giving clients the ability to compare and analyze hundreds of brands in different languages and regions/countries.