Twenty-Six High-Impact Entrepreneurs from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico and Turkey Join the Endeavor Network

MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Endeavor invited 26 High-Impact Entrepreneurs representing 14 companies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico and Turkey to join the organization at its 38^th International Selection Panel, which was held from March 23^rd-25^th in Mexico City. Endeavor now supports 580 High-Impact Entrepreneurs from 372 companies in 11 emerging market countries.

“Once again, our International Selection Panel highlighted the innovation and vibrancy of high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets”

“Once again, our International Selection Panel highlighted the innovation and vibrancy of high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets,” said Endeavor Co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg. “I’m particularly inspired by the fact that despite the recent upheavals in Cairo, Endeavor Egypt and Egyptian entrepreneurs were able to attend this event. I also want to extend a special thank you to Endeavor Mexico’s Board of Directors, as well as Board Chairman Emilio Azcárraga Jean, for hosting the panel.”

The International Selection Panel is the culmination of a rigorous multi-step Search & Selection process in which top local and international business leaders interview and offer guidance to entrepreneur candidates. Endeavor’s next scheduled International Selection Panel will be held in London in May. Post-selection, Endeavor provides entrepreneurs with customized services provided by local and global business mentors and volunteers from Fortune 500 consulting firms and top U.S. business schools. Endeavor Entrepreneurs have had a significant track record of creating thousands of jobs and building sustainable growth models in their home countries.

Entrepreneur(s)/Companies selected:

Argentina

PAEZ

Entrepreneurs: Francisco Murray, Tomás Pando & Francisco Piasentini

Description: The company designs and sells alpargatas, traditional Argentine shoes, in more than 30 countries on five continents.

Brazil

Caso do Construtor

Entrepreneurs: Expedito Arena & Altino Cristofoletti

Description: Tapping into the lucrative Brazilian civil construction market, Caso do Construtor provides homeowners, self-employed professionals, and small construction companies with equipment like scaffolding and concrete mixers.

ClearSale

Entrepreneurs: Pedro Chiamulera & Bernardo Lustosa

Description: ClearSale’s credit and fraud management solution enables e-commerce systems to identify suspicious behavior, assign a risk factor based on more than 280 variables, and reject or flag a risky order for manual review.

Chile

Buscalibre

Entrepreneurs: Boris Kraizel, Eduardo Stekel & Ricardo Wurgaft

Description: This e-commerce website for books sells a comprehensive collection of titles by unifying Latin America’s segmented book markets through a network of local publishers.

SIRVE

Entrepreneur: Juan Carlos de la Llera

Description: SIRVE designs, produces, and implements devices that protect structures from damages caused by earthquakes, a technology that was tested and proved during Chile’s 2010 earthquake.

Colombia

Sístole

Entrepreneur: Ricardo Leyva

Description: A fast-growing agency that specializes in “experiential marketing,” Sístole has managed campaigns in 15 countries for a client list that includes Procter & Gamble and Hyundai.

Egypt

E-Masary

Entrepreneurs: Omar El Sanhoury & Moatasem Osam

Description: In a country where roughly 75% of the population owns a cell phone but only about 6% have bank accounts, Omar and Moatasem aspire to use online and mobile payments technology, as well as a robust network of merchants, to turn cell phones into debit cards.

T.A. Telecom

Entrepreneur: Amr Shady

Description: A true pioneer in the mobile value-added services (VAS) industry, Amr founded T.A. Telecom in 2000 when Egypt still had single-digit penetration. Since the onset of Egypt’s revolution, T.A. Telecom’s Content & Alerts Platform has been surging.

Mexico

CitiVox

Entrepreneurs: Oscar Salazar & Jorge Soto

Description: CitiVox uses mobile and crowdsourcing technology to build and enhance the relationship between citizens and government, increasing civic engagement and government accountability and transparency.

Enova

Entrepreneurs: Jorge Camil, Moís Cherem & Raúl Maldonado

Description: Enova designs, builds, and operates small, cost-effective educational centers called the RIA, Red de Innovacíon y Aprendizaje, targeting populations that have slipped through Mexico’s notoriously deficient public education system in marginalized neighborhoods.

Ingenia Muebles

Entrepreneurs: Christian, Ernesto & Patrick Vidal Flores

Description: The Vidal Flores brothers are bringing modern, stylish furniture to the masses through an innovative business model that allows them to deliver products faster and cheaper than their competitors.

Vicky Form

Entrepreneur: José (Pepe) Zaga Saba

Description: Using a sales model similar to Avon, over 120,000 Vicky Form salespeople -- almost all women -- sell Vicky Form lingerie, cosmetics, and clothes to their friends and neighbors; this model, along with provocative advertising and department store sales, has given Vicky Form nearly universal brand recognition in Mexico.

Vidrios Marte (VIMA)

Entrepreneur: Hugo Hernández Basulto

Description: VIMA’s highly technical product, Thermak®, offers an insulated glass unit alternative to traditional glass panes: when installed as skyscraper windows or refrigerator doors, it reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent.

Turkey

Vistek

Entrepreneur: Aytül Erçil

Description: Serving a client list across a broad range of industries, Vistek delivers “smart” camera-based automation systems that can quickly and effectively scan various processes, and then output statistical analyses.

About Endeavor

Endeavor breaks down barriers that prevent emerging-market entrepreneurs from reaching their high-impact potential. Hailed by NYT columnist Thomas Friedman as the "mentor capitalist" model and “the best anti-poverty program of all,” Endeavor identifies entrepreneurs leading high-growth innovative companies in emerging markets. These entrepreneurs are given world-class strategic advice, access to key networks and other tools that will catapult them to success. With Endeavor's guidance they become “high-impact” – expanding employment, generating wealth and inspiring others to innovate. Often overlooked, these local entrepreneurs are now jumpstarting private sector development in their countries.

At year-end 2010, High Impact Endeavor Entrepreneurs throughout Latin America, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan had created more than 130,000 jobs and generated over $3.5 billion in revenues. Currently, Endeavor services 580 High Impact Endeavor Entrepreneurs from 372 companies. For more information, visit www.endeavor.org.