Endeavor Selects 13 Entrepreneurs From Six Markets at the 38th Virtual International Selection Panel
Endeavor selected 13 entrepreneurs leading six companies at the 38th Virtual International Selection Panel (ISP) held June 19-21, 2023. Endeavor now supports 2,462 entrepreneurs leading 1,518 companies in 42 markets around the world.
The ISP is the culmination of a rigorous, multi-step selection process to identify high-impact entrepreneurs from all over the world. During this process, we seek founders with the greatest growth potential, as well as those who commit to reinvesting time and resources into their local ecosystems to help build the next generation of entrepreneurs.
During the ISP, panelists interview a select group of candidate entrepreneurs about their businesses. Then, panelists evaluate the entrepreneurs on their potential for high-impact growth, discuss which candidates should be selected to become Endeavor Entrepreneurs, and ultimately, vote to select new Endeavor Entrepreneurs.
Endeavor would like to thank our panelists:
Amr Shady, Tribal Credit (Endeavor Entrepreneur; Endeavor Egypt Board Chair); Monica Mandelli, KKR (Endeavor Italy Board Member); Luis Lora, Globo Ventures (Endeavor Global Ambassador); Brendan Noud, LearnUpon (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Jose Bonilla, Chiper (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Wagner Ruiz, EBANX (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Allison Light, West Ventures; Diego Panama, Olo; Eric Pérez-Grovas, Wollef; Shegun Otulana, Harmony Venture Labs (Endeavor Mentor); and Warren Valdmanis, Two Sigma Impact.
Endeavor Entrepreneurs have had a significant track record of impact. They have helped build sustainable growth models in their home countries by creating more than four million jobs. Endeavor’s active portfolio companies generated combined revenue of nearly $50B throughout 2022.
Learn more about our new Endeavor Entrepreneurs below:
Abhi
Entrepreneurs: Omair Ansari and Ali Ladhubhai
Vertical: Fintech
Endeavor Office: Pakistan
Description: Founded in 2021, Abhi is an embedded finance platform that aims to financially empower businesses and their employees in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the broader MENAP region. In many emerging markets, including Pakistan, SMEs have limited access to working capital financing and most individuals do not have access to personal credit. Abhi looks to fill these gaps by offering invoice factoring, payroll processing and financing, and earned wage access services to businesses and their employees. The company serves 400+ companies and recently issued Sukuk (or Sharia-compliant Islamic bonds) worth $6.8M in May 2023, becoming the region’s first fintech company to do so.
Agrolend
Entrepreneurs: Andre Glezer, Alan Glezer, Valéria Bonadio
Vertical: Agriculture
Endeavor Office: Brazil
Description: Agrolend is a credit business providing loans to financially underserved farmers in Brazil. As the third-largest agricultural producer worldwide, Brazil is home to 5M+ farmers who make up an essential part of the nation’s economy and the global food supply chain. However, these farmers are deeply financially underserved. Aiming to tackle the estimated $40B credit gap within this customer base, Agrolend was founded in Dec. 2020 with the mission of “revolutionizing loans for small and medium farmers by eliminating bureaucracy and increasing accessibility with fast and digital processes.” Since founding to date, Agrolend has served more than 1K customers and has raised $40M+ in equity from investors including Valor Capital and Lightrock.
Caracol
Entrepreneurs: Francesco De Stefano, Jacopo Gervasini, Paolo Cassis, Giovani Avallone
Vertical: Smart Cities
Endeavor Office: Italy
Description: Founded in 2018, Caracol is a large-form additive manufacturing (LFAM) solutions provider, offering large-scale 3D printing services that streamline industrial manufacturing processes. The company blends its proprietary software and hardware to create end-to-end solutions for its industrial clients, from design and concept development, to prototyping and line production, to AM employee training and long-term AM systems integration. Caracol’s product suite shortens production time from months to weeks, reduces production costs by up to 70%, lowers production waste to zero, and offers clients the highest degree of part customizability.
OmniRetail
Entrepreneur: Deepankar Rustagi
Vertical: Smart City
Endeavor Office: Nigeria
Description: Africa’s informal retailers supply most of the continent’s population with a broad range of consumer goods and generate over $1T in sales annually. However, despite their importance in driving economic activity, these retailers are deeply affected by the uncoordinated and fragmented nature of Africa’s supply chains. Aiming to streamline Africa’s supply chain, OmniRetail is a Lagos-based B2B e-commerce and retail platform that connects FMCG manufacturers to retailers by digitizing the supply chain stakeholders. Founded in 2019, the company operates an asset-light retail distribution model via which retailers can order inventory and get access to working capital financing in a seamless and digital way. Omniretail serves thousands of monthly active retailers and has raised $8M in funding.
Wynwood House
Entrepreneurs: Ignacio Masias & Juan Garay
Vertical: Retail & Consumer Tech – Proptech
Endeavor Office: Peru
Description: Wynwood House is a next-generation short-term rental provider that cultivates a more local appeal than traditional hotels. Founded in Lima, Peru, in 2019, the company operates in four countries in Latin America, including Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Panama. Wynwood aims to provide a tech-enabled approach to short-term rentals, catering to the segment of customers who work remotely and have the flexibility to travel. Wynwood apartments are tech-enabled and include all the necessary amenities, including contactless check-in, fully equipped kitchens, laundry service, fast Wi-Fi, and more. Today, Wynwood has raised $7.5M in capital, including its most recent $7M Seed round led by FEN Ventures and Innogen VC.
ZEDEDA
Entrepreneur: Said Ouissal
Vertical: B2B Software
Endeavor Office: Morocco
Description: Founded in 2016, ZEDEDA delivers an edge management and orchestration solution, simplifying the remote management of edge infrastructure and applications at scale. ZEDEDA’s SaaS solution reduces operational cost, while increasing visibility, security, and control. ZEDEDA ensures flexibility by utilizing an open partner ecosystem with a robust app marketplace and leveraging an open architecture from the Linux Foundation. The global company has attracted Fortune 100 customers such as Baker Hughes, Agora, BOBST, PV Hardware, Switch Automation, and a leading auto manufacturer. It has also established OEMs with companies such as VMware, Rockwell and Emerson. The company has raised over $65M from VCs, including Energize Ventures, Lux Capital, Coast Range Capital, Porsche Ventures, Samsung Next, and more.