Genso professionals working in their offices
in Cochabamba.
Natalí Vargas / La Paz
Since at least five years, entrepreneurship is an economic mainstay of Cochabamba. But one of the most striking components of the innovation is a group of small and medium software companies that provides services mainly abroad.
Internet is the main channel for market access that leverage these companies. “Everything is done through the Internet. There are specific platforms to contact external customers, where companies post their requirements, and individual applicants or businesses postulate” says Marcelo Rodríguez, head of communications at Genso, valluna software company.
This multimedia communicator five years ago, along with two systems engineers and two graduates in computer science, decided to undertake Genso, in order to meet local emerging niche market. At that time, the type of technology they work (on all through networks) was not yet in vogue.
but also software companies do not demand high cap ital investments starter and its value is in the trained human resources. Therefore, they are composed of young professionals seeking create your own source of income and this has led to quite interesting initiatives are given, from simple things like a game to more complex as social networks.
Turnaround abroad Enterprises engaged in the creation of software residing in La Paz have the market to government and banking; these companies focus on governmental and administrative projects, explains Gonzalo Nina, an entrepreneur who currently have a company incubator largest companies Bolivia, HUB7 3.
Nina adds that working in Santa Cruz have their customers in the managements of central Bolivia medium and large enterprises “and it may be one reason that markets Cochabamba look outside.”
Many, especially small and medium domestic companies still do not understand that technologies needed to improve its performance and costs are not low;. therefore, software companies look to foreign markets
“It was good to seek contracts abroad because 20% of our contracts with companies is now local (public bodies and large companies) and 80% with the outside, “says Marcelo Rodríguez.
The operations manager iProjectPartners (IPP) Bolivia SRL, Fernando Terrazas said that the domestic market is not large, but is growing. His company was born in Bolivia in March 2012 with the premise of giving support from the country to US projects; therefore it working Bolivian and foreign professionals.
With the Bolivian talent, he says, and the gaps that thanks to internet-which has allowed access to more information-close “in Cochabamba companies have become very capable and how they work responsibly that likes to foreign firms. “
iProjectPartners Bolivia SRL has offices also in Santa Cruz, but since its administrative office in Cochabamba online also works on projects in the US, Europe and Asia.
Competitiveness Working with orders over advanced countries also requires Bolivian professionals are equal to those of their peers in China and India capabilities. These two countries also offer building services technologies in progress and prices are stiff competition for Bolivians.
According to Marcelo Rodriguez, Genso, the programming level, especially Cochabamba, “can compete peacefully with China and India.” States that “although the national public education is not the best, not bad at all. There are good professionals and students have the ability to self-train through technology.”
Professionals leverage the Internet to take courses . There are study centers as Coursera, Stanford University, offering online courses and distance in English, which is also very important that professionals in systems perfectly mastered the language.
Nina Gonzalo he was president for two consecutive years, the Scientific Society of Students and Information Systems (SCESI) of the University of San Simón (UMSS). At that time, the SCESI had a lot of job applications from private companies .
Since many young professionals leaving the UMSS are not at the level that businesses need (international standards), many of which require more qualified staff and the SCESI is achieved that students are better prepared.
Today, Terrazas said, “there are many professionals out of universities and are recruited by software companies already known internationally”.
In addition to the capabilities of Cochabamba professionals, the costs of their services are quite low compared to the other companies of the same type in Europe and America.
“There always are on par, but these deficiencies are overcome with time and experience acquired by conducting outsourcing projects (outsourcing) and we compete with companies in China and India”.
Another element that benefits the Bolivian offer when it comes to US companies that require their services, is the time zone. Being the country in the GMT 5, has the same time that some US states of North. However, if you must fulfill contracts with India, working on night shifts, from 19:00, although there are some complications of coordination.
Markets outsourcing is a major sources of revenue for software companies, especially for those who are starting their operations and, of course, much is also given to companies in Cochabamba. The outsourcing involves the exercise they get many software companies to subcontract to small businesses from other countries to take charge of developing projects that ask their customers.
iProjectPartners SRL Bolivia, for example, specializes in business intelligence. Performs data analysis or big data and works with technologies that Bolivia, although they apply, are not well used to the maximum.
There is no exact data but it is known that at least 15 companies developing software projects known internationally, operating in Cochabamba and each with a minimum of five professionals as part of its human resources.
However, Bolivian conditions that leave the state still do not allow strong growth for these companies .
While in November 2013 the Government approved Presidential Decree 1793, the Regulation of Development of Information and Communication Technologies, which provides that all public bodies migrate to free software within seven months, this has not happened.
Also, there is no regulation that allows software projects are recognized as a property that can be used, such as credit guarantee
The valley emerges as a Silicon Valley
The deputy manager Autapo (Fautapo) Foundation, Jorge Lozano explains that in Cochabamba grows increasingly prefer to start new businesses.
While statistics indicate that only 5% of the enterprises nationwide manages to consolidate to become businesses, from the point of view of entrepreneurship specialist, Alberto Melgar, most entrepreneurs continues in new ideas to success.
The profile of the Cochabamba entrepreneur, says Melgar, who for years working with young cochabambinos through SOS and the municipality of Tiquipaya-, is “a professional with an average age ranging in age 31 and several sometimes tried either endeavor. “
This, says Lozano, is because many young people graduate from universities and / or colleges are faced with the lack of employment. “The project does not attract both graduates and those who have already studied some career” he says. Therefore, training in business management is a subject that requir es a lot of training.
Some municipalities as Tiquipaya that are launching incubators for young people not only improve their knowledge of their specialty, but to also become good entrepreneurs. In addition, organizations such as Fautapo support entrepreneurship in rural areas.
Melgar said that a feature in vallunos ventures is that it is financed by remittances from abroad or many return from abroad to undertake.
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