Shopping center operator Parque Arauco has selected the five startups that will support its regional operations following the conclusion of the Startup Challenge 2025, an open innovation program that brought together technology ventures from various countries with the goal of scaling solutions applied to the retail sector. The selected firms are from Chile, Argentina, and Peru and focus on two strategic pillars for the company: phygital experience and water efficiency.
The initiative is part of Parque Arauco's strategy to integrate concrete innovation into its operations in Chile, Peru, and Colombia, combining sustainability, efficiency, and new ways of engaging with visitors to its shopping centers. This year, the program received 117 applications from 25 countries, of which only five startups were selected as winners.
The Startup Challenge 2025 was conceived as a platform to identify technological solutions capable of generating a real impact on the daily operations of malls, beyond mere proofs of concept. The focus was on tools that would improve the user experience, advance sustainability, and optimize the use of critical resources in high-traffic infrastructure.
According to the company, the winning proposals align with structural challenges in the real estate and retail business, particularly in a context where omnichannel, digitalization of the experience and efficient water use have become strategic priorities.
The selected startups will be divided into two main areas: two focused on phygital experience and three focused on water efficiency, reflecting the areas where Parque Arauco seeks to accelerate its operational transformation.
Phygital experience: technology to connect the physical and the digital
The phygital experience category focused on solutions capable of integrating the physical world of shopping centers with digital environments, improving personalization, customer loyalty, and visitor relationships. Two startups were selected in this segment: one from Argentina and one from Chile.
Delfi: Artificial intelligence applied to customer experience
The Argentinian startup Delfi was one of the winners of the Startup Challenge 2025 thanks to its AI-powered phygital experience platform. Its technology allows for personalized customer interactions, automated marketing content generation, and optimized experiences in both physical stores and digital channels.
According to Parque Arauco, Delfi stood out from other proposals due to its ability to transform behavioral and contextual data into personalized interactions, allowing malls to move from generic experiences to more sophisticated recommendation models. This opens the possibility of scaling loyalty and engagement strategies both inside and outside shopping centers.
The platform uses contextual information to tailor messages, promotions, and content to each user's profile and behavior, enabling a more relevant and consistent experience across different touchpoints.
Delfi currently has active clients in eight Latin American countries and Spain and was recognized as the Best Artificial Intelligence Startup in Argentina. Its vision is focused on establishing itself as a regional leader in AI applied to retail, an objective that aligns with Parque Arauco's innovation strategy.
We are Wallet: customer loyalty without our own apps
The Chilean startup Somos Wallet was the second selected in the phygital experience category. Its offering focuses on creating digital experiences directly within Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, allowing users to access coupons, discounts, and location- or behavior-based notifications without needing to download additional apps.
For Parque Arauco, one of the main advantages of this solution is that it simplifies customer loyalty by leveraging a widely used and frequently used channel: the mobile phone. By operating on digital wallets already installed on devices, the platform eliminates friction and facilitates user adoption.
The company highlighted that this model enables true omnichannel integration, with clear adoption and conversion metrics. According to information provided by the startup, Somos Wallet registers download rates exceeding 65% and conversion levels fluctuating between 30% and 35%.
Currently, the solution is in the pilot phase in Parque La Colina, Colombia, and the growth plan includes its expansion to Peru and other regions of the Colombian market, with a scalable model designed specifically for shopping centers.
Water efficiency: intelligent water management in high-traffic infrastructure
The second strategic focus of the Startup Challenge 2025 was water efficiency, a key dimension for the operation of large-scale shopping centers, especially in a context of greater regulatory demands and stricter ESG standards.
In this category, three startups were selected: two of Chilean origin and one Peruvian, all focused on optimizing water and energy consumption through technology, monitoring, and reuse solutions.
Zensi: real-time monitoring of resource consumption
The Chilean startup Zensi was one of the winners thanks to its smart metering proposal for monitoring water, energy, and gas consumption in real time. The solution combines sensors with advanced analytics, providing detailed information on resource usage at different points in an operation.
According to Parque Arauco, Zensi's technology provides granular visibility into consumption, facilitating the early detection of leaks and abnormal usage. This translates into operational savings, greater efficiency, and compliance with environmental and sustainability standards.
Zensi was founded in 2024 and already operates in retail, industrial, and real estate projects. It is also in discussions with utility companies to scale its technology to larger networks, expanding its impact beyond individual installations.
For the mall operator, this type of solution is key to optimizing resource management in complex infrastructures with high foot traffic.
Remote Waters: Greywater reuse in malls
Another of the selected Chilean startups was Remote Waters, which specializes in modular systems for the treatment and reuse of greywater. Its technology aims to reduce dependence on potable water for non-critical uses, a growing need in large real estate developments.
Parque Arauco highlighted that Remote Waters' proposal directly responds to new regulatory standards, which require the separation of grey and black water in buildings larger than 5,000 square meters, thus opening a concrete avenue for application in shopping centers.
The solution allows for the reuse of treated water and reduces overall consumption, a key factor for high-traffic infrastructure such as shopping malls. According to the company, this ability to adapt to regulations and operations was decisive in its selection for the program.
Remote Waters has developed more than 20 treatment and desalination projects in Chile, Peru and Guatemala, and projects to triple its sales by 2026, driven by the growth of reuse solutions in sectors such as industry and real estate.
Energy Cloud: Integrated water and energy management
The group of winning startups is completed by the Peruvian company Energy Cloud, a platform focused on the intelligent management of water and energy resources. Its solution integrates sensors, advanced analytics, and operational dashboards that allow for the monitoring and optimization of different systems within a single interface.
Energy Cloud's technology integrates water and energy consumption data, optimizing everything from HVAC systems to internal networks in complex operations. Its EC.DATA platform is designed to adapt to demanding environments such as retail stores, data centers, and industrial plants.
Energy Cloud has a presence in more than 10 countries and, during 2025, exceeded US$2 million in revenue, registering growth of over 100%. Furthermore, it won the Daikin LATAM Air Tech Challenge, an award recognizing its technological innovation.
Looking ahead to its expansion, the company is preparing to enter the Chilean and Mexican markets, drawing on its previous experience in large-scale projects.
The selection of these five startups reflects Parque Arauco's strategy to move towards a more efficient, sustainable, and user-centric operation. By integrating applied technological solutions, the company seeks to address structural challenges in the real estate and retail sectors in Latin America.
The Startup Challenge 2025 is thus established as a platform to connect innovative ventures with real operational needs, allowing startups to scale their solutions and the operator to incorporate innovation with measurable impact.
With a presence in Chile, Peru, and Colombia, Parque Arauco believes that these alliances will contribute to strengthening its value proposition in the region, integrating technology, sustainability, and new ways of relating to visitors of its shopping centers.