With solutions from startups in Chile, Argentina, and Peru, the company seeks to transform and modernize its operations through pilot projects in its strategic shopping centers across the three countries where it operates.
Following a rigorous process that attracted 117 applications from 25
countries, Parque Arauco announced the five winning startups of the second edition of its open innovation program, Startup Challenge . This initiative seeks to incorporate technological solutions that will impact the operation, sustainability, and customer experience of its shopping centers in Chile, Peru, and Colombia.
Regarding the significance of this milestone, Francisco Letelier Ballocchi, Corporate Manager of Technology and Digital Transformation at Parque Arauco , stated:
“We believe that open innovation is fundamental to achieving our business objectives and enhancing the experience in our shopping centers. This milestone consolidates an effort where we not only explore new technologies but also validate and scale them by identifying real value. We are advancing our digital transformation with the conviction that innovation, connected to operational and sustainability challenges, has a real impact on people.”
Developed in partnership with INNSPIRAL , a company specializing in corporate innovation, the program was structured around two strategic challenges defined by Parque Arauco:
● Phygital Experience . Focused on seamlessly integrating the physical and digital worlds. To
improve customer relationships, boost loyalty, and generate
deep personalization of the customer journey.
● Water Efficiency. Focused on advancing towards smarter, more traceable, and sustainable water consumption management. Enabling the optimization of resource use, reduced operational costs, and enhanced environmental performance of assets.
“The quality and diversity of the proposals received reaffirm the value of opening our challenges to the global ecosystem. We are excited to collaborate with these startups to test solutions that have the potential to transform the industry, strengthening our commitment to sustainability, operational efficiency, and an increasingly relevant visitor experience ,” added Letelier .
In this context, Parque Arauco , together with the selected startups, is currently advancing in concrete phases of design and implementation of the solutions.
The pilot projects will be implemented at the company's strategic assets: Delfi and Somos Wallet at Parque La Colina ( Colombia ), Zensi at Parque Arauco Kennedy ( Chile ), Remote Waters at Arauco Maipú ( Chile ), and Energy Cloud at Larcomar ( Peru ). This will allow for testing the solutions and validating their performance in real-world environments.
Winners of the Startup Challenge 2025
Phygital Experience Challenge
● Delfi (Argentina): A startup specializing in AI-powered phygital experiences . It enables personalized recommendations, automates commercial content, and improves interaction between brands and consumers in retail environments.
● Somos Wallet (Chile): A platform that transforms Apple Wallet and Google Wallet into an active loyalty and communication channel . It allows for the delivery of digital benefits, the activation of contextual notifications, and the connection of physical experiences with real-time digital activations.
Water Efficiency Challenge
● Zensi (Chile): An intelligent water and energy consumption monitoring solution using sensors and real-time analytics platforms. This allows for the detection of anomalies, optimization of resource use, and improved operational control .
● Remote Waters (Chile): Technology for the management, treatment, and reuse of greywater. Focused on reducing potable water consumption through a circular economy model. Applied to the operation of shopping centers.
● Energy Cloud (Peru): An intelligent resource management platform that centralizes
water consumption data, analyzes usage patterns, and provides optimization recommendations , supporting decision-making and sustainability strategies.
“ The Startup Challenge is a great example of how innovation generates real impact when it connects directly with strategic business challenges . Together with Parque Arauco, we developed a structured process that allowed us to access the global entrepreneurial ecosystem and move quickly toward concrete pilot projects . It’s a replicable model that demonstrates how large corporations can effectively connect with startups, and it undoubtedly marks just the beginning of what’s to come,” commented Ricardo Cea, Partner and Senior Project Manager at INNSPIRAL .
The pilot projects will be developed progressively, considering different stages of the pilot methodology, including design, implementation, and measurement , in coordination with the Parque Arauco teams and the selected startups.