The shopping center company's initiative selected the work of five startups from Chile, Argentina, and Peru.
Five startups were the winners of the second edition of the Startup Challenge open innovation program , an initiative of Parque Arauco that seeks to incorporate technological solutions.
The goal is for these initiatives to have an impact on the operation, sustainability, and customer experience of the shopping centers the company owns in Chile, Peru, and Colombia. The competition process attracted 117 applications from 25 countries.
According to Francisco Letelier , corporate manager of technology and digital transformation at Parque Arauco, open innovation is fundamental to achieving their business objectives and enhancing the experience in shopping centers.
“This milestone consolidates an effort in which we not only explore new technologies, but also validate and scale them by detecting real value. We are advancing in our digital transformation with the conviction that innovation, connected to operational and sustainability challenges, has a real impact on people,” he explains.
Phygital experience and water efficiency
Startup Challenge was developed in conjunction with Innspiral , a company specializing in corporate innovation, and was structured around two challenges defined by Parque Arauco as strategic: phygital experience and water efficiency.
The first focuses on seamlessly integrating the physical and digital worlds to improve customer relationships, boost loyalty, and create a personalized customer journey. Water efficiency, meanwhile, focuses on moving towards smarter, more traceable, and sustainable water consumption management, reducing operational costs and strengthening environmental performance.
For Francisco Letelier, 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,” he states.
Chile, Argentina and Peru
Two startups were selected in the Phygital Experience challenge. Delfi , from Argentina, is a startup specializing in AI-powered phygital experiences. It allows for generating recommendations, automating content, and improving interaction between brands and consumers.
Meanwhile, the Chilean company Somos Wallet is transforming Apple Wallet and Google Wallet into an active loyalty and communication channel. It aims to deliver digital benefits, activate notifications, and connect physical and digital experiences.
In the Water Efficiency challenge, the Chilean companies Zensi and Remote Waters , and the Peruvian company Energy Cloud , participated. Zensi monitors water and energy consumption with sensors and analytics platforms, detecting anomalies, optimizing resource use, and improving operational control.
Remote Waters uses technology for the management, treatment, and reuse of greywater, aiming to reduce consumption through a circular economy. Energy Cloud manages resources, centralizing water consumption data, analyzing usage patterns, and providing optimization recommendations.