The pandemic and its variants dictated new ways of doing business and addressing financial issues in the world. In response, a myriad of entrepreneurs and businessmen and women took the opportunity to show that things can be done differently. In this scenario, Bloomberg Línea presents its list of the 100 Entrepreneurs of 2021, a zoom on the characters who not only invented models but also retraced their steps, and even reinvented what they do to change the way of doing business in the region.
Meet Bloomberg Línea’s 100 Entrepreneurs of 2021
Whether startups in the creative sphere, social media, or incubators of new companies, Bloomberg Línea 100 Entrepreneurs of 2021 is the first list that aims to showcase the people that have challenged the status quo and redraw the rules of traditional business.
This list follows the flagship list of the 500 movers and shakers of Latin America, featuring the people in business, finance, and economics who have influenced the region during the toughest times of the greatest economic, health, and social crisis in many decades.
“The 500 Most Influential of Latin America was the first list we compiled, in October 2021, and we were very happy with the global repercussion. Now our editorial team has acknowledged the 100 most successful entrepreneurs of the region. They are also working on the next lists that we will publish next year,” said Kaio Philipe, Bloomberg Línea’s Chief Operating Officer. He claims the idea is to draw up four lists annually, focused on diverse themes from the world of business and society. “It‘s part of our strategy and mission, to honor the personalities that move the region,” he added.
Without a doubt, 2021 has been a year as challenging as the previous one, in which the pandemic continued to put society, governments, and businesses to the test. The challenges that 2020 brought also impacted the business world, where the known paradigm was destroyed and new needs, as well as ways of life and work, emerged. Within this context, the spotlight turned to entrepreneurs.
For this selection, Bloomberg Línea editorial teams considered variables such as growth, impact, influence, and industries disruption. As a result, well-known names in Latin America appear to maintain their entrepreneurial spirit despite having consolidated their businesses.
Among those who have forged a new path and continue to do so today are Wenceslao Casares, who in the mid-90s drove digital banking businesses to then boost the crypto space in Argentina; and Tanya Moss, who imbued her jewelry with a Mexican imprint to offer to the world, and who are a point of reference for new entrepreneurs.
In Brazil, Guilherme Benchimol, the founder of XP Inc (XP), and Frederico Trajano, the CEO of Magazine Luiza (MGLU3), have also left their mark.
Last year has brought challenges of all kinds and to all industries, but without a doubt the shift toward digitization, the consolidation of supply chains, and the need to empower health, educational and financial services have put those we have highlighted in this list to the test.
Among the personalities listed are the ‘financial influencer’ Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, who made bitcoin legal tender.
A similar case is Samuel García, the governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, who became a true influencer by taking his political activity, and his daily life, to social media.
And there is a special place for those Latin American artists that stood out in 2021, such as J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Karol Sevilla.
The recognition is not a ranking, but rather a list of those who have shone for their trajectories and their work over 2021, and who will undoubtedly still be being talked about in the new year.
Methodology: Bloomberg Línea applied diverse metrics to create The 100 Entrepreneurs of 2021: Growth (revenue, funding if such amount was made public); impact (number of employees/jobs created and the creation of programs with a social impact); influence (on governments, media, audience); and their power of disruption (innovation and changes to the rules of the game in their industries). After evaluating thousands of candidates, those who played a predominant role during the last year were selected.
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