The knowledge economy, with software development, creative industries and finance, is the sector with the largest number of ventures in recent years, according to a survey carried out by a private association that brings together 40,000 Argentine entrepreneurs.
According to Association of Entrepreneurs of Argentina (ASEA), Every year the items most chosen by this group of innovators who plan to offer their own products or services to society change.
On the other hand, a report from the Allegra.com billing tool indicated that “in Argentina there are approximately 1.6 million enterprises, which contribute to 70% of the country’s formal employment.”
He specified that “They are mainly focused on retail, gastronomy and clothing, although the technology sector is increasingly present.”
In 2021, the most rented businesses were areas related to physical exercise or the healthy eating sector, according to the online platforms Negocios Rentables in Argentina and Tiendanube.
In 2022, it was the turn of the gastronomic sector with homemade food and home delivery, with a strong participation of social networks to disseminate brands and their products and interact with customers.
“The Knowledge Economy sector is gaining ground not only for being a generator of foreign currency and wealth but also for boosting the productivity of other sectors such as agriculture, finance, energy and hydrocarbons, health, among others,” he said. to Télam the executive director of ASEA, Patricio Gigli.
“Argentina is recognized for the power of its technology unicorn companies as well as for a new legion of startups that are revolutionizing the world of health, finance, agriculture, energy, the environment, talent management and other fields” he added.
Regarding the gap between women and men in the sector, he specified that women are advancing and occupying leadership spaces in sectors traditionally reserved for men.
According to the Allegra.com report, ehe 60% of Argentine microenterprises were run by women, in the records of last year.
“The ventures that female entrepreneurs choose the most are the areas of gastronomy, clothing, along with technological services,” said the vice president of ASEA, María Cecilia Ribecco.
According to Ribecco, one of the reasons that explains the high level of female entrepreneurship, both in Argentina and in Latin America, is “mainly the lack of opportunities in the traditional labor market and the existing salary gaps, this situation makes women opt for for founding their own businesses.
An example of these projects is Virvago, a breakfast and sublimation venture that emerged in 2019, with the aim of providing “personalized experiences” to its customers, highlights Zahira Maylen Elias, a young entrepreneur who leads the initiative.
This business was boosted in the pandemic and resulted in a “stable job opportunity” and an “opportunity” to learn about the business and be able to expand its services, according to Elias.
In relation to the age groups, women between 25 and 44 years old are the ones who undertake the most, since they represent 41% of the female entrepreneurial ecosystem, while those between 18 and 24 years old represent 15%.
Regarding the sources of financing most used by those who face a venture, without distinction of gender, the ASEA reference explains that it depends on the growth of companies in their different stages.
In the initial stages, the ventures are funded -in general-, with their own resources (friends and family), from third parties (investors) or with public financing under the format of non-reimbursable contributions through government agencies.
He added that in the case of traditional ventures, they resort to bank financing in different formats or to the support of companies with investment/capitalization rounds.
“Argentina has been maturing its financing ecosystem for dynamic and technology-based companies and today it already has an ecosystem of accelerators and funds,” Gigli said.
However, the ventures are not alien to the economic reality in which they are inserted, for this reason “the main difficulties are in the macro context (inflation and exchange rates among other problems), in regulations that often complicate the task of the day to day, the overlapping of national, provincial and local taxes, the difficulties to hire employees”.
From ASEA they highlight the importance of the role of the State and public policies to promote the creation and growth of companies.
Source: Ambito
