Sofia Vergara isn’t necessarily a name commonly associated with technology, but last week she, along with her business partner Luis Balaguer launched NuevoWorld: a social platform in Spanish aimed at helping Latino celebrities monetize their online presence. According to Forbes:
The NuevoWorld social network launched this week and has positioned itself as the platform that will “redefine the celebrity, fan and brand relationship worldwide” by connecting Spanish-speaking celebrities with over 50 million fans on social media.… more

A recent article highlighted the fact that Latinos and African Americans are not benefitting as much from the Silicon Valley’s growing and high standard of living as whites and Asians.
The article, “Blacks and Latinos Aren’t Thriving in Silicon Valley’s Meritocracy,” breaks down the results of a recent report — Index of the Silicon Valley — which finds that Latinos and blacks lag behind benefits that whites and Asians are seeing in the region.… more

Comprehensive immigration reform was one of the goals of the Obama administration during the campaign, but the tech world is also strongly interested in seeing immigration revamped. However, it seems that the desire for immigration reform on the tech side of the aisle are often motivated by race and class distinctions.
Immigration has been a racial issue since day one — many in both parties felt it was a “Latino issue.” It commonly is portrayed as one in the media.  However, it is not just Latinos who are involved with immigration and run the risk of deportation.… more

Google is working to expand the number of Latino-owned businesses using their products to sell their products and services online, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The company held a seminar sharing how Latino business owners could manage their websites and businesses using Google products in Los Angeles and Miami recently, according to the report. Part of the reason is that Google’s data shows that about ”60% of Latino-owned businesses in California don’t have websites.”
To read the whole article click here.… more

The Kauffman Foundation has released a new publication focusing on immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States. This study shows an interesting array of figures, which suggest that immigrant entrepreneurship has plateaued – something which may become a problem for the U.S.
Firstly, data regarding origin of birth has not changed much from the 2000 and 2010 census data.  There has been a noticeable decline in all populations sending immigrants between 2000 and 2010, however, the order has not shifted much.… more

Couch shopping just got a lot easier, according to Lorena Chatterjee, co-founder of Leap Commerce, a startup offering a shopping app called Best Decision. It’s available for iPhones and iPad, and a website will be launching soon.
The app allows users to buy from a variety of stores and websites using just one shopping chart; already the app includes more than 100 million products. Of the hundreds of participating retailers, Chatterjee said users can access big names like Walmart, Best Buy, Macy’s and Nordstrom.… more

Everywhere you look there are deal websites popping up, but one new company is angling for something all together different: the cash economy. KokoChé is a smartphone mobile app that aims to serve communities and businesses that are excluded from bigger companies like Groupon and LivingSocial because they cater to people with credit cards, or do not have websites. The app is launching in East LA, Koreatown, Silverlake and Echo Park in California for Android, and for iPhone in the near future.… more

Pandora, the online music streaming service, keeps track of the number of Latinos who are using the platform, and as a result, the company is able to leverage that audience for specific sponsorships for advertisers.
The company does an annual survey of its users in order to be able to leverage its users base. An interesting post in AdWeek points out that, although Pandora keeps track of this data, Spotify does not, and as a result Pandora has been more apt at leveraging its Latino audience.… more

Nuevo Labs is a Chicago-based business accelerator program trying to develop Latino entrepreneurial talent. Co-created by Patricia Martinez and Juan Hernández, applications for businesses and entrepreneurs open soon.
Business accelerator programs such as Nuevo Labs provide a three-month intensive mentoring program for early-stage ventures. Business accelerators also create the opportunity for the investor community and local industry experts to interact with the startups in the program.… more

Regalii is a a hybrid Facebook-mobile app that allows users to send money to relatives in other countries for use at the stores where they shop. Essentially, you link the app to your Facebook profile, then select a dollar amount for a certain store and the recipient receives a code via SMS to redeem the gift card in the store.
The app bills itself as a free form of remittance — money sent to Latin America from people here in the United States. Often these remittances are sent via services like Western Union, which have fees tacked onto the transaction.… more