The On-Demand Services Changing Latin America

A growing number of startups are taking advantage of the well-connected population in Latin America and building successful on-demand solutions for transportation, food delivery, and more.
In a recent World Bank report, the percentage of internet users in Latin America rose from just about 4% in 2000 to nearly 50% in 2013, and most Latin Americans spend more time on their mobile devices than on computers. Furthermore, mobile subscriptions also rose from 12% to 115% in the same period with the average Latin American possessing 18 apps on his or her smartphone.
Today, everything from healthcare to home repairs can be delivered with a few taps on a mobile device and consumers in Latin America have more on-demand services available than ever before. As rumors fly about a possible slowdown in the on-demand economy in the United States, similar services are thriving in Latin American cities where delivery by courier is much more prevalent and daily operating costs for one of these services are much lower.
To get a sense of the on-demand startup landscape in Latin America, here’s a list of some of the most popular “Uber for X” startups dominating the region.
On-demand healthcare
mediQó – Mexican startup that connects users with a physician that is approximately 30 minutes away from their home or office.
1DOC3 – Platform that connects Spanish speaking people with licensed and trusted doctors. Users can find personalized answers to their health related questions and doctors can build their online reputation, find new patients, and work together to create the biggest health-related questions and answers curated database in Spanish.
Mediconecta – A telemedicine provider for Latin America committed to improving access to health and the welfare of individuals and families.
On-demand transportation
Cabify – Spanish company taking on Uber in Latin America. The company recently raised another $120 million in Series C funding putting a $320 million valuation on its on-demand transportation platform.
Safertaxi – A mobile app for iOS and Android devices that enables individuals to locate and book taxis in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil.
Tappsi – Tappsi allows users to book a taxi in more than nine cities in Colombia. The app was selected by Fast Company as the 6th most innovative venture in Latin America in 2015.
Easy Taxi – Easy Taxi allows users to book and track your taxi in real-time on your iPhone or Android device. With a presence in more than 420 cities globally, its main focus is cities in Latin America — including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Currently, it reaches further into South America than Uber.
On-demand logistics
Shippify – Allows users in 10 Brazilian cities, Chile, Ecuador, and soon Buenos Aires, Argentina and Mexico City, Mexico to ship their products within 24 hours.
On-demand laundry
Lavadero.mx – On-demand laundry service in Mexico City that picks up and delivers laundry to users’ homes or offices within 24 hours. Dry cleaning or ironing options in 48 hours also available.
On-demand food delivery
iFood – The Brazilian platform is the leading online food ordering app in Latin America.
ClickDelivery – Food ordering service that enables users to order and get food delivered from a range of local restaurants in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.
PedidosYa – Another food ordering service that enables users to order food for delivery from local restaurants across ten Latin America countries.
Kiwi – Food delivery on-demand for students on college campuses across Latin America.
On-demand groceries
Cornershop – The Mexican-Chilean on-demand grocery shopping startup recently raised $6.7 million to help expand its share of the food delivery market.
Mercadoni – Hyper-local deliveries from in less than one hour in Latin American countries including Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.
Mercado Fresh – Uses can shop supermarkets, pet shops, organic shops, butchers, grocers, liquor stores, and more all at the same time and have goods delivered right to their doorstep in Brazil.
On-demand repairs
Tuten – Leading on-demand platform for household services in Latin America. Schedule, pay and supervise previously screened and trained contractors.
ManosRemotos.com – Personalized repair service for all types of smartphones, mobile devices, computers, printers, cameras, and more based in Colombia.
On-demand courses
Open English – The most renowned online English school in Latin America with classes available 24/7.
Cambly – Spanish-speaking users can instantly connect with a private English tutor online.
TareasPlus: Spanish-speaking instructors and courses available at any time or day. With more than 1,000 courses, 45,000, lessons and 700,000 registered students, TareasPlus has more courses in Spanish in its marketplace than Udemy.
On-demand cleaning
Aliada – A housekeeping booking service based in Mexico City for finding and requesting a trusted cleaning professional in minutes.
On-demand pet care
DogHero – Users can find a family to watch their pets in a dozen cities across Brazil.
On-demand anything
Rappi – Headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, users can get anything from groceries, dinner, snacks, pharmaceuticals, to electronics delivered in minutes.
The on-demand economy is thriving in Latin America and these startups are bringing easy access to services to thousands of people across the region.
Have any other on-demand services in Latin America to add to the list? Let us know in the comments.