Latin America has no shortage of Nearshore options, with smaller markets jostling to distinguish themselves from their bigger neighbors. Ecuador, which has a population of over 15 million, is one example: years ago it caught the eye of global giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and most recently the Andean country has become the destination of choice for Chicago-headquartered ThoughtWorks.

“The country only has 15 million people, but the engineers down there are really good,” says Francisco Martin, Operations Manager at ThoughtWorks. “They know how we do software, and are familiar with Agile methodologies.”

Martin, a Spaniard, was working out of ThoughtWorks Chicago office during the assessment phase, which lasted over a year, but has since moved to Quito, Ecuador’s capital. Quito is over nine thousand feet in the air – it is the world’s highest capital – with a time zone that aligns with Chicago. (NSAM's Country Profile of Ecuador explores some of its biggest hurdles.)