As most programming languages are written in English, learning these languages may be less intuitive for native-speakers of other languages. The Silabuz team noticed a gap in available resources which teach and offer explanations of programming concepts in Spanish. To address this gap, they developed a digitized social learning network with a full outside-the-classroom curriculum for students from K-12 grade taught in Spanish. The team hopes to equip spanish-speaking youth with the skills they need to take on the jobs of the future and increase the number of Hispanic/Latino individuals in Tech. Over 14,000 students throughout Latin America and in Puerto Rico are currently benefiting from their platform and the team is hoping to grow their U.S. impact.

"With the rising demand for computer science related jobs in Pittsburgh and the entire United States, as well as the wave of digital learning sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, we think that Silabuz's platform offers an equitable solution to further diversify job candidates and increase employment access for native Spanish speakers," commented Mike Matesic, President and CEO of Idea Foundry.

Idea Foundry was introduced to Silabuz through its partner ChileGlobal Ventures, the internationalization-facing arm of Fundación Chile, located in Santiago, Chile. Silabuz was one of the 10 portfolio companies of ChileGlobal Ventures selected to participate in Idea Foundry's Global Innovation Bridge Program in October, 2020. Along with the other participants, the Idea Foundry team worked virtually with Alonso Mujica, Founder and CEO of Silabuz. During this time, Idea Foundry provided information about doing business in the U.S. and connected Alonso with representatives from the education sector in Pittsburgh. The team at Idea Foundry also assessed Silabuz's potential for revenue and impact in the U.S. After Idea Foundry’s evaluation process Silabuz was selected to participate in the Impact Innovations Accelerator Program. 

“We are very enthusiastic about the idea of welcoming Idea Foundry as our partner to develop our product and business in the Spanish Speaking community of the U.S. The funds of this bridge round we are raising will be invested in improving our technology through the use of AI and content development to our platform,” said Alonso.

Through the Program, which is set to commence this month, the Silabuz team will receive business development services aimed at increasing Silabuz's presence in the U.S. Idea Foundry’s investment will enable a deeper assessment and strategy for Silabuz to access schools, nonprofits, and other organizations with a stake in improving educational access for Spanish-speaking youth in the U.S.‍

‍

Silabuz - www.silabuz.com ‍

Media Contact: Alonso Mujica, alonso@silabuz.com‍

Silabuz is a Social Learning Network where Spanish-speaking youth can develop the skills they need to lead the global digital economy. Their programs teach skills in computational thinking, programming, web and video game design for students in grades K-12 with educational methodologies that are 100% digital and autonomous, based on games that augment learning.‍

Idea Foundry - www.ideafoundry.org‍

Media Contact: Lindsey Matesic, lmatesic@ideafoundry.org‍

Idea Foundry is a Pittsburgh-based, non-profit economic development organization dedicated to job creation. With over 250 companies and projects in our portfolio that have generated over $1B in direct economic impact, Idea Foundry is a regional pioneer in hands-on business development, technology transfer, and global efforts.