Sourcing the World’s Untapped Talent
By: Plataforma Impact
Tags: Inequality, Brazil, Social Impact, Diversity In Tech, Technology

We’re living in perhaps the most important crossroads in human history. A time when the imperfect systems of the past collide with opportunity for a more utopian future, fueled by a technological revolution and a sort of collective awakening. The outcome of which will be determined by our capacity to grasp the urgency of both.

For me, the answer lies in Brazil.

Brazil is the land of dichotomy; beauty that fills the soul, and pain that rips it apart. Home to 58 billionaires and nearly a million indigenous peoples. A population of tremendous creative capacity, shackled by their colonial past and iniquitous present. A country within a region of contrasts. A place of two worlds, whose survival increasingly depends on one another.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which describes the current and exponentially evolving environment driven by a fusion of technology and innovation, is underway and disrupting almost every industry in every country. Brazil is no exception. Economies around the world are in a race to leave industrialization behind, adapting instead to technology-focused, entrepreneurial societies fueled by innovative, creative problem solvers.

Latin America has the largest skills gap in the world, but remains rich in untapped potential. Having spent ten years living and working in the region, I’ve been witness to it. Meanwhile, nearly one in four live in an urban slum with little access to opportunity or quality education. Just recently, Brazil made sweeping cuts to its public education system despite the fact that roughly one in three youth remain unemployed.

The new frontier of the 21st century is not unexplored territory, it’s the overlooked potential of people living in poverty, the creative genius of slum communities, and the promise of creating a more inclusive economy for the benefit of all.

We’re living in a truly unique time in history from a technological perspective. The convergence of exponential computational growth, declining prices, and the fact that the capital required to get into the game is very low, creates a tremendous opportunity to propel people out of poverty while simultaneously creating a more inclusive, diverse, and competitive global economy. In Latin America alone, three in four companies have difficulty sourcing talent. And a growing body of research demonstrates that investment in diversity and inclusion yields improved performance.

The type of outside-the-box thinking required by the innovation economy resides within the marginalized peripheries of the old world, in the slums where the convenience of the right angle is not easily found. With record talent shortages around the world, it’s no longer a question of finding talent; we need to build it. And what better place to start than with people who, by virtue of living circumstances, are creative innovators hungry for opportunity and growth.

With its tremendous creative capacity, vast urban poverty, and emerging technology sector, Brazil is the perfect place to build, refine, and scale a model that can be taken worldwide. By harnessing untapped talent and curating it to the needs of the market, Plataforma exists to service the appetite of the innovation economy while breaking the cycle of poverty for millions.