Group Buying for the Latino Demographic
There are over 500 group buying sites today, with more popping up every week. Although most of these reach the mass market, there has been very little traction by any group buying site in the fastest growing demographic in the United States. While Latinos represent close to 18% of the US population, with over $1 Trillion total buying power and $23 Billion online spending, reaching this demographic requires a different approach to sales, marketing, and technology.
In this session, we will discuss what we have done to partner with local media and non-profits to allow for an engaging user experience that is unique and relevant to Latinos. Even if you are not in the group buying space, the ideas in this session will help anyone thinking about how to take a winning mass market business into an underserved yet highly profitable niche market.
Presenters
Alexandra Maria Landeros has a B.A. in History and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Texas State University. She has worked in Public Relations for Mexic-Arte Museum, and currently works as the PR & Social Media Director for DescuentoLibre.com, a daily deal site for the Hispanic community.
Alexandra also owns a PR & copywriting agency, Plum Communications, and she has worked as a freelance writer for TODO Austin, Popular Hispanics, and LATINO Magazine. She is the author of two blogs at www.undercovermexicangirl.com and www.ecoloxica.com.
When she’s not writing or promoting, she’s playing the violin, tending her organic garden and participating in the local food movement, and pursuing an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. One day, she’d like to build an off-grid home on her 5-acre property in Terlingua, Texas.
Boris Portman is a founder and the CEO of Descuento Libre, the leading Hispanic Savings Network in the US and Mexico. Prior to Descuento Libre, Boris was Managing Director at Growth Acceleration Partners, a U.S. / Costa Rican software services firm, where he played a key role in helping high-growth startup companies go from concept to scalable eCommerce and mobile solutions. Prior to that, Boris spent over 12 years building both consumer and business focused web application companies across Europe and North America that he helped take from startup to up to billion dollar exits. Since his college days in Pittsburgh, he’s developed an affinity for the Latino culture – he says it’s because it reminds him so much of his own Ukrainian upbringing. He even became a semi-professional salsa dancer. Boris has spent the past 14 years enjoying life and being an influential thought leader in the Austin technology community. Boris holds an MSE in Software Engineering, Business from Carnegie Mellon University.
Juan Gonzalez holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology, graduate studies at Harvard University, completed the Entrepreneurial Program sponsored by the ACTON MBA in Austin, and an MBA at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He has vast start-up experience from Social Media based companies to Global Enterprise software solutions.
Juan worked at Pulsar Ventures in Palo Alto CA, where he had a significant role in managing a 120 Million Dollar Investment Fund in Silicon Valley. He has had a variety of business experiences and been involved in a variety start-up companies in Latin America, Texas, Europe and Silicon Valley.
Juan lives in Austin TX and spends most of his time leading community projects with his wife Monica and three daughters.
Monday, March 12
