Futurecast “Innovation for Good” at the AT&T Foundry in Mexico City
Looking back on a year of innovation at the AT&T Foundry, we celebrated this anniversary by hosting AT&T’s first Futurecast event in Mexico.
When we opened the AT&T Foundry in Mexico last year, we envisioned a dynamic, collaborative innovation incubator brimming with ideas and activity. Today, a little more than 12 months later, it’s gratifying to recognize that we have created such an environment.
Our AT&T Foundry team in Mexico has hosted countless companies, institutions, creative startups, technologists, academics, business investors and public leaders. These organizations and individuals shared with AT&T a common interest in fueling innovation to harness the promise of Mexico’s fast-growing economy.
That’s why it was fitting to commemorate our one-year anniversary by hosting Mexico’s first Futurecast event — part of an ongoing global series hosted by the AT&T Foundry. The event brought together more than 100 members of the Mexico City innovation community for an interactive discussion focused on opportunities to foster innovation for good.
The program was moderated by Carlos Ponce, host of DojoLive, and featured leaders paving the way for innovation and altruism to coexist. The program examined whether innovations must focus on the country’s common good to truly succeed. It also delved into issues affecting the innovation economy, including the growing need for skills-based training.
Antonio Murad, co-founder of Yolcan and AT&T Foundry collaborator, shared the inspiration behind his startup, which connects small farmers from Mexico’s Xochimilco borough with restaurants and consumers seeking sustainably farmed organic produce. The company exclusively sources from Mexico’s few remaining chinampas – historic, man-made “floating” agricultural plots dating back to the ancient Aztecs. Yolcan is helping to preserve this centuries-old tradition of sustainable agriculture and inspire similar innovation-for-good approaches in other industries and environments.
The event also showcased a number of AT&T Foundry projects at different stages of implementation, including:
- GT Pallet SAPI de CV Smart Pallet: Using GPS and beacon technology to trace shipping pallets and their cargo in transit and in-store, this solution can help the logistics industry with everything from inventory control to theft detection to route planning.
- Smart Router: This network solution will use WiFi to help small businesses effortlessly and affordably create a single virtual network to connect several physical locations, providing greater user connectivity and increased productivity.
- IoT Network Tracker: Designed to assist AT&T radio frequency (RF) field engineers, this technology allows engineers to use an app on their mobile phones to quickly and easily test and validate the company’s IoT LTE network.
AT&T has long recognized the potential represented in Mexico’s fast-growing economy, and our experience during the past year certainly validates that belief. These projects demonstrate that Mexico remains a rich environment for collaboration and innovation.
I am optimistic about our future in this robust, thriving economy and look forward to building on our momentum. We welcome the opportunity to engage new collaborators and hope to continue our work toward promoting innovation for good across the globe.
