This is part of our weekly series of posts summarizing startup news from Brazil in English.
–Startup Crossfy was a finalist in the Proxxima Startup Prize competition recently. They demoed a product that allows a person to use a smartphone or iPad to take a picture from a print source (magazine, product package, poster, etc.) and via image recognition link immediately to further information about the product, event, and so on. The original post on Startupi includes a brief video interview which demos the product (in Portuguese).
–WebPesados was founded in 2009 is an online market for machines and vehicles, including boats and aircraft. It has grown rapidly in the last two years, with 25,000 users and more than 7000 listings. They have seen particular growth in the last quarter, perhaps due to an increase in construction projects due to the upcoming games. The CEO, Venâncio Velloso, attended Babson College in the US. He has run several startups, the last of which was sold, giving him the opportunity to partner in WebPesados. Full story.
–On the creative social network side, brothers Djeison and John Moreira created a wish-fulfilling site called Dreabe where users can name three things they’ve always wanted or wanted to do, and other users can help make those dreams a reality. A ranking system lets the crowd rate the dreams; those voted in poor taste disappear from the display. Those considered most delightful are pushed to the top. So far they have 12,000 users and more than 50 dreams have been fulfilled. The desires have ranged from traveling somewhere to seeing a favorite musician to getting a job. The official launch of the site will be in June 2012. Full story.
–Part of the team involved in developing Braspag, an online payments system, have received support from Arpex Capital to expand their new product, Mundipagg. This payment system is now operating in several Latin American countries. Mundipagg offers some distinct features such as a one-click buying method for e-commerce sites and a self-adjusting system that learns from buying patterns. Similarly to Paypal it allows the user to choose various payment methods, from bank accounts to credit cards. Full story.
–Desapega.me has launched, providing an e-commerce site geared towards C-class women wanting affordable fashion. The site features affordable new and used clothing, all carefully vetted for cleanliness, quality and style. It’s the first site offering a one-stop-shopping experience for gently used brand-name and designer clothing and accessories for men and women. Founders Luis Vinícius and Alexandre Tavares are excited about filling the needs of this large segment of the population, who otherwise have to browse extensively in brick and mortar stores to find good deals and good quality. Full story.
–An award is being offered to recognize influential professionals in the e-commerce sector. It is being sponsored by iMasters, Abril and IBM. The first round of the competition begins at the end of May and the final award will be announced at the beginning of July. E-Commerce Brasil’s website will announce details. Full story from Startupi.
–Tumblr founder David Karp is among the speakers at the digital marketing conference MediaEducation in São Paulo. The event, on May 28th, will feature Tumblr’s international team in a discussion about Tumblr’s plans for Brazil, where it has recently launched.
–BlueVia and Evernote are sponsoring a hackathon in São Paulo the last weekend in May. Participants will try to develop apps that integrate Evernote and BlueVia‘s services. Winners will get cash and a trip to Silicon valley to visit Evernote‘s headquarters. Full story.
–Guia de Semana has acquired a stake in República Gourmet, a restaurant reservations tool. Guia de Semana is a “things to do” guide – and one of the holdings of Grupo RBS – with more than 5 million users and hundreds of participating restaurants, bars and clubs. The partnership will integrate the reservations tool into the Guia de Semana portal. República Gourmet currently operates in four cities and expects strong growth this year and next. Full story.
–BeesOffice coworking space in Rio de Janeiro is coordinating activities for Startup Week, running May 28-June 1. Talks by leaders in entrepreneurship and investment are being offered on subjects ranging from legal issues to working with investors to marketing. Check out the full program here.
