Mexicans win competition with educational startup aimed at children

Tec and UANL students have created Labgo, a monthly subscription which provides boys and girls with a kit to carry out experiments and introduce them to the world of STEM.

By Mónica Torres | CONECTA National News Desk - 08/09/2021 Photo Cortesía Labgo

Startup Labgo, consisting of a team of Tec and UANL students, wants to inspire new generations through science and technology education in Mexico.

Its creators, Jorge De León from Tec de Monterrey and Carlos Saucedo from UANL, want to get boys and girls interested in STEM through interactive and accessible learning.

“Labgo is built with the transformational aim of inspiring many people about the future. We’re proposing a new way of learning based on games and centered around users,” explained Carlos.

This project recently won Latin American university contest The Piggy Bank Cup, which positioned Labgo as one of the most important EdTech startups in the region.

Science to your door

Labgo is a monthly subscription that provides girls and boys aged 8 to 14 with a kit containing the necessary materials to build and design science and technology projects at home.

This startup was set up in response to the team’s concern about the lack of development and interest in science and technology on the part of girls and boys from Mexico and Latin America.

“We want to create experiences which, apart from increasing users’ knowledge of science and technology, can also develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity,” said Saucedo.

“Labgo is built with the transformational aim of inspiring many people about the future. We’re proposing a new way of learning based on games and centered around users.”

While the main objective of Labgo is to make STEM education accessible to everyone, it also wants to inspire and encourage people to be proactive in solving problems in our society.

Labgo has been recognized as the most creative Educational Startup in Mexico (CitiBanamex & Impact Hub CDMX), 1 of the top 100 LATAM Promise Startups (Platzi), and the only Educational Startup with social impact validation in Mexico (ASHOKA).

“What makes Labgo innovative is our educational methodology based on Discovering, Experimenting, Having Fun, and Exploring (DEDE for its initials in Spanish). This allows us to combine theoretical and practical learning with digital learning,” added Carlos.

Labgo currently consists of Tec and UANL students: Jorge De León (Tec), Carlos Saucedo (UANL), and Gustavo Sánchez (UANL).

From middle school friends to business partners

Science and technology issues have never been far from the Labgo founders’ lives: Jorge and Carlos first met through their love of robotics.

“I was very involved in robotics competitions in middle school. I met Carlos when I was judging a tournament and we became friends,” recalled Jorge De León.

From that point onwards, the pair’s mutual interest became a shared dream of passing on their enthusiasm and STEM skills by making them more accessible to Mexican children.

“We saw that the lack of resources and interest was a very serious problem, and that potential was being wasted. If children don’t know about these subjects, they’ll never get that spark of inspiration,” said the co-founder.

The friends believe that childhood experiences of science and technology are essential for developing future potential in these areas, as well as for having fun.

Latin American triumph

On July 16, Labgo won The Piggy Bank Cup in LATAM, which positioned them as one of the most important EdTech startups in the region.

This competition is a program promoted by The Piggy Bank Group, which searches for young talent with entrepreneurial or productive projects that can be promoted throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

More than 80 teams with different projects and social initiatives participated in this year’s competition, of which 6 teams reached the final phase.

“What helped us set ourselves apart was that we already had a complete project with sales and a product that was already tested and producing results,” shared De León.

The prize Labgo received was a seed capital investment of 4,000 dollars, which will allow them to continue growing and developing commercially in the area.

“Meeting other entrepreneurs and finding out about their ideas was the most enriching part of this experience. In the end, we all ended up becoming friends and helping each other,” said Jorge.

The next step: commercialization

Labgo is growing, as are their goals for the coming years. They hope not only to be able to expand their operations, but also to take part in more competitions.

Right now, they have a presence in the north and center of Mexico. Those interested in receiving kits can visit the Labgo site and sign up as users.

“We’re at a stage where we have to make the leap from being a project to being a commercial enterprise and that’s why we’re looking for different investment opportunities while we continue to compete,” shared Jorge.

According to the creators, one of their objectives is to be able to open up Labgo to the entire country within a year, as well as prepare a scaling strategy allowing them to expand into different Latin American countries.

“Labgo is based on creating meaningful experiences in which users can learn about a topic and develop their skills. We have to make science and technology the new cool thing,” Carlos concluded.