U.S. Eyes Latin America For Business Expansion

AUSTIN, Texas - May 16, 2013 - PRLog -- Austin, Texas -- Vast and largely untapped business opportunities exist for technology business partnerships among companies and workers throughout the Americas. With thriving democracies, sound economic governance, a robust entrepreneurial climate, and a growing middle class, Latin America is also culturally and geographically closer than Asia.

Leading the way are Dell, Sony Corporation of America, Amazon, Microsoft, Accenture and Direct TV, working with companies like Argentina’s Huddle Group, an enterprise software development partner. In addition to cost-efficiencies, the company offers strong research university ties, providing a unique, collaborative environment for innovative and complex problem solving.

With expertise in media and entertainment, IT, financial services and energy, the Huddle Group develops business work-flow, cloud development, mobile applications, user interfaces, and Microsoft SharePoint and digital video distribution solutions, among other services.

“Huddle Group’s creative professionals have been invaluable partners in developing a robust, cloud platform that is functionally rich, scalable, secure and media-focused,” said Jim Smith, Digital Group Manager for Sony Corporation of America. “With their support, we have been able to enhance and streamline traditional production work-flows to make it easier to collaborate more effectively and cost-efficiently.”

Gabriel Spitz, the Huddle Group’s CEO, who recently relocated to Austin, Texas to facilitate U.S.-side growth, described his Buenos Aires-based bi-lingual creative team as “highly educated, and international in scope.” With nearly 80 percent of its focus in the U.S., the company has operations in Austin, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

“Unlike Asian technology hubs, we can respond quickly because we are in the same time zone,” said Spitz. “Our strong cultural affinity with the U.S., results in fewer obstacles as well. We expect solid growth this year both in the U.S. and Buenos Aires offices.”

Evidence suggests that Latin America will continue to be both a growing U.S. market and an emerging business partner. Among the signs,

• The University of Texas established the Global Commercialization Group in Austin with a focus on U.S. – Latin American partnerships, providing direct assistance to businesses seeking traction in U.S. markets.

• Latin America has seen a dramatic reduction in the gap between rich and poor over the past decade, despite the global economic slowdown. The growth of a middle class is the single most important economic event for the region in the last 100 years.

• A recent study by the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported that poverty has fallen to about 30 percent, down from 50 percent just 20 years ago. This equates to 73 million people moving up the ladder.

• Latin American nation credit ratings are on the rise. Since 2007, Moody’s has lifted six countries — Brazil, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and Uruguay — to investment grade. Last year Latin America accounted for 10 percent of global foreign direct investment.

• The region’s unemployment rate stood at 6.5 percent in 2012, a historic low.

• Many countries have also made strides in trade liberalization, reducing tariffs and entering into regional agreements.

For U.S. - Latin American business partnerships and market expansion, the best is yet to come.

For more information, contact: Gabriel Spitz, pr@huddlegroup.us or (512) 386-1532.