Description
Wayra -Telefónica Open Innovation- has accompanied the Telefónica Group for over 15 years in sourcing innovative startup solutions to address challenges facing the company, the telecom industry, and society. With seven spaces in Europe and Latin America and teams in nine countries, Wayra helps entrepreneurs scale globally and connects them with Telefónica's business units to generate joint business opportunities, offering startups access to Telefónica's network of 380 million customers via a venture-client formula. Since its 2018 repositioning, Wayra has evolved into a full Corporate Venture Capital fund, bringing together all of Telefónica Group's startup investment initiatives under one brand and strategy, and is recognized as a leading Corporate Venture Capital player in the entrepreneurship ecosystems where it operates. Its two main pillars are Wayra Ventures, which identifies and invests in disruptive startups to generate impact, and Wayra Innovation Services, which shares its open innovation experience with other corporations and institutions through tailor-made services. To date, Wayra has invested in over 1,100 startups with a total investment of 233M€ and generated more than 520M€ in business for startups, working with over 140 partners and clients across countries including Brazil, the UK, Spain, Germany, and the Hispam region.