Wayra Hispam

What Wayra Hispam does

Wayra Hispam is the Latin American arm of Wayra, the Corporate Venture Capital division of Telefónica, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telefónica Open Innovation, S.L.U. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, the firm identifies and funds early- and growth-stage startups and connects them with Telefónica's business units under a venture-client model designed to provide portfolio companies with commercial collaboration, scaling support, and access to one of the world's largest telecommunications customer bases.

The core offering is not a software product but an investment and open-innovation platform. Supporting programs include the Activation Programme (startup scaling), OUTLIERS 2026 (future-shaping startup discovery), and thematic accelerators such as TUI Futureshapers (sustainable travel-tech, in partnership with TUI Care Foundation and Target 8.9) and the ACCIÓN digital health accelerator (with AstraZeneca España and Kunsen). The portfolio is built around technology, sustainability, and energy-transition themes; the January 2025 Solfium investment extended the portfolio into solar energy. Core technology is not publicly disclosed and there is no API, SDK, or proprietary AI/ML platform.

The economic model is that of a strategic CVC rather than an independent venture fund: capital is supplied by Telefónica, returns are generated through equity appreciation in portfolio startups, and the principal "revenue" indicator published is the volume of business generated for startups through commercial collaboration with Telefónica's business units (cited as €1M+ on the firm website). Total investment deployed to date is cited at €1M+. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no management fees, fund vintage structure, or external LP terms are described. Customers are effectively two-sided: startups receive capital and corporate access, while Telefónica and select third-party corporations (AstraZeneca, TUI Care Foundation, Kunsen) consume open-innovation program design and execution services.

Name

Wayra Hispam

Legal name

Telefónica Open Innovation, S.L.U.

Website

https://hispam.wayra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wayra Hispam is the Latin American Corporate Venture Capital arm of Telefónica, investing in startups and connecting them with Telefónica's business units through a venture-client model that provides capital, commercial collaboration, and access to a global telecom customer base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management Consulting Services (54161), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Corporate venture capital
• Startup investment
• Venture-client model
• Open innovation programs
• Startup acceleration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Investment Returns: Wayra Hispam generates returns through equity stakes in portfolio startups. The company invests in startups with potential to generate real impact within Telefónica and helps them scale through commercial collaboration, creating value through both equity appreciation and business partnership revenues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wayra Hispam is Telefónica's Corporate Venture Capital arm for Latin America, investing equity in startups and connecting them with Telefónica's business units through a venture-client model. Beyond direct investment, the firm designs and delivers open innovation and corporate venture programs — both directly and via dedicated platforms — supporting startups with capital, market access, and commercial collaboration opportunities to scale within Telefónica's ecosystem and global markets.

Product overview

Wayra Hispam operates as the Latin American arm of Wayra, which is Telefónica's Corporate Venture Capital division. The company functions as an investment and innovation platform that identifies and funds startups with potential for impact within Telefónica's ecosystem. The core offering is the venture-client model that connects invested startups with Telefónica's business units, providing access to global markets and customer bases. Supporting services include the Activation Programme for startup scaling, the OUTLIERS 2026 initiative for identifying future-shaping startups, and thematic acceleration programmes such as TUI Futureshapers for travel-tech innovation. The 2025 Solfium investment marks entry into the solar energy sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wayra Corporate Venture Capital (Latin American arm) Telefónica's Corporate Venture Capital arm investing in startups with potential to generate real impact within Telefónica, helping them scale through commercial collaboration using the venture-client model across Latin America and Telefónica's broader operating geographies.
• Activation Programme An acceleration and support programme designed to help startups scale and collaborate with Wayra and Telefónica's business units.
• OUTLIERS 2026 A discovery initiative to identify and support startups that are already shaping the future, referenced as part of Wayra's investment initiatives.
• Open Innovation and Corporate Venture Program Design Services Design and delivery of open innovation and corporate venture programs for Telefónica and other corporations, either directly or through open innovation platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Corporate Venture Capital activity in Latin America doubled between 2020 and 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TUI Care FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Launch of TUI Futureshapers program in Spain, a hackathon organized for university talent and young innovators focused on solving real challenges in the travel-tech sector for sustainable tourism.
• Global Corporate VenturingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint co-authorship of a report on Corporate Venture Capital in Latin America. The report highlights that CVC activity in the region doubled between 2020 and 2023, with corporate investors now participating in 15% of all venture capital deals.
• AstraZeneca EspañacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with AstraZeneca and Kunsen to select innovative projects for ACCIÓN, an accelerator focused on digital health solutions in Spain. The partnership includes a Pitch Day event for startups and healthcare professionals.
• KunsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the ACCIÓN accelerator program for digital health innovation in Spain, working alongside AstraZeneca and Wayra.
• Target 8.9coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-launcher of TUI Futureshapers program in Spain, focused on accelerating travel-tech solutions towards sustainable tourism.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• monashees: Leading Brazilian-born LatAm VC fund investing from seed to growth; comparable as a leading independent LatAm investor that competes with Wayra Hispam for the highest-quality regional startups.
• Kaszek Ventures: One of the largest independent LatAm-focused VC funds, active across Brazil, Mexico, and Spanish-speaking LatAm; comparable as a primary independent competitor chasing the same founder pool in the region.
• Atlantico: LatAm-focused early-to-growth VC fund with presence across the region; comparable as an independent fund pursuing similar stage and geographies to Wayra Hispam's portfolio.
• Cometa (formerly Cometa/Endeavor Catalyst LatAm): Early-stage VC investing in Spanish-speaking LatAm startups; comparable as a regional fund targeting similar founder segments and stages as Wayra Hispam.
• Globant Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Globant focused on LatAm tech and digital services startups; comparable as a regional strategic CVC combining capital with corporate client access for portfolio companies.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce Ventures: Global corporate VC arm of Salesforce investing in enterprise SaaS and platform startups, with growing LatAm activity; comparable as an established CVC offering enterprise customer access alongside capital, similar in concept to Telefónica's venture-client model.
• Qualcomm Ventures Latin America: Global corporate venture arm of Qualcomm that invests across LatAm and other regions in deep tech and telecom-adjacent startups; comparable as a large corporate VC investing in connectivity and platform technologies relevant to Telefónica's ecosystem.
• Intel Capital: Established global corporate venture arm with deep LatAm exposure investing in enterprise, connectivity, and semiconductor-related startups; comparable as a strategic CVC in adjacent telecom-infrastructure themes.
• Google for Startups Latin America: Google's accelerator and CVC-style program in LatAm providing capital, mentorship, and product credits; comparable as a large strategic player offering distribution and capital similar to Telefónica's venture-client value proposition.

Direct peers

• Wayra Brasil: Telefónica's CVC arm operating in Brazil under the same Wayra brand and venture-client model; directly comparable as a Telefónica regional CVC unit operating in LatAm.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wayrahispam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wayraproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wayrahispam
• Instagraminstagram.com/wayra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wayra Hispam