At issue is what’s been deemed a “technological blackout” in Brazil that has already seen more than 100,000 tech jobs go unfilled this year due to a lack of qualified, educated talent. That number is expected to grow by more than 5x by 2025 to about 530,000 tech jobs – including software developers and coders, data scientists, AI engineers, and U/X designers – going unfilled unless there are more people trained in STEM disciplines to fill those roles. 

On July 20, iFood and XP unveiled the tech-education initiative and announced the two founding companies (a.k.a. “Maintainers) have invested BRL $5 million and 18 other companies or institutions have committed BRL $10 million to the various projects. The goal is to raise and invest a total of BRL $100 million (US $18 million) between now and 2025. 

“In the last year, we saw many companies investing in education, but these efforts are still very dispersed. Thus, we realized the importance of joining forces with others to help solve this deficit in this area that hinders the development of Brazil. Even expanding isolated efforts will not solve the problem. With this union of forces, we hope to promote the meeting between talented people who are just waiting for an opportunity, while contributing to a social transformation and the development of the country,” said Fabrício Bloisi, CEO of iFood.

The main beneficiaries of the coalition’s efforts are underrepresented populations in the tech industry today, including women, Black and low-income people. The Tech Movement’s initiatives range from high school students to adults. The member companies will be able to act at different levels, whether through investments, projects, or execution.

“Our objective is to contribute to making Brazil a prosperous country and a protagonist in terms of technology, with job and career opportunities for all Brazilians. Our big dream is to make a difference in the training of young professionals, so they’re prepared for the challenges of the new digital economy in terms of technology, innovation, and business. We believe that, through social investment, we can generate a structural impact in Brazil that is transformational,” said Thiago Maffra, CEO of XP Inc.

To learn more about the Tech Movement initiative, Grit Daily recent sat down to speak with Gustavo Vitti, Chief People and Sustainability Officer at iFood, to learn more about the progress the collective has made so far, and what to expect next from the coalition’s efforts to increase the diversity and preparedness of Brazil’s future tech-industry workforce:

Grit Daily: Tell us more about how the Tech Movement initiative came about. 

Gustavo Vitti: The Tech Movement is a private, social-investment platform for technology. It started a year ago, in a conversation between companies who were suffering from the tech-talent scarcity combined with a shared ESG goal of developing and hiring professionals from non-privileged backgrounds. In other words we have a mutual dream of transforming Brazil into a technological power through diversity.

Today, Brazil is a country with 10 million people who are unemployed, and at the same time, there are plenty of job opportunities in the tech sector that are not being filled due to a lack of qualified labor. This is not because Brazilians don’t want good jobs or higher levels of education, but because opportunities aren’t finding the right people; for example those who live in the favelas. This challenge is exactly what this movement aims to tackle.

So, with this dream in mind and a pinch of reality, we all know this is a marathon and not a sprint. We need to inspire our children to think and dream about working in technology fields which are forecast to see significant growth in the years ahead. In addition, we need to foster easy access to training for these jobs of the future and build bridges between these freshly qualified tech professionals and the Brazilian big tech companies.

What we’ve done so far: we’ve launched two initiatives that have already impacted more than 150,000 people. The first one is the Tech Marathon, for high school students at public and private schools. Set up as an Olympiad-style tech competition between educational institutions, teachers, and students, the first edition in May, earlier this year, had more than 80,000 students compete, including schools from 21 Brazilian states. The second one is Tech Power that has already awarded more than 6,000 intensive scholarships for tech education to underprivileged groups. There’s another two new initiatives being baked that we will launch over the next 3-6 months and the  Movement will continue to seek out or create similar initiatives and provide funding to accelerate them.

Today, iFood and XP Inc. are the two original maintainers and there are 20 sponsor companies and institutions in the collective that can contribute to the cause with investments or services, including: Accenture, Arco, Buser, CI&T, Cubos Academy, Descomplica, Digital House, English First (EF), F. Behring, Gama Academy, Grupo Boticário, Instituto Localiza, Kenzie, Let’s Code, ONE Oracle, Raia Drogasi, Rocketseat, Semantix, Telles Foundation, and VTEX. 

GD: What are the roles iFood and XP play as founding members? 

GV: Companies can take part in the Tech Movement as either Maintainers or Sponsors. For the Maintainers, they play a role in the strategic agenda of the initiative and in the decisions of the projects, being part of the Strategic Council. Sponsors play a role in the execution and funding projects. They also take part in the Consultative Council.

The Tech Movement seeks to attract more companies and organizations from all segments and areas. Participation can occur as a Maintainer or Sponsor, involving financial commitments as well as services. iFood and XP Inc are the first Maintainers. To find out how to participate and contribute to the Movement, just access www.movtech.org.

GD: Brazil is projected to need around 500,000 more tech workers by 2025 than are expected to be available. How many people do you anticipate can be trained by 2025 with R$100M being raised?

GV: With the initial projects, which are already underway, we expect to train one million people by 2025. The more companies and organizations that join the Tech Movement, the more scale we will gain to benefit an increasing number of people.

In the two examples we mentioned before, Tech Marathon and Tech Power, we believe both projects will have a scale of 10-15x bigger than today as we expand the coalition’s resources and gain more visibility. It’s incredible to see how fast we’ve been iterating and improving on the offerings. As an example, today we can provide high-quality tech learning almost 6x cheaper than we did for our first groups.

GD: The U.S. tech industry is predominantly white and male, with women, Black people and other minorities present in much smaller numbers than in the general population. What is the demographic of the Brazilian tech sector today?

GV: It is a similar situation in Brazil compared to the U.S. today The Tech Movement will prioritize underrepresented minorities and low-income people. As a result of the  “technological blackout,” as the lack of tech professionals in Brazil has been called, there are already more than 100,000 job vacancies open this year, with little prospect of being filled. 

Also, the digitization of the economy and companies, accelerated by the pandemic, has increased the demand for skilled labor, while the number of available professionals remains limited. That’s why our movement is focused on low-income public and non-privileged backgrounds, and prioritizes women and Black people, for example. We want to change the current inequities and have a positive impact on a different future from the one that is projected today.

We believe and invest in education – from basic education, so young people have a better education in Portuguese, Mathematics and Logic, to professional training that is specialized in technology. We also want to develop the technical and emotional skills for those who are already in the marketplace and are seeking new opportunities. That’s why we offer practical tech courses too. We dream to be a quality tech-education platform that will drive the growing tech ecosystem forward so qualified, trained talent are ready to dive into new opportunities and help drive innovation and social transformation.

GD: How and where will you recruit for the program? 

GV: Our purpose is to awaken more people’s interest in working in the tech industry, empower them through training – from basic education to practical knowledge,  and then help employ for the jobs of the future by building bridges between them and tech companies. 

Based on the various programs, courses and partnerships involved, people we’ll be approached from different communication channels as it fits to each initiative invested, and work together with private, public, and non-governmental organizations. We need and we’re calling for others to help with these important efforts.

GD: I can see how cultivating a more diverse workforce could help solve the labor shortage, but what are the less obvious benefits of more diversity?

GV: The inclusion of different people, life stories, and backgrounds is a way to promote more tolerance and societal integration. All innovation, services, products and ways of leading will be enriched by a broader world view; one in which solutions and achievements are sustainable. And most importantly, we will be truly changing lives. We want to reach 2030 with so many lives impacted that we’ll  be able to change social inequality in Brazil, with those who have always been the base of the social pyramids as the main protagonists who are creating the country’s prosperity.

GD: The Potentia Tech Platform, which was initiated by iFood, has awarded 6,000 scholarships over the past nine months and 450 of those people have already been hired. How many of those scholarship recipients are from underrepresented groups?

GV: The scholarships are being offered exclusively for low-income people. We prioritize people who are underrepresented in the society, having at least half of the people inside Potencia Tech being women or Black people.

The post The Tech Movement 2030 Coalition Pledges Millions to Train a More Diverse Talent Pool to Fill a Growing Number of Tech Jobs in Brazil appeared first on Grit Daily News.

The rapid rise of people relying on food delivery in their everyday lives is a trend that’s not changing anytime soon. A majority of consumers (71 percent) said they will continue ordering food for delivery as much as or even more than they had during the pandemic, per a recent JD Power survey.

Yet, with the use of food-delivery services skyrocketing for families and businesses, the combination of single-use packaging that’s not eco-friendly and the use of fossil-fuel vehicles to transport this food on-demand is having a detrimental impact on our planet’s environment.

“Our planet is choking on plastic,” according to a recent interactive report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a leading global environment authority. “Around the world, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes – used just once and then thrown away,” per UNEP. 

Common packaging materials like single-use plastics don’t biodegrade or can take up to 500 years to decompose in the case of Styrofoam. Additionally, with 98 percent of single-use plastic products being produced from fossil fuel, the level of greenhouse emissions associated with their manufacturing, use, and disposal is forecast to grow to 19 percent of the total global carbon budget by 2040, according to UNEP.

The bright side of what sounds like a potential “doomsday” scenario is a generational tide change of younger people who demand more ethical consumerism and choose their brands based on companies’ environmental, sustainability, and governance practices. This trend is especially true for Generation Hashtag, a demographic of people born between 1991 and 2005 covering younger members of the Millennial group and older members of Generation Z.

To address the rise of ethical consumerism concerns, a growing number of innovative startups and global brands are focusing on inventing new ways to address how we live, work, and eat today, while ensuring a healthier, more sustainable planet for all of us in the long term. One such company is Brazilian foodtech giant iFood, which is the largest online food-delivery company in Latin America, serving more than 1,000 cities in the region’s biggest economy.

Last year, iFood announced a multi-pronged effort to be carbon neutral and plastic-free across its massive delivery operations by 2025, vowing to “spend as much as necessary” to achieve the goal. As part of its iFood Regenera commitment, iFood has just announced a partnership with XPRIZE to co-fundraise a $20 million global competition (XPRIZE Circular Food Packaging) focused on the research and development of flexible, biodegradable packaging.

iFood has also launched a new electric motorcycle, in partnership with Brazilian EV maker Voltz, for its huge network of delivery partners in Brazil with plans to have 10,000 of the new e-motorcycles in operation by the end of next year,  beginning with São Paulo, the largest city in the Americas.Grit Daily recently sat down with Alexandre Lima, iFood’s sustainability manager, to discuss the foodtech giant’s progress towards its goals of being carbon neutral and plastic-free by 2025, the latest news announcements, and what’s next:

Grit Daily: What persuaded iFood to make such a large investment in e-motorcycles? Was it consumer demand, regulatory pressure, or some other factor?

Alexandre Lima: Our decision to invest in e-motorcycles and other clean modes of transportation arose out of a need to develop cleaner, more sustainable operations, and because initiatives like this help to achieve the goals of our public environmental commitment. These initiatives are based on thinking about advantages for the delivery partners, and how we can improve both the environment and society with a more sustainable model.

At iFood, we believe that partnerships between companies advance the process of evolution and are absolutely necessary to promote a positive impact on the environment and combat climate change. The kind of partnerships we have forged with Brazilian EV manufacturer VOLTZ and BV Bank for our expanding fleet of electric motorcycles, or with Tembici, one of Brazil’s micromobility leaders, via our iFood Pedal program that provides our couriers with affordable bicycles and e-bikes across some of Brazil’s largest cities, makes it possible to make the necessary changes to create a better society for all of us.

GD: 10,000 e-motorcycles sounds like a very large number. Do you anticipate this will do much to help the manufacturer to scale and make e-motorcycles more generally available?

AL: We know that a true transformation towards cleaner deliveries needs to happen in a scalable way. These first 10,000 electric motorcycles are part of a plan to expand e-motorcycles’ production by VOLTZ, and we’re confident there will be interest from couriers in purchasing them. VOLTZ recently announced its factory in Brazil and began production in June. The new factory will soon have a production capacity of up to 15,000 new units per month.

GD: In the U.S., the people who deliver food for restaurants are not well paid. How are you making these affordable e-motorcycles for your delivery people in Brazil?

AL: Our negotiations with partner companies will be very beneficial for delivery people who join the electric mode of transportation. Many months were spent with VOLTZ to achieve a cost for the new electric motorcycles that is far below the market. Starting this month, we can offer delivery partners state-of-the-art electric motorcycles for less than R$10,000 (about US$2,100). On top of that, we have created a special partnership with the BV Bank to access a line of financing and discounts for our delivery partners.

Based on an initial pilot with 30 of iFood’s delivery people, there are significant benefits for fuel and maintenance costs for those using the new electric motorcycles. For example, a delivery person who travels 3,000 km per month has a monthly cost of around R$610 of fuel, considering that one liter of gas costs about R$7.10. With the new e-motorcycle, this cost becomes a fixed amount, due to the battery-swap system developed in this project, generating savings of more than 60 percent for the delivery person in fuel alone. And the monthly maintenance costs for those using new e-motorcycles dropped, on average, by 70 percent.

GD: Electrifying your delivery fleet is a big part, but still just part of your larger sustainability program. Please tell us about your efforts to reduce plastic waste.

AL: iFood’s commitment to combat plastic pollution is focused on reducing the circulation of single-use plastics such as cutlery and straws, replacing plastic packaging with other more sustainable materials, and recycling the plastic volume that will still circulate in delivery for now.

For more than a year, we’ve offered our iFood app customers the option of not sending cutlery, cups, straws, and other plastic items through restaurants. Those opting in for the eco-friendlier option was significant with 82 percent of people responding that they preferred not to receive plastic cutlery and straws. Based on this, we estimate that more than one ton of plastic has stopped circulating in our delivery each day by adding this option for consumers on the app. In total, the circulation of more than 463 tons of plastics has been avoided so far.

Currently, our greatest challenge is to focus on the production, innovation and scale of packaging using more sustainable materials, such as paper, manioca or corn.

GD: We understand that iFood is developing a recycling facility in Sao Paulo. What are the economics of that? Are you working with partners? It sounds like a lot for one company to take on.

We are currently evaluating how iFood will invest in this large recycling center in São Paulo. This space already exists, with support from the city of São Paulo, but iFood has not yet decided on this investment.

On the other hand, in recent months, we have already recycled more than 2,000 tons of waste, through more than 70 voluntary delivery points. We’re also carrying out projects in peripheral regions of São Paulo to support cooperatives and we even work to recycle packaging on the edge of Rio’s beach.

GD: iFood recently teamed up with XPRIZE to develop an alternative to petroleum for the manufacture of plastic packaging. What more can you tell us about that?

AL: iFood is teaming up with XPRIZE, a global entity that creates positive impact solutions, to raise US$20 million (more than R$100 million) with the aim of launching a competition between companies and universities for the development of packaging sustainable. The competition will focus on research and development, and favor large-scale sustainable proposals to create packaging that is both safe for human consumption and the environment.

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São Paulo, Brazil – Today, Brazilian foodtech and online delivery giant iFood announced the launch of its first electric motorcycles for delivery people as a new mobility option that brings savings, on average, of 70 percent to partners and introduces a less polluting solution for the Brazilian market.

The project was developed by iFood, together with several partners during the last year, to provide an affordable solution with all the necessary infrastructure for its operation. The partnership with the motorcycle assembler allows delivery people to have a differentiated value that is lower than what’s typical in Latin America’s largest economy: R$9,999.90 (USD$2,099.99). The new sustainable transportation mode will be continuously improved for future expansion to other cities.

In addition to the motorcycle maker, banco BV will participate in the project to offer a more economical and sustainable mobility solution for the foodtech giant’s delivery people. iFood and BV formalized a partnership offering access to a line of financing with differentiated conditions to enable the acquisition of electric motorcycles. BV offers a subsidy of R$2,000 for the first 300 motorcycles that are financed, subject to credit and user approval.

“Our initiative is based on thinking about the advantages for our delivery people and the environment. It is extremely important that companies with common purposes promote sustainability in business and in the ecosystem. This type of union, in fact, makes the necessary changes possible for a better society,” emphasized André Borges, head of sustainability at iFood.

“We were pioneers among Brazilian banks to offset 100 percent of CO2 emissions and our financed fleet and now, with this important partnership with iFood, we want to make this alternative viable for delivery people, which makes a great contribution to the environment and more peace of mind for your financial lives. This is a beautiful example of sustainable innovation, something that BV will increasingly bring to the vehicle market,” said Flavio Suchek, Executive Director of Retail at banco BV.

The new iFood electric motorcycles can work with a battery exchange system, distributed at gas stations in the city of São Paulo, optimizing the time and usability of the item in a comprehensive system of recharges. The project is being implemented on a pilot basis in São Paulo and, in this first phase, 100 quick battery change stations will be installed in neighborhoods such as Aclimação, Itaim Bibi, Jardins, Lapa, Moema, Paulista, Pinheiros, República Consolação, among others. In this concept, the users don’t own the battery, but they use it as a service (Battery as a Service) in a network of quick-change stations. At the moment, there are already 33 exchange stations installed at 19 gas stations in the capital of São Paulo.

“This is just the beginning of an effective change in the delivery segment. There are more than 200,000 active couriers on our platform, and this is an opportunity to provide them with access to an electric motorcycles at a lower acquisition cost that is more economical for them over time, while generating an effective impact on the reduction of carbon emissions in the environment,” highlighted Claudia Storch, director of logistics at iFood. 

Economic and Sustainability Benefits of the E-motorcycles

After carrying out tests in the city of São Paulo with 30 of iFood’s delivery people, it was verified that the exchange of a combustion mode of transportation for an electric one generates a real cost reduction for deliveries. For example, a delivery person who travels 3,000 km per month has a monthly cost of around R$610 of fuel (considering the liter at R$7.10). With the electric motorcycle, this cost becomes a fixed amount, due to the battery swap system developed in this project, generating savings of more than 60 percent for the delivery person in fuel alone.

Considering the maintenance of the new vehicle, the monthly amount of expenses for the new electric motorcycle drops, on average, 70 percent.

“A motorcycle that has no oil, no filter, no spark plug and no gasoline? There’s no way something like this could be bad. I save 70 percent or even 80 percent with this bike, relative to the one I had,” said Bruno dos Santos, an iFood delivery partner.

Battery Swap System

The shared battery system is an option for couriers, so they don’t have to worry about recharging. As a result, subscription plans will be available ranging from R$129/month for those who drive up to 2,000 km to R$319 for unlimited mileage and exchanges. Thus, couriers make the exchange of discharged batteries for charged ones quickly and simply. But the motorcycle comes with a battery charger that users can recharge from any outlet.

The motorcycle’s autonomy with two batteries is from 100 to 180 kilometers, which guarantees ample circulation. In addition, couriers do not need to worry about interruptions for recharging when using the battery swap points, which are located in several gas stations and will be available 24 hours a day.

Zero CO2 emissions 

The iFood initiative seeks to encourage, more and more, the use of non-polluting modes of transportation in cities. “We want to show that it is already a reality to travel within urban centers with vehicles that generate a low impact on the environment,” highlighted Borges.

As part of the objective of making its operations carbon neutral (iFood Regenera), the foodtech giant is constantly looking for solutions for delivery and, in addition to supporting the use of electric motorcycles, foodtech carries out the iFood Pedal, a project that focuses on providing couriers with accessible plans for the use of bicycles and e-bikes in deliveries.

“Our goal is to ensure that 50 percent of iFood deliveries are made by vehicles that do not use fossil fuels by 2025. It is a gain for our delivery person, for the environment, and for society as a whole,” said André.

Technical Data

·       100 to 180 kilometers with two batteries

·       Up to 85 km/h – restricted for greater range

·       2 years warranty

·       Value of the iFood/Voltz motorcycle – BRL 9,999.90

iFood, a benchmark in online food delivery in Latin America, receives more than 60 million orders per month. The Brazilian company, which has been in the market for ten years, is also present in Colombia. It works, along with partners, on initiatives that combine business intelligence and management solutions for about 270,000 restaurants registered in more than 1,000 cities throughout Brazil. iFood has important investors, such as Movile, a global leader in mobile marketplaces, and Just Eat, one of the biggest companies of online shopping in the world. Recently, the company launched iFood News, a company-owned news portal that covers topics including business, the new economy, food delivery, technology, partner success stories, and trends and innovations in the segment.

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iFood is using an in-house AI developer to create new AI developments that will help it to keep up with its growth. In fact, iFood will be training all its employees next year to use this AI. The new technology is meant to boost the efficiency, safety, and happiness of iFood’s different partners and customers. This way it can meet the growing demand for its service in a personalized way while cutting costs. With all of these upgrades, iFood aims to deliver affordable food options to one billion people.

iFood’s growth

Over the years, iFood has been experiencing huge growth. By the end of September 2019, the company processed 21.5 million orders in Brazil. This shows how iFood has progressed overall, but this growth has also been quick. 

iFood currently delivers food to 822 Brazilan cities and that number is up from 662 cities in July of this year. That’s an increase of 160 restaurants or 24 percent in about two month’s time. Over 100,000 restaurants are now partnered with iFood. Much of this growth has been powered by AI so it’s more important than ever for iFood to develop and train its employees to understand the new technology. 

iFood has also just reached a new first. It has announced it’s the first foodtech company in Brazil to partner with Amazon. This partnership will allow users to order food through voice commands on Alexa. Commands like “Alexa, talk to iFood” or “Alexa, open iFood” in Portuguese allow people to begin and complete orders through Alexa devices. 

AI Developments

iFood’s AI Academy is being led by chief data scientist Sandor Caetano. He’s been working in this field for years and has a history of working with big tech companies in Brazil. Caetano and his team are working with different businesses to develop the right kind of AI iFood needs to keep improving. For example, the team has been using data gathered from AIs to make sure enough deliverers are working at any given time and to know how long it takes for restaurants to have dishes ready for deliveries. 

AI can also help users find the kind of food they’re looking for. Think of all the times food apps have suggested restaurants or food options to you. Think of when an app saves your favorite restaurants or dishes. This is all powered by AI that personalizes your experience. It also helps with dietary restrictions like for those who are vegan or vegetarian. 

And of course, no technological advancements would be complete without robots. iFood has also partnered Synkar. According to its website, Synkar uses autonomous robots to make deliveries in less than an hour for less than one dollar. These self-driving robots are being designed specifically to transport food in at least part of the delivery process. They’re scheduled to be released in the second half of 2020.

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