Freddy Vega

Only half of Latin Americans go to college, but one online educational founder is looking to help them have good careers.

There is a talent short-circuit in Latin America. With just half of all university-age people attending higher education (and fewer graduating), there isn’t enough talent for companies to hire. Colombian entrepreneur Freddy Vega thinks he can fill both gaps.

Vega is the co-founder and CEO of online learning platform Platzi, which offers technology and business courses to one million students in Latin America. His bet is teaching saleable skills ­– from basic coding to machine learning – on a huge scale, and fast, while also seeding a lifelong-learning attitude in students. Vega tells the BBC that his approach to education enables people to not only learn what college does not teach them, but also find well-paying jobs quickly.

Many students see Platzi as complementary to their higher education, but some are skipping college entirely in favour of using it full time. Some end up creating their own start-ups, which garner significant investment, including Tranqui (a financial chatbot).

A working-class college dropout in Bogota who learned to code by himself, Vega sees his company as a big equaliser in a part of the world where education is still a privilege. “Success must not depend on being born in the right place,” he says.

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Image credit: Piero Zagami and Michela Nicchiotti.