Table Colombia Challenge

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We are facing a critical environmental situation. We have five garbage patches full of plastic in the oceans, and most countries in the Americas have a plastic recycling rate lower than 10%. That is why we created Ecobot.

ECOBOT is a company that encourages sustainable consumption habits and recycling culture, by exchanging used plastic bottles for rewards. ECOBOT promotes recycling by placing reverse vending machines inside crowded places such as universities, malls and supermarkets. People can insert used bottles in the Ecobot machines and receive different brands discount coupons in exchange.

Ecobot links companies’ environmental golds with people’s environmental commitment.

With ECOBOT, we offer our clients (companies and brands) an advertising alternative that allows them to express their environmental commitment in an innovative way. We offer ecological advertising plans within universities, malls and supermarkets, based on external branding, screen exposure and by issuing discounts coupons.

Ecobot discount coupons are not only a reward for our users, but also it is a strategy for our clients to attract customers.

In our portfolio, we also offer the option to rent an ECOBOT for companies’ environmental campaigns or events.

In the last years, the environmental crisis has been more critical and people and companies are now concerned about it. This is forcing everyone to commit with the cause. Governments are stablishing environmental regulations, companies are looking for strategies to reduce their environmental impact, and people are looking for ways to contribute.

Ecobot offers and alternative for companies to promote recycling and for people to recycle. As time passes, more companies are becoming part of Ecobot by hiring our services, and more people are becoming our users by recycling in Ecobot.

Ecobot belong to a machine group called: RVM (Reverse Vending Machines). RVM where created in Netherland more than 40 year ago, and they have spread over many countries. What makes each RVM machine different from one to other is the way they operate. In Germany, for example, people inserts recyclable containers and in exchange they receive cash (small amounts, but cash), and this happens only because there are government laws that make producers to pay for their reverse logistics.

Ecobot are RVM that works as an advertising platform: brands advertise in Ecobot machines (screen and external branding) and they are the ones that gives discount coupons as a reward for our users. Ecobot links companies’ environmental golds with people’s environmental commitment.

Therefore, we have direct competitors, which are other RVM companies. In Colombia, we have four competitors:

• Ciclo: They are RVM that give incentives for public transportation in Medellín. Their client is the public transportation company. (They operate in Medellín). They depend on one public organization; we work with many privet companies.
• Kaptar: They have recycling modules operated by people, and only a few Chinese machines. They sell advertising as we do but they only operate in Medellín (Colombia). We manufacture our own machines, which operates automatically in the schedule that the locations requires it (Even 24/7).

• Matchbio: This are Italian RVM, they sell and rent RVM. We have cheapest, more flexible and wider services.

• Ecosmart solutions: The have recycling containers and RVM as well. They have a few but big companies working with them in their RVM, but they are not only focus on RVM models. We have stronger commercial force and wider services in terms of RVM.

Our indirect competitors are all advertising platforms, street banners, online advertisement, as well as all advertising means in which brands can invest their marketing budget. With all of our indirect competitors, we have a strong differentiation and is the environmental impact that we promote with Ecobot.

Ecobot started operations 3.5 years ago, with one Ecobot placed in Cali- Colombia. Now, we have 46 Ecobot operating in five main Colombian cities. We have more than 40 brands as our clients: https://www.ecobot.com.co/ecopartners

Our business model consists in five main components:

• Users: People who exchange used plastic bottles for discount coupon in our Ecobot machines.
• Locations (Allies): Universities, malls, supermarkets and other crowded places where we locate Ecobot. This are allies and there is no transaction between parties.
• Recyclers’ organizations and charity foundations: All plastic captured in Ecobot machines is donated to recyclers’ organizations and social foundation. By doing this, we do social impact with vulnerable populations, and we guarantee that the plastic collected is transform into new products.
• Clients: We offer our clients (companies and brands) an advertising alternative that allows them to express their environmental commitment in an innovative way. We offer ecological advertising plans within universities, malls and supermarkets, based on external branding, screen exposure and by issuing discounts coupons. In our portfolio, we also offer the option to rent an ECOBOT for companies’ environmental campaigns or events.

Lina Aramburo: business administration and industrial engineer, graduated in 2013 Magna Cum Laude.  Traveled one semester with an Isep scholarship as an exchanged student to England, and did the internship in Spain in Refratechnik Company. Worked 2 year in the pharmaceutical industry en Colombia and then quitted to start her own business with his brother Santiago.

Santiago Aramburo: Industrial engineer graduated in 2016. During university time, he was an active student in engineer and leadership university groups. Traveled as an exchanged student to Brazil and did the internship in Spain in Refratechnik Company. Just after graduating, Santiago decided to start his own business with his sister Lina.

2020: 100 Ecobot operating in Colombia. Reach the US Market. This gold requires an inversion of US$156.000

2021: Franchise or representation model running in Latin American Countries.  Explore other business models to reach other Latin American Countries.

2022: Expansion in amount of Ecobot per Country reached

Ecobot has a strong impact in our community.

• We promote recycling culture an sustainable consumption habits in the communities that we reach in the locations where we have Ecobot
• We contribute to vulnerable population by donating all the plastic collected in Ecobot
• We contribute with the environment by guaranteeing that every day more plastic is being transform into new products and is not ending up in land fields.

• Also, as all companies, we generate impact to our employees. We now generate 10 jobs in our company.