For the first multi-country Seed project at Polymath, one of our teams looked at the recreation market. Our team — a group of designers, entrepreneurs and business people — took the business of fun and leisure very seriously, exploring what people do to kick-back and relax in Colombia and Mexico. Research involved balloons and dog treats, and interesting insights were identified while hanging out with teenagers. The most promising opportunity was not actually in what people do for leisure, but how they get to their favorite fun spots.
From conversations to ideas to MVP
With growing disposable income in the middle class, leisure and recreation is a large (USD $183B) and fast-growing sector across Latin America. Both Colombians and Mexicans are constantly looking for fresh ways to have fun. Pets, sports, and travel topped most lists of favorite forms of leisure, but parents need to balance time, safety, and value when considering activities for their families.
While parents encourage their children to get away from TV and video games and enjoy more of the outdoors, they worry about them when they leave home. Many Colombian and Mexican parents insist on transporting their kids to and from school and leisure activities, sacrificing their own schedule and personal time. Colombian parents specifically want better transportation options for kids.
The team brainstormed and tested hundreds of concepts including new types of sports leagues, vacation travel plans, and LOTS of pet ideas. A major learning was that while there were great ideas in the leisure space, there lacked the widespread deep needs required to scale up a business in the rapid time frame of a startup. The strongest concept testing that made business sense was around transportation for kids.
Super Ruta serves the needs of Colombian parents for safe, modern bus transportation to bring to and from school. Colombia’s private school system requires some children to travel long distances (1-2 hrs) in heavy traffic. Before and after long days of learning, parents want a reliable and caring transit service, and Super Ruta provides via professional drivers and bus aids, and quality routing and communication technology.
