A collaboration between Mercado Libre and Newlab, the studio is focused on applying emerging technologies to tackle critical challenges and advance on aggressive decarbonization goals through the creation of a multimodal EV logistic network in Latin America.

The first year of the studio is working towards a future vision in the last mile mobility ecosystem in which different types of low carbon form factors, supporting infrastructure and systems optimization will be key areas in order to identify opportunities for high-impact, innovative products and services to advance through real-world pilot projects.

Focus Areas

Micromobility

  • Using light electric vehicles (LEVs) for efficient urban delivery and navigation, emissions reduction, and sustainable logistics, leveraging technologies such as efficient load out and battery swap.

Retrofit

  • Converting existing internal combustion engine (ICE) delivery vans into cost-effective, high-performance electric mobility solutions.

Shared Private Charging

  • Installing turnkey solutions for EV fleet charging in shared parking lots at convenient urban locations.

Portable Chargers

  • Providing portable, reliable, smart chargers for EV charging, promoting adoption in a cost-efficient way.

EV Planning and Live Optimization Platform

  • Optimizing EV form factors and infrastructure, routes, and live fleet management for efficient operations and cost optimization.

Aerial Delivery

  • Leveraging drones and UAVs across different use cases for fast and cost-effective deliveries.

Who should apply

  • We seek to pilot with startups working on impact-driven advancements within the identified focus areas. If you are developing a novel technology, product or service within one of these areas, learn more and apply today.
  • If you are a technology company developing novel innovation and science that can address the opportunities above, we want to hear from you. We are open to working with technologies at any stage and encourage companies from adjacent industries to apply.

Studio participation benefits

Newlab offerings

Investment & Exposure

  • Grant funding pool divided among participating companies to support pilot development and offset associated costs; no equity taken.

Pilot design support

  • Structured strategy and support from Newlab to advance your pilot concept and solicit feedback and input from key stakeholders to enable customer discovery, uncover technology requirements, meet compliance requirements and launch pilot projects.
  • Ongoing support from the Newlab team, Mercado Libre and a network of relevant stakeholders to navigate the integration of technologies that advance the future of low carbon logistics.
  • The project team will work closely with companies to determine appropriate sites, facilities, permits and timeframes for pilot projects in Latin America. We will work with startups to design pilot projects in detail and connect teams to potential partners based on commercialization progress, business model and go-to-market strategy.
  • Applicants will benefit from the project teams’ deep industry knowledge. Our team has mobility experience and local insight to provide intelligence around operational scenarios and potential for technology scale-up.

Community Membership & Newlab Infrastructure

  • Access to the Newlab flagship location in Brooklyn, NY and our new location in Detroit, MI with over $5M in on-site prototyping resources and product realization teams; over 300,000 sq ft industrial work space, and peer community of 250+ companies scaling transformative technology.
  • Engagement with leading industry, venture, and academic experts through curated programming and office hours.
  • Access to testbed infrastructure across Newlab pilot locations including the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard, Detroit’s Michigan Central Campus, Uruguay and more.

How to Apply

Interested? Please apply to participate in the studio using this application.

Apply

Newlab Overview

Newlab creates the conditions for world-changing ideas to become real-world solutions. Through its community of startups, applied innovation programming, physical infrastructure, and direct investment, Newlab helps commercialize and scale the critical technologies needed to decarbonize the economy. Today, Newlab is home to more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and has partnered with over 60 forward-thinking corporate and civic organizations to build, pilot and scale deep tech solutions. To date, Newlab has supported its 250+ member companies in raising over $2.5B in capital from 400+ venture capital firms, with over $1.8B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $8.5B.

Newlab Studios Uruguay Overview

Ministerio de Industria, Energia y Minas (MIEM), Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay (LATU), the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), and Newlab, along with corporate sponsors and inaugural private-sector participants, is cultivating an innovation ecosystem comprised of entrepreneurs, industry experts, venture partners and academics from Uruguay, other countries in Latin America, and around the world. In alignment with the goals of the Test Uruguay initiative—a national strategy to attract investment and talent from all over the world to drive innovation and economic growth—Newlab Studios Uruguay enables innovators to launch businesses that support the region’s established industries and Uruguay’s vision for a sustainable future.

Mercado Libre Overview

Mercado Libre hosts the largest online commerce and payments ecosystem in Latin America. Their efforts are centered on enabling e-commerce and digital and mobile payments on behalf of their customers by delivering a suite of technology solutions across the complete value chain of commerce. They are present in 18 countries including: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru. Based on unique visitors and page views they are market leaders in each of the major countries where they are present.

Key dates

  • Open call launch: Aug 1, 2023
  • Open call deadline: Sep 4, 2023