Photo: Frederick Medina | Pexels
Ender Lacruz is among half a million Venezuelans who have moved to Ecuador to escape economic collapse. After he arrived in Guayaquil in 2017, he sold Venezuelan products before opening Teke Joropo restaurant in 2019. He found customers through Facebook groups run by other migrants like María Teresa Rosales, who is recruiting restaurants to join Turpi, a food delivery app made by Venezuelan migrants for Venezuelan migrants. Unlike other established apps in the crowded food delivery market, Turpi is a social enterprise masquerading as a tech startup. In Ecuador, Venezuelans make up over 60% of the food delivery drivers. Undocumented migrants often work long hours for low pay, trying to scrape together savings to start their own businesses. Turpi wants to serve both fledgling businesspeople and those still making deliveries, helping to showcase the contributions that Venezuelans make to Ecuadorian society.
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