LatAm List – When you go on to MercadoLibre to try to buy a drill, you will immediately see suggestions for other tools and related products. This program, called discovery, is an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to provide suggestions for clients that are not sure what they want to buy. It is already well known on Amazon and other e-commerce sites.
On MercadoLibre, the company that original developed the algorithm is a small firm from Córdoba called Machinalis, developed at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. The 60-person company has acted as a MercadoLibre partner and supplier since 2014, leading to its recent acquisition for an undisclosed sum.
Machinalis is MercadoLibre’s second acquisition in Cordoba, a city which provides a great deal of MELA’s logistical and payments support. The team will be moved to Buenos Aires, where they will work closely with the MercadoLibre team. Both companies are staffed with young teams, averaging around 27 years old for Machinalis and 30 years old at MercadoLibre.
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