These Latin American developers are reimagining how we learn, practice self-care, travel, and play.
Learn something new
If you want to learn it, Duolingo probably teaches it. The popular learning app offers quick, gamelike lessons in over 30 languages—as well as math skills, chess strategy, and reading music.
Who built it: Founders Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker created Duolingo to “ensure everyone has access to world-class education.” They launched the app in 2012.
Unedo immerses intermediate Spanish learners in the language through daily articles exploring Latin culture. Written by local journalists from Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and Peru, the stories cover films, artists, and cultural references that native speakers actually talk about.
Who built it: After more than a year learning Italian, Olivier Peyre hit a wall. “I’d outgrown other language apps, and I wanted to read the news and watch shows,” he says. Teaming up with cofounder Sonia Salvador, he pivoted to Spanish to build Unedo.
After you complete the exercises in the public-speaking coach Speeko, the app uses AI to analyze your intonation and filler words so you can hear exactly what to fix before any human does. When you’re ready, join a live virtual event to put your new skills to the test with a real speech coach.
Who built it: CEO Nico Aguilar struggled with public speaking throughout his professional career. “Improving my communication skills was a journey that changed my life, and now our team is making that skill available to people around the world,” Aguilar says.
Play awesome games
Running Pond Pals’ lily-pad campsite, you’ll set up tents and serve meals to cute critters. The more you earn, the more sweet upgrades you can add. How about a lazy river ride?
Who built it: Mexico City’s HyperBeard has been crafting and publishing enchanting games since 2014. They teamed up with Mexican indie studios Little Sasquatch and Mum Not Proud to bring Pond Pals to life.
HoloVista sets you up with what sounds like a dream job: live in a mansion, photograph its breathtaking decor, and post about it online. But as you take snapshots of the chandelier in the foyer and mermaid statue in the pool room, this world’s odd mysteries emerge.
Who built it: Indie studio Aconite specializes in mixed-reality experiences. HoloVista’s narrative director Whitney “Strix” Beltrán describes the game as “a strange ode to postmodernism and Western capitalism, bathed in vaporwave-y aesthetics.”
Put your tower-defense skills to the test in Kingdom Rush Battles, a multiplayer spin on the popular strategy series. Build all sorts of structures to skewer goblins, stun raiders, and poison lumbering ogres. Can you stop your waves of creeps before your foe stops theirs?
Who built it: Uruguay’s Ironhide Game Studio launched the original Kingdom Rush in 2011. While testing Kingdom Rush Battles, the studio invited longtime franchise fans to play against the development team. (It got crushed in the first match.)
Care for yourself
An acronym for “you are not alone,” Yana is a gentle, supportive chatbot that encourages you to reflect on your day, your relationships, and any intense emotions that have surfaced. Prompts are available in English and Spanish.
Who built it: Andrea Campos struggled with mental-health issues her whole life before founding Yana in 2020. “I want to combat the lack of education and tools to deal with day-to-day life,” Campos says. “The mental-health revolution is now.”
Gentler than an alarm clock, Yoga Wake Up rouses you with a guided breathing exercise, a few words to inspire gratitude and positivity, and gentle stretches you can do in bed.
Who built it: Cofounders Joaquín and Lizzie Brown made sure their app had Spanish-language content and teachers who represent a variety of cultures and heritages.
With a library of nearly 700 exercises, the App Store Award–winning workout app SmartGym strips away any resistance you may have toward reaching your fitness goals. The app’s AI-powered Smart Trainer suggests personalized workouts and stretching routines that continually evolve so you don’t plateau.
Who built it: Matt Abras started the app to help everyone feel comfortable hitting the gym. “People can be intimidated; others may have no idea which exercises to do,” Abras says. “I wanted to give them the confidence to start.”
Inspire future generations
Created in partnership with child-development experts at Stanford University, Kinedu has a vast library of activities and play sessions to experience with your baby, as well as coaching sessions, classes, and forums for parents and parents-to-be.
Who built it: Luis Garza founded Kinedu in 2013 to offer parents helpful tools for early child development.
With a library of ebooks and educational games in many languages, this video-chat and learning app makes it easy for children to bond with family from afar.
Who built it: Originally founded by App Store Small Business Program alumni Álvaro Sabido and Maxeme Tuchman, Caribu is named after the Canadian reindeer. “We spell it in Spanish because Álvaro is from Spain and I’m Cuban,” Tuchman says.
Built for toddlers growing up bilingual (and parents who want their children to be), Canticos is filled with educational videos, games, nursery rhymes, and books. The app provides an interactive way for young ones to dive into the Spanish language and learn about Latin heritage.
Who built it: A mother of two, Susie Jaramillo created Canticos in 2016 when she realized the songs and stories of her childhood in Venezuela weren’t available in U.S. bookstores and libraries. Her mission is to not only raise her own children to love their culture and heritage but also inspire and teach a new generation of bilingual learners.
More to explore
With App Store Award winner Prêt à Makeup, experiment with digital makeup products like lipstick, mascara, and highlighter, using your fingers to layer products like you would on a real face.
Who built it: Brazilian founder and CEO Roberta Weiand released her first app, Prêt à Template, in 2014 to help people create and share fashion ideas.
Tripsy’s automations seriously simplify trip planning, especially when organizing group adventures. Forward booking emails for flights, hotels, and experiences to your special Tripsy address and each will appear in your itinerary with all the relevant details neatly formatted.
Who built it: When cofounders Thiago Sanchez and Rafael Streit started working on Tripsy, they didn’t quite grasp how complex trip-planning can be. “A fun fact we learned along the way: Some time zones differ by 45 or even 30 minutes, rather than the hour offsets most people are familiar with,” Streit says.