“LatAm Startups was our first step getting into the Canadian market.”
To those in the LatAm Startups community, among colleagues of other great alumni, SafetyDocs Global is one that has continued to reach new milestones, one after another, each month bringing exciting news.
Less than a year old in Canada, SafetyDocs Global has come far under the leadership of CEO Ingrid Polini, building its presence and growing its accolade in Canada’s tech ecosystem. Participating in several pitch competitions, and taking part in several accelerator programs, the list goes on.
SafetyDocs Global is a SaaS platform that focuses on document management and workflow for permits, licenses, and compliance documents. The software supports large companies that need help managing and controlling their workflow of documents.
The business began almost 6 years ago in Brazil, with a great start, earning profitability in its first year. The decision to incorporate in Canada came about in September of last year during the pandemic with intentions to start their Canadian operations and kickstart their growth plans of becoming a global business.
When beginning the company during the pandemic, Polini noticed a conservative take in software adoption, especially for new software entering the market, which made sales a challenge. On a positive note, Polini also shared that “it gave more time to actually dig in, dive into the business plan, and develop what the plans were going to be in this new market.”
Fast-forwarding to recent, SafetyDocs Global has grown their team hiring new employees while also being accepted into the very competitive Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders accelerator program for Seed to Series A technology startups based in the U.S. and Canada. SafetyDocs Global’s spotlight doesn’t stop there, with CEO Ingrid Polini’s participation in several different pitch competitions. SafetyDocs Global participated in the Entrepreneurship World Cup, representing and listing as one of Canada’s National 2021 Finalists. Polini also participated and won the 2021 PitchFest at the SAAS NORTH 2021 Conference this past November.
When asked what advice Polini would give to new entrepreneurs or international startups planning to enter a new market, she pointed out a key piece that we at LatAm Startups have also observed working with over 100 different companies.
“I would say the biggest thing is to be humble. If you have operations in another country, you tend to think that everyone will need your solution and that everyone will believe what you believe in.
When you enter a new market, you realize that you’re just one more startup in the midst of a million other startups. What differentiates you? I think that’s what is important. So be humble, ask questions, meet the right people, listen to people’s ideas that have been in this market before you and know this market. Really understand how the market works before assuming that your solution will apply to anything.”
- Ingrid Polini, CEO and Co-Founder of SafetyDocs Global
Putting a year of accomplishments behind, Polini shared that next year the team will be focused on increasing penetration in the Canadian and U.S. market and with their growth plan to expand to other countries in Latin America in the near future.
Learn more about SafetyDocs Global
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