The building sector is responsible
for about 37% of global CO2 emissions, according to a recent report by the
Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and Yale University's Center for
Ecosystems + Architecture. Remodeling homes to adapt to the climate crisis and
make them more energy efficient is essential to address global warming, as well
as saving money. But in Latin America, the construction and renovation sector
is highly decentralized and has high rates of informality.
Fortunately, technology can help
alleviate this problem, as Venezuelan innovator Ángel Daniel Ricchiuti (26)
demonstrates. This mechatronics engineer, a graduate of the Tecnológico de
Monterrey, details the challenge in this labor environment, "The average
worker is very badly treated in terms of salary and benefits. Nobody checks if
they have insurance or credit history. We have a high potential in the
workforce, but that talent is overshadowed by informality." Specifically in Mexico, more than half of the active population works in informal labor
conditions, according to data from the latest National Occupation and
Employment Survey.
With the aim of increasing the
income of construction and renovation workers, giving greater confidence and
better services to those who hire them, reducing families' electricity bills
and mitigating the climate crisis, Ricchiuti has created the Milusos app. Its
platform connects people in the remodeling and construction industry with those
who need to renovate their homes, and also offers the latter credit and
insurance. For this initiative, Ricchiuti has been named by MIT Technology
Review in Spanish as one of the Innovators under 35 Latin America 2023.
Ricchiuti says his initiative
allows 60% of the workers on the platform to "earn 1.6 times more than the
average in Mexico, about 8,000 euros a year in total." His software gives
greater financial freedom to electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, locksmiths
and other professionals in precarious trades. With the Milusos app technology,
"all service providers work within five kilometers of their homes, helping
to preserve the environment, and saving them a lot of time in traffic. With this
proximity, we help them work more and get paid better," adds Ricchiuti. In
addition, for those who hire services through the platform, Milusos app allows
them to request an instant quote and connect with a certified partner through
its artificial intelligence-enhanced search engine. "With the more than
30,000 remodels the platform has performed, the model can predict and analyze
the data to give accurate estimates for any repair," Ricchiuti recounts.
The young engineer's plans for the
company are to grow in Mexico's large cities, thus helping to increase the
income of professionals, improve the customer experience and, as a whole,
reduce the environmental impact of the construction sector.
