Ignacio López

"In 2006 Ignacio Lopez co-founded Wormhole IT. This company, in which Lopez is director of information technology, provides software for videoconferencing in emerging countries where “Internet connections are poor, computers are outdated and users are not accustomed to handling high-tech systems,” comments Lopez.

According to Lopez, the products offered by the main players in the field of web video conferencing, like Cisco Webex, Citrix GoToMeeting or BlackBoard, are not suitable for emerging markets because they require high bandwidths, are expensive and difficult to use, usually available exclusively in English, require the installation of additional programs which must be purchased online using an international credit card.

On the other hand, free web conferencing applications like Skype or Google+ Hangouts also require high bandwidths, they offer no technical support and do not allow the user to “have an interactive virtual classroom with two or more teachers giving classes to 50 students, who can work together using a virtual whiteboard and can also make inquiries via audio and video,” in contrast to Lopez’s system which does all of the above.

According to the youngster, his innovative software works “simply by clicking on a link from any computer”. In less than 30 seconds attendees can see and hear people who provide a training session, and start interacting with them. “The low-bandwidth usage also allows us to keep costs lower and market products for a third or less of the prices of the leading products in the United States,” said Lopez.

Currently, the company calculates that their software is being used by more than 1,000 companies and educational institutions and 30,000 people in over 10 countries, especially in emerging regions, as part of their online learning programs. Its virtual classrooms allow people that live far away from the big cities ”to access education or training without incurring travel costs or additional equipment,” explains Lopez."