Using Polycom video solutions, AmigoLatino connects immigrant families

Published in Connections by PUG (Polycom User Group) www.pug.com

Gabriel Biguria is the embodiment of the American Dream. A native Guatemalan, he immigrated to the United States to attend college, ultimately earning an MBA from Northwestern’s prestigious Kellogg University. He spent time in some of corporate America’s powerhouses and lent his talents to Sillicon Valley start-ups in the late 1990’s. As the dot-com era came to a close, Biguria was looking to start his own company, one that would combine his business experience and the latest in technology to address the needs of underserved segments of the population.

“Having grown up in Guatemala, I saw the sacrifices people had to make to come to the United States - it tears families apart,” says Biguria. “I needed to do something to help solve this problem, for Latinos family is the strongest bond there is, yet many family members are unable to physically see each other after five, 10, 15 years or more.

Biguria had experience with interactive video conferencing and decided it was the technology that it would take his concept from dream to reality. His first conference connected immigrants in San Francisco with their parents in Guatemala.

“What happened that day when those family members laid eyes on each other for the first time in five years was incredible. I knew I was on the right track”, recounts Biguria. And with that first conference AmigoLatino was born. The company offers video reunions, dubbed “Amigo Live”, for a low cost, and it now counts Chicago, Los Angeles, Rhode Island, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico among its locations. Biguria has partnered with others offering similar services to reach additional countries. Read More (PDF File)