Gonzalo Úcar, former student of Industrial Engineering from Tecnunhas received the first award Tecnun -Emprendedor. The award was presented during the workshop of Innovation and Entrepreneurship organized by Gustavo Pego, director of Corporate Entrepreneurship of the University of Navarra.

Gonzalo Úcar was recognized for having launched Hogaru, a digital platform that seeks to dignify the domestic work of women in Colombia. Úcar himself tells us about it, who started this project as director of Operations and is now also in charge of the company's customer growth.

Q. How and when did Hogaru come about?

R. Hogaru was born with the aim of solving the search for professional housekeepers. First of all, there was an important group of clients who were looking for a reliable maid who would work on a daily basis, and therefore did not want to take care of social security. In addition, there was an international start-up movement in this niche. Finally, Hogaru had recurring revenue features that made it very interesting from a business point of view, as well as an operational complexity that was worth solving.

Q. Why the name?

R. Hogaru was born as a brand that meant nothing but to include a reference letter to homes, our first target customers. However, today we serve homes and offices.

Q. What social impact does Hogaru have in Colombia?

R. The impact is on many levels. It offers them job stability because they earn a fixed salary that is known to us. Otherwise, they would earn only on the days they work and according to what the client decides to pay them on that day. In addition, with Hogaru they have the benefits of an employment contract, such as the right to receive a pension, extra pay or holidays, for example. In informality, they would have none of these rights. It also ensures that they work 48 hours a week, allowing them time to spend with their children and families. It protects them from abusive behaviour on the part of the client, they are trained to do an excellent job and they receive psychological support whenever they need it, as there are cases of gender violence, forced displacement or drug addiction... Hogaru also guarantees them access to interest-free loans and we teach them how to save. Thanks to savings, there have already been cleaning professionals who have gained access to housing (something unthinkable for these people in Colombia), have been able to buy a car or have been able to pay for their children's university studies.

Q. What has it meant to you to receive this award?

R. I feel very honoured to have received this recognition in its first edition. I was surprised to have received it knowing that we are competing with such relevant companies as HolaLuz. It is exciting to see how the work and entrepreneurial spirit we had at the University of Navarra has had an impact on our professional career.