Mex-tech Showcase at SXSW Turns Attention to Country's Rising Startup Scene

AUSTIN -- One company uses drones to root out a fungus affecting a banana crop and alerts farmers about what their fields need.Another one built an app that lets you unlock your front door with your phone.And a third is paying people who put down their phones at school, work or behind the wheel.These companies and 11 others were part of Mexico’s trade show at the annual South by Southwest Festival in Austin this week, all with the same goal — showing the U.S. that Mexico is a budding innovation and technology hub.It’s Mexico’s attempt to buck the stereotypes of drug violence and political corruption that often characterize it and put a new face forward.“It gives us the opportunity to show off the range of entrepreneurs we have doing business in Mexico,” said Carlos González Gutiérrez, the general consul of Mexico in Austin who has boosted his country’s presence at the festival.Now in its third year, Casa México is the Mexican government’s attempt at reframing the country’s narrative at one of the biggest music, film and technology festivals in the world. This year, the event has taken on increased importance amid contentious negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement and slights from the president of Mexico’s closest ally, the United States.  Continue reading...