Cinepapaya

Cinepapaya was a Peruvian startup that provided an online and mobile platform for purchasing movie tickets. Founded in 2011 by Gary Urteaga, Manuel Olguín, and Inma Cañadas, the company initially aimed to be a video-on-demand service for Latin America, similar to Netflix, but pivoted to movie ticketing due to difficulties in acquiring a film catalog.

The company's platform served both consumers (B2C) and movie theaters (B2B). For consumers, it was a single point of purchase for tickets, offering movie-related content and a community integrated with social networks. For theater chains like Cinemark and Cinepolis, Cinepapaya provided a turnkey e-commerce solution that included mobile and online sales, ticket validation, and business intelligence tools.

Cinepapaya secured funding from several investors, including Wayra, Start-Up Chile, 500 Global, and a significant $2 million Series A round from Brazilian tech company Movile in 2014. This investment fueled its expansion across Latin America, establishing a presence in Peru, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and others. By 2016, the service was available for over 1,200 screens in seven countries.

In December 2016, Fandango, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, acquired Cinepapaya for an undisclosed amount to expand its footprint in the fast-growing Latin American market. Following the acquisition, Cinepapaya was rebranded as Fandango Latam in March 2017, with its leadership team integrated into Fandango. However, due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cinema industry, Fandango ceased its operations in Latin America in August 2020.

Keywords: movie ticketing, online tickets, mobile ticketing, Latin America cinema, e-commerce platform, Fandango Latam, theater solutions, ticket validation, business intelligence, Peruvian startup, Wayra, Start-Up Chile, 500 Global, Movile, Cinemark, Cinepolis, Manuel Olguín, Gary Urteaga