The protagonists of the financing and development of entrepreneurial ecosystems gathered at the second edition of the flagship event of the IDB Group to promote innovation and technology that improves lives in our region.
IDB Lab Forum, the event led by IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group, concluded after two intense days of activities that highlighted the importance of early-stage financing and the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in promoting innovative solutions to large economic and social challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean.
More than 650 participants from 37 countries, including entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, accelerators and other actors in the innovation ecosystem, participated in the city of Bogotá (Colombia) in this high-level forum where they found content, connections and investment opportunities to launch new initiatives. The agenda addressed in more than 28 panels and interventions the possibilities of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to respond to the priorities and needs of our region in mitigation and adaptation to climate change, innovation and Deep Tech as engines of growth, sustainable digital infrastructure and the fight against inequality, transversally incorporating issues of gender, diversity, climate and biodiversity.
The agenda served as a framework for the launch of three unpublished publications of the IDB Group on well-being and mental health to promote the high-impact entrepreneurial ecosystem in our region, the possibilities of the new wave of Deep Tech in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the potential of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) for Latin American entrepreneurs.
This second edition of the IDB Lab Forum incorporated WeXchange, a platform promoted by IDB Lab, a pioneer in the promotion of female entrepreneurship in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. In it, 15 dynamic female entrepreneurs from our region participated in activities specifically designed for their needs and in the Startup Academy, the Google for Startups acceleration microprogram. The entrepreneurs presented their businesses to a group of investors and key players in the innovation ecosystem of Latin America and the Caribbean.
IDB Lab Forum was an exceptional framework for the protocol signing of two new projects that will have financing and/or technical cooperation from the IDB Group and that develop innovative solutions on issues such as:
- Strengthening the market for voluntary biodiversity credits with digital tokens, one of the first in the world and an income opportunity for landowners who carry out conservation measures. This program will be executed by the Colombian startup Terrassos, which was selected in the recent Call for Digital Tokens for Biodiversity, by IDB Lab.
Agricultural financial technology to expand credit to small-scale producers with digital-based technology products by supporting the Colombian company Agricapital.
- The entrepreneurial ecosystem and the bioeconomy also played a leading role in the presentation of the HeCo Invest initiative, a digital platform that takes advantage of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence applications to achieve connections that favor high-impact projects prioritized by the Herencia Colombia program.
The meeting of the protagonists of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems at the IDB Lab Forum served as the framework for the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of IDB Lab, whose agenda has been adapted to the needs of the region and which is currently in full swing. evolution to become a hub of innovation for development in Latin America and the Caribbean, always at the service of its vulnerable populations. “Together with the IDB, IDB Invest and external allies, we will identify challenges in the region where entrepreneurial innovation can make a big difference so that, together, we can deploy programs that address its different aspects and achieve real and lasting impact at scale,” said Irene Arias. Hofman, CEO of IDB Lab.
About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the main source of financing and knowledge for development focused on improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of the IDB Lab is to promote innovation for inclusion in the region, mobilizing financing, knowledge, and connections to test solutions from the private sector in early stages with the potential to transform the lives of vulnerable populations due to economic, social, and environmental conditions. Since 1993, IDB Lab has approved more than US$2 billion in projects deployed in 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. bidlab.org
