IDB Lab is the innovation and venture capital arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. We discover new ways to drive social inclusion, environmental action and productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab leverages financing, knowledge and connections to support early-stage entrepreneurship, foster new technologies, activate innovative markets and catalyze existing sectors.
IDB Lab worked in partnership with various Japanese companies to explore entrepreneurial innovations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). IDB Lab, as the innovation and venture capital arm of the IDB Group, seeks innovative business and technology to make a greater development impact in the region and thus Japanese companies are highly expected as valuable partners to co-create innovative impactful solutions.
IDB Lab partnered with NTT Data, as well as the world's leading technology and consulting companies, to accelerate the use of blockchain for inclusive purposes through the¨LACChain¨ alliance, ensuring that its benefits reach the most underserved populations in the LAC region. In the same context, IDB Lab partnered with NEC to explore the blockchain-based digital identity solution which helped deliver better services for the Citizens of Buenos Aires below the poverty line in Argentina.
Another example is the partnership with Softbank to explore a new technological solution called ¨e-kakashi¨, a service that combines the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber-physical systems (CPS) to improve the productivity and sustainability of rice farming in Colombia.
At the same time, IDB Lab developed strong cooperative ties with JICA, the public aid agency of Japan. IDB Lab teamed up with JICA to operate the open innovation program named TSUBASA (Transformational Start Ups’ Business Acceleration for the SDGs Agenda) from 2021, in addition to co-financing and co-investing in the region. Furthermore, IDB Lab cooperated with JICA for the purpose of knowledge creation, for example, through a joint survey on the pay-for-results mechanism known as Social Impact Bonds.
IDB Lab has several products designed to finance early-stage innovation that can be combined and customized to best support clients based on the maturity of their business.
The Inter-American Development Bank is a community of diverse, talented results-driven professionals who work with purpose and passion in an inclusive, collaborative, agile and rewarding environment.
The IDB has procurement opportunities for corporate needs as well as for projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. If you are a firm that offers goods and services and is interested in bidding in international procurement, please click on the button below to learn more.