Women-led technology startups in Latin America and the Caribbean may apply until June 30, 2024, on the WeXchange website.
IDB Lab, the innovation and venture laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, and its WeXchange platform, which promotes the growth of women technology entrepreneurs in the region, announce the launch of two calls for proposals aimed at recognizing and supporting women founders and leaders of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) startups in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Techstars Founder Catalyst Mujeres powered by WeXchange is a program organized with the support of Techstars, the world's largest seed investor, which is specifically designed to strengthen the capabilities of women founders in early-stage STEM startups in Central America and Ecuador. Its ultimate goal is to boost participating startups’ chances of entering accelerator programs, receiving funding and improving revenues. During 10 weeks between August and October 2024, in virtual and part-time mode, 40 women founders or leaders of early-stage technology startups will have privileged access to business education, mentoring and a support network formed by entrepreneurs, mentors and partners from Techstars and IDB Lab.
WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition is the 12th edition of the iconic WeXchange call aimed at linking women entrepreneurs and women leaders of STEM startups in Latin America and the Caribbean actively seeking investors with opportunities to access funding.
In this edition, organized with the support of the venture capital fund AVP Ventures, a virtual jury made up of investors will study the applications and select ten startups. Startup representatives will present their companies to the main actors of the innovation ecosystem in Central America and the Caribbean during IDB Lab Forum, the IDB Group's flagship event dedicated to innovation, which will take place October 31- November 1, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The selected startups will get the chance to participate in this forum specifically designed to share experiences within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, generate opportunities to increase the visibility of ventures, and build connections with IDB Lab's network of partners.
Both calls for applications will be open until June 30, 2024. More information on the WeXchange website.
WeXchange activities are made possible through the support of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation and venture laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. Our purpose is to 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 the development of new technologies, activate innovative markets and catalyze existing sectors. www.idblab.org
About AVP Ventures
AVP Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in exceptional founders who are leveraging new technologies and business models to solve major challenges in the region. AVP Ventures has made 17 investments, and its portfolio includes startups such as Prestamype, Lumu, Slang, among others. It has invested in FinTech, EdTech, HR Tech, and B2B SaaS companies in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. Fifty-nine percent of its investment portfolio includes a female founder. www.avpventures.com
About Techstars
Techstars is the most active pre-seed investor in the world having invested through its accelerators in more than 4,000 companies. Founded in 2006, Techstars believes that entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to invest in an unprecedented number of startups per year enabling more capital to flow to more entrepreneurs around the world. We do this by operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, as well as by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. www.techstars.com
About We-Fi
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) is an unprecedented partnership that aims to raise funds for women-led and women-owned businesses in developing countries. We-Fi's partners include 14 governments and 6 multilateral development banks as implementing partners, as well as other public and private sector stakeholders from around the world. https://www.we-fi.org/www.we-fi.org
Manzano Guillen,Maria De Gador
BID Lab
