Ecuador Positions for Startup Growth as GET Forum Secures $24 Million

President Daniel Noboa opened the forum by emphasizing Ecuador’s human capital as the engine for its economic resurgence. To bridge the gap between initial startup success and long-term scaling, the government is reactivating the National Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CONEIN) and establishing a new fund of funds. These initiatives aim to consolidate public and private resources, addressing a regional trend where high startup rates often struggle to translate into sustained business maturity.

Supporting this ambition, the IDB Lab finalized three major agreements totaling $24 million. These include an $11 million biodiversity-focused financing system in Colombia, a $10 million credit expansion loan for the Uruguayan fintech Paigo, and a $3 million investment to bolster Honduras’s entrepreneurial infrastructure. While venture investment in the region reached $2.2 billion in 2025—a 30 percent jump from the previous year—IDB Lab CEO Graham Macmillan noted that capital alone remains insufficient without integrated access to technology and markets. Consequently, the forum’s agenda prioritized the localized application of artificial intelligence, seeking to adapt global technological breakthroughs to the specific industrial needs and productivity challenges of the Latin American and Caribbean markets.