Sucre, Bolivia – Ten Bolivian startups will compete for a spot in the final phase of the Entrepreneurship World Cup 2024 (EWC 2024) at the national finals this Friday. The event will take place at the Paraninfo Universitario de Sucre, starting at 6:00 PM. The top three startups will advance to the global finals in November, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
René Salomón, Director of GEN Bolivia, highlighted the significance of holding the national finals in Sucre, a city that has developed a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. Sucre now joins an active process happening simultaneously in over 200 countries.
The national final is organized by GEN Bolivia and the Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca (UMRPSFXC), with support from Helvetas Bolivia, Banco Nacional de Bolivia, Salvietti, Fautapo, Plan Internacional, Cooperación de Bélgica, and Glorieta Hotel.
Salomón explained that the competition has been held since 2019, when GEN realized that ecosystems are not limited to major entrepreneurial hubs like Silicon Valley. The first year saw 100,000 participants, and to date, over 400,000 entrepreneurs have taken part.
The process leading to the national final began in January, with the platform receiving more than 70 applications from 14 cities across Bolivia's nine departments, showcasing the country's entrepreneurial spirit and innovative proposals.
Wálter Arízaga, Rector of UMRPSFXC, expressed his satisfaction in hosting the event, emphasizing the university's role in motivating and fostering entrepreneurship. He noted that forming professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset will enable them to thrive in the market and promote projects locally, nationally, and internationally. Arízaga added that the medium-term goal is to transform Sucre into a "Smart City," garnering interest from the Inter-American Development Bank.
Erick Mita, Vice Rector of UMRPSFXC, affirmed the institution's commitment to promoting entrepreneurship as a means of generating development and employment in the region. He highlighted the importance of partnerships like those supporting the EWC.
Both Arízaga and Mita extended special thanks to Naír Pérez of Fundación NAAP and a member of the GEN Bolivia organizing committee, whose efforts were crucial in bringing the national final to Sucre.
The group of finalists includes two startups in the ideation stage, seven in the initial stages of launching their products, and one in the expansion stage. These startups will demonstrate their use of technology and their social and environmental impact. Each entrepreneur will have five minutes to present their proposal in English, followed by a Q&A session with the jury.
Fernando Chávez, a member of the organizing committee, noted that winners will enter an acceleration and training process, benefiting from mentorship, consultancy, cloud services, software, and marketing, among other areas, valued at approximately $20,000. These resources will equip them with new tools and skills to compete for a spot among the top 100 in Riyadh, where they will also participate in investment rounds with GEN's network of investors.
The startups competing in the national final are: Sommos, AcceptGO, GoBox, Trabajito, Te Ayudo Bolivia, KidKash, Compass BP, PePr Digital, Wiver, and OpenCities, working in fields such as financial inclusion, education, construction, employability, health, and smart cities.