What a week! From October 5 to 7, the GEN team traveled to Quito, Ecuador, for the GET Forum, the IDB Group's flagship event on technology-driven entrepreneurship and early-stage investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. GEN co-organized the Forum with the IDB, the Government of Ecuador and the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of Ecuador (AEI), GEN's longtime partner in the country, and it was a joy to see it come to life. Over three days, more than 800 participants and over 140 speakers from more than 30 countries came together for 80+ sessions and experiences, along with more than 2,000 young people and future talent, and held more than 1,000 one-on-one meetings.
For us, Quito was about much more than the main stage. We welcomed our first cohort of GET Fellows in person for the very first time, brought GBAN leaders to the region for a hands-on angel investing workshop, organized roundtables where our Fellows could sit down with investors, joined ECUACAP's executive breakfast on Ecuador's venture capital market, and closed out the week at Connect atVentures. It was a packed few days full of new friendships and big ideas, and we're so grateful to everyone who made it possible. Here's a closer look.
Welcoming our first GET Fellows
One of the highlights of the week was the in-person kickoff of the GET Fellows, a 12-month leadership program created by GEN and IDB Lab for the people who build entrepreneurship ecosystems. The inaugural cohort brings together 28 leaders from 19 countries, chosen from more than 250 applicants, who run incubators, accelerators, angel investor networks and public innovation agencies across the region. After getting to know each other online, it was special to finally see everyone in the same room, and much of their time in Quito was spent learning from and meeting with investors.
Demystifying angel investing
On the investor side, two members of the Global Business Angel Network (GBAN) board led "Demystifying Angel Investing," a 90-minute workshop for our Fellows: Israel Pons, CEO and co-founding partner of Angels Nest LATAM, who represents Latin America and the Caribbean on the board, and Linda L. Smith, Co-Chair of GBAN and Chairman Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association. The session was attended by all 28 GET Fellows along with other Forum participants from across Latin America.
Rather than a lecture, the workshop was built around three case studies. For each one, the audience had to decide whether they would invest, how much, and why, which gave everyone in the room a taste of how an angel thinks through a real deal.
"It was a privilege to conduct a workshop again with my GBAN Board colleague, Israel Pons," Linda shared afterwards. "An enriching and engaging experience for everyone."
Roundtables: time with the investors
Some of the most valuable conversations happened in smaller groups. In a series of roundtables, the Fellows sat down with Israel and Linda to ask their own questions and test ideas from their markets directly with experienced investors.
For leaders who spend their days connecting entrepreneurs to capital, these conversations were a rare chance to hear firsthand what investors look for, and to leave with contacts they can keep calling on throughout the Fellowship year.
From Ecosystem to Asset Class: the ECUACAP breakfast
GEN also joined ECUACAP, Ecuador's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, at "From Ecosystem to Asset Class — An ECUACAP Executive Breakfast." The breakfast, made possible by Casa de Valores Futuro, brought together investors, fund managers, entrepreneurs, multilateral organizations and capital market players.
Using the Ecuador Venture Capital Report 2025 as a starting point, the group looked at how to increase investment in innovation and technology in Ecuador. GEN shared its perspective alongside IDB Lab and the Chairman of ECUACAP's Board, helping connect Ecuador's conversation to a regional and global agenda. The takeaway was clear: Ecuador has the talent, the opportunities and a growing ecosystem, and the challenge now is to mobilize more local capital, build better investment vehicles and support companies as they grow. As ECUACAP put it: "The ecosystem is here. Now, let's build the asset class."
Connect atVentures: a community that keeps showing up
The week continued on October 8 with Connect atVentures, co-organized by BuenTrip Ventures and Endeavor Ecuador together with the IDB's GET Forum. More than 250 entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, academics and ecosystem partners gathered for the event's third edition.
"Two is a coincidence. Three is a pattern," said Pablo Freund of Endeavor Ecuador, himself a 2026 GET Fellow, and Carmen de la Cerda of BuenTrip Ventures as they opened the day.
The stage reflected the real challenges facing Latin American startups: selling to large corporations, the cost of iterating, and how venture capital has to adapt as the rules change. In "The opportunity capital has yet to discover," Magui Coronel of IDB Lab and Pablo Freund looked at how catalytic capital can close the early-stage funding gap and reach problems that traditional investors overlook. A panel on applied AI explored how autonomous agents and new software architectures can give the region's talent a concrete competitive edge.
The energy carried beyond the auditorium. A hackathon invited developers and designers to solve real challenges for Farmaenlace and BYD, while the "Pitch & Drive," run with BYD, had founders pitching on board electric vehicles, turning a formal pitch into a much more personal conversation.
Why it matters for our network
The GET Forum's promise is to be a place where ideas meet capital, and our week in Quito showed what that looks like in practice. GBAN leaders like Israel and Linda opened up how angels make decisions, our Fellows brought the realities of their own markets to the table, and local partners like ECUACAP, Endeavor Ecuador and BuenTrip Ventures created spaces where those relationships can keep growing. Thank you to everyone who made this week so memorable. We had so much fun, and we look forward to seeing what our first cohort of GET Fellows builds from here.
What's next
The conversations started in Quito don't stop here. Here is where you can find our network next:
- Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 16–22, 2026. In past editions, GBAN members around the world have used GEW to host angel education programs, investor networking sessions and pitch events. Find an event near you, or become a GEW partner and host one of your own.
- GET Fellows: Activate + Expand, March–August 2027. After their first months of connecting and learning together, our 28 Fellows move into the program's next phase, putting what they've learned to work in their own ecosystems. Meet the 2026 cohort or learn more about the program.
- Global Entrepreneurship Congress, Doha, March 29–April 1, 2027. GEN's flagship gathering heads to Doha under the theme "Building One Global Entrepreneurship Ecosystem," bringing together founders, investors, policymakers and ecosystem builders from around the world. Secure your spot at GEC 2027.
