Ecuador Puts Startups in Focus as GET Forum Unlocks $24m for Regional Growth

President Daniel Noboa inaugurated the forum by describing Ecuador’s human talent as its greatest asset and pointing to growing economic dynamism and rising investor confidence.

Nearly 2,800 participants gathered at GET Forum 2026 to explore how entrepreneurship, innovation and technology can strengthen productivity and economic growth across Latin America and the Caribbean, placing Ecuador's startup ambitions in the spotlight. The event brought together entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and public officials from the region and beyond, with new financing agreements worth up to $24 million and Ecuadorian policy announcements addressing a shared challenge: helping promising businesses grow beyond their early stages.

Ecuador Builds Support for Businesses Ready to Grow

President Daniel Noboa inaugurated the forum by describing Ecuador's human talent as its greatest asset and pointing to growing economic dynamism and rising investor confidence. Ecuadorian authorities announced the reactivation of the National Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, known as CONEIN, to strengthen coordination and establish priorities across the entrepreneurship ecosystem. They also announced a fund of funds intended to mobilise public, private and international financing for businesses at different stages of development.

An IDB Lab study unveiled in Quito put Ecuador's early-stage entrepreneurial activity rate at 30%, among the highest in the region and globally, and identified the need for more ventures to achieve scale and sustained growth. IDB Lab CEO Graham Macmillan stressed that entrepreneurs need connections to capital, talent, technology, knowledge, customers and markets, describing platforms such as GET Forum as part of the infrastructure that makes those connections possible. His remarks reflected a central concern running through the gathering: a strong appetite for starting businesses needs support that helps those businesses mature.

Three Agreements Direct Funding Across the Region

IDB Lab signed three operations totalling up to $24 million, covering an $11 million results-based financing system for biodiversity in Colombia, a $10 million loan to Uruguayan fintech Paigo to expand credit access for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and a $3 million programme to strengthen Honduras's entrepreneurship ecosystem. Together, the agreements connect innovation finance with environmental outcomes, small-business lending and the local support networks entrepreneurs need to develop their ventures.

IDB Lab will contribute up to $13.5 million across the operations, with partners and the IDB Natural Capital Lab adding $4.5 million and another $6 million expected through co-financing. The commitments come as early-stage investment in Latin America shows renewed momentum: according to LAVCA, venture investors deployed $2.2 billion in early-stage rounds during 2025, a 30% increase from 2024. Participants also highlighted persistent financing gaps that prevent many entrepreneurs from expanding their solutions, showing that increased investment has not removed the barriers businesses face when seeking growth capital.

AI and New Connections Shape the Growth Agenda

Artificial intelligence featured prominently in discussions about improving productivity, creating better jobs and strengthening public services, with IDB Lab identifying opportunities to finance local applications of technologies being developed globally. That approach focuses on adapting AI capabilities to the region's industries, needs and markets, connecting technological advances with practical uses for businesses and communities. The forum's broader agenda placed access to technology alongside finance and commercial relationships as essential ingredients for growth.

Organised by IDB Lab, the IDB Group's innovation and venture arm, GET Forum is the Group's principal platform for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology-driven solutions. More than 800 people attended the conference, which included 154 startups, 167 corporations and 59 investors, representing nearly 400 companies; the first-day Innovation Village attracted more than 2,000 attendees, including emerging entrepreneurs. Senior speakers included IDB Executive Vice President Everett Eissenstat, Vice Presidents Ana María Ibáñez and Pilar Girón, IDB Invest CEO James Scriven, Macmillan and Ecuador Country Representative Ignez Tristão. The gathering was delivered through a partnership between the IDB Group, Ecuador's government, the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Global Entrepreneurship Network.