This programme positions Spain as a strategic gateway for global innovation. 13 Latin American and Caribbean scale-ups are participating in Spain-Latam Scale-UP 2025, an immersion programme run by ICEX Invest in Spain and BID Lab, with support from Endeavor, and designed to accelerate their establishment in Spain as a strategic gateway for their international growth.

The participating companies – from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay – have been selected from over 300 candidates to take part in the programme, which runs from 12-20 October in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

This fourth edition of Spain-Latam Scale-UP features entrepreneurial initiatives with a high level of environmental and social commitment. These include projects focused on promoting families’ access to a first home, efficient water and waste management, road safety, financing for small businesses and the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence.

Throughout the programme, the start-ups will participate in nearly 50 strategic meetings and conferences with over 40 specialised speakers, including heads of institutions, venture capital (VC) funds, corporations with open innovation processes, accelerators and successful startups – both Spanish and Latin American.

During these immersion days, Spain-Latam Scale-UP will in this way benefit from the collaboration of key players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, such as Google, Wayra Telefónica, The Venture City, Cabify, IE University, Insomnia, Zubi Capital, La Caixa, Tech Barcelona, Go Hub and Lanzadera, to name but a few. 

At the welcome session for the participating companies, held today in Madrid, Alberto Sanz, Director of Financing and Investor Relations at ICEX Invest in Spain, emphasised that they will be entering a mature ecosystem, in which they will be able to integrate quickly to continue creating value from Spain. “In Spain, they will find a springboard from which to grow, recruit, finance their companies and enter new markets. By the end of these sessions, which will be very intense, I am convinced that together you will have found ideas to profoundly transform your startups”, he highlighted.

BID Lab’s Representative in Europe, Luis Jiménez-McInnis, pointed out that “the real impact comes about when innovation ecosystems are strengthened and connected. Spain-Latam Scale-UP is a clear example of how building bridges between regions can scale up inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking solutions.”

The General Director of Endeavor Spain, Andrés Tallos, did in turn agree that “today, scaling up a company means thinking globally from day one. For Latin American entrepreneurs, Spain is a natural bridge to Europe: we share a language, values and a common vision of entrepreneurship that makes it easier to build opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Technical sessions and institutional meetings
The programme combines technical sessions, working meetings, institutional meetings and networking activities. These conferences will analyse aspects like startup financing, success stories for creating a global company from Spain and the experiences of Latin American founders who have successfully established themselves in Spain.

They will also address the social impact ecosystem in Spain, the legal and tax variables for establishing startups, public support and incentives for funding startups, open innovation and collaboration with Spanish corporations, as well as other aspects.

By the end of the programme, companies will have received key information on the business climate in Spain and will be able to discuss with experts the legal and operational aspects necessary to study their establishment in the country, as a bridge for expanding their business globally. Those who go on to establish themselves in Spain will be able to count on legal services and contact with large Spanish corporations.

The 13 startups selected this year were:

1.    Airobag (Colombia). This company is a pioneer in the field of introducing airbag clothing. They report reductions in motorcyclist fatalities of over 95% across all use.

2.    B2Gov (Argentina). This company’s technology collects, normalises and standardises information from electronic public procurement portals. It democratises access to the government market and bridges the gap between public procurement and business sales cycles.

3.    Efinti (Colombia). This company connects SMEs with capital sources to boost their growth. Its technology allows companies to access liquidity quickly, securely and without the need for traditional collateral.

4.    Elysios (Brazil). The company is developing the Demetra platform, offering traceability, automation and IoT solutions. It serves over 2,000 producers and has been recognised among the top 10 agtechs in the country.

5.    Kalmy (Mexico).  This company offers online health insurance purchasing options. It provides claims assistance, app management functionalities, cross-selling and health benefits.

6.    Labora (Brazil). This company promotes AI technologies and applications for developing the future of multigenerational work.

7.    Own Latam (Chile).  A financing platform that allows families without access to traditional credit to acquire their first home through a Rent-to-Own model.

8.    SensorData (Uruguay). Solutions for monitoring and controlling operations in industries like forestry, agriculture, roads and waste. Its technologies integrate smart sensors, improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and minimise environmental impact.

9.    SIAPESQ (Brazil). Scientific AI software startup for environmental research, offering predictive and preventative solutions that accelerate the green transition and ESG compliance in governments and businesses.

10. SOS Biotech (Dominican Republic). This company transforms invasive seaweed into sustainable products for agriculture, cosmetics, biomaterials and supplements.

11. Stattus4 (Brazil).  This company uses AI and IoT sensors to detect invisible leaks and reduce water losses in distribution networks.

12.  Widergy (Argentina). This company provides digital solutions that help consumers manage public services more efficiently and consciously.

13.  Xertica AI (Mexico). This company fosters innovation through responsible use of AI, generating a positive and constructive impact on society, helping to mitigate the adverse effects of AI.

About ICEX-Invest in Spain
ICEX’s Invest in Spain Executive Directorate is responsible for promoting, attracting and encouraging foreign investment in Spain, as well as reinvestment by foreign companies already established in the country. It also performs activities to position Spain as a global platform for international business and investment. Another area of action for ICEX-Invest in Spain relates to improving the business climate in Spain in continuous dialogue with other ministerial departments and with business associations and companies established in Spain, both Spanish and foreign-owned ones . www.investinspain.org

About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation and venture capital arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, which is finding new ways to drive social inclusion, environmental action and productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab leverages funding, knowledge and connections to support early-stage entrepreneurship, develop new technologies, boost innovative markets and energise existing industries. www.bidlab.org

About Endeavor
Endeavor is the world’s leading community of High Impact Entrepreneurs, being founded in 1997. Endeavor is a global organisation that promotes economic, social and cultural transformation by selecting, supporting and investing in the growth of the world’s best entrepreneurs and their scale-ups. Its network spans over 40 countries and supports more than 2,300 entrepreneurs, with its businesses having generated total revenue of over $42 billion dollars, as well as creating more than 3.4 million jobs and, by 2021, raising over $12.3 billion dollars in capital. www.endeavor.org.es