Ten ESOs Selected to Participate in Colombian Ecosystem Builders Accelerator

Mexico City (July 20th, 2023) — Village Capital, with support from Argidius Foundation, announced that nine Colombian Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) have been selected to take part in the Colombian Ecosystem Builders Accelerator. 

The open call focused on Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), such as accelerators, incubators, funds, universities, and service providers that support entrepreneurs who are working across Colombia. 

ESOs from 13 different Colombian cities applied to be a part of the accelerator. The final cohort is composed of ten organizations from four cities in Colombia, with 77% of the cohort headquartered in Colombia’s coast and 100% led by a female founder or C-suite member.

The selected ESOs will work closely with industry experts, investors, and ecosystem partners in four workshops, three online and one in person. Each ESO will receive USD 2K to support their operations.

Here are the ten selected ESOs that will join Village Capital and Argidius Foundation’s accelerator: 

• AMPLO (Bogota) promotes inclusive economic development in Latin America by helping small businesses have the conditions for a successful capital flow.
• Caribe Exponencial (Barranquilla) runs acceleration programs for business development and promotion of high-impact entrepreneurship in the Colombian Caribbean.
• Crowd Innovation Lab (Cali) focuses on agricultural chains and circular economy, promoting value creation through entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment models.
• Punto Estratégico (Barranquilla) is an innovation and entrepreneurship consulting firm bringing over a decade of experience in entrepreneur support to early-stage companies through technical assistance programs.
• Universidad Ean / Impacta (Bogota) provides incubation, acceleration, infrastructure, and financing to support entrepreneurs generating positive social and environmental impact, with agriculture and food as strategic focus areas.
• Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD) (Barranquilla) generates entrepreneurial spirit for the economic, social, and human development in local, regional, and global communities.
• Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla) is an entrepreneurship center focused on fostering entrepreneurship among young populations while offering them resources and knowledge to reduce the risk of starting a new business.
• Universidad del Magdalena (Santa Marta) has an organizational structure that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship within the academic community and works closely with local stakeholders.
• Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Seccional Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga) runs the Entrepreneurial Development Center that accompanies, orientates, forms, and develops the academic community and the region.
• Vertical-i (Barranquilla) is an incubator for technology-based entrepreneurship, leveraging a track record and experience in innovation and technology consultancy.

From July through November 2023, the selected Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) will participate in hybrid capacity-development workshops. The curriculum is focused on helping them develop the networks and tools they need to scale their businesses and better support entrepreneurs in Colombia. 

In November 2023, the participant Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) will rank themselves to select the three best prepared to receive technical assistance and 1:1 advisory services followed by milestone-based plan implementation from January to June, 2024. They will receive additional USD 25K to support their operations. 

All organizations that apply to the program will be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s online global network. Accelerators, incubators, and organizations providing support to entrepreneurs use the platform Abaca to measure, track, and analyze startups’ progress, even at the earliest and most intangible stages.

For more information, reach out to Sofía Cándano at Village Capital (sofia.candano@vilcap.com).

About Village Capital

Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth.
Village Capital has operated in Latin America since 2015 by running over 16 accelerator programs involving more than 19 countries in the region including Bolivia, Guatemala, and Paraguay. VilCap has supported more than 170 locally-based startups working in sectors such as economic mobility, financial health, and sustainable agriculture. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @vilcap_latam. 

About Argidius Foundation

Argidius Foundation was founded in 1956 to tackle poverty through enterprise development in emerging economies. Our goal is to help entrepreneurs build profitable businesses and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities. We do this by improving the effectiveness and reach of enterprise support organizations in low- and middle-income countries, especially in our focus countries in Latin America and East Africa.