Latin America and the Caribbean’s innovation ecosystem is increasingly connected to global markets, capital, and networks. For high-potential ventures and investors across the region, strengthening these cross-border connections can open new opportunities for growth, knowledge exchange, and collaboration.

IDB Lab and Mana Tech are building on this opportunity through a new collaboration aimed at strengthening connections between the innovation and venture capital ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States.

• President Daniel Noboa underscored the country's growing economic dynamism at the opening
• IDB Lab signed agreements for projects totaling up to $24 million in Colombia, Honduras, and Uruguay to expand credit and strengthen innovation
• Artificial intelligence took center stage in discussions on productivity and talent

By Kusi Hornberger, Chief Strategy Officer at IDB Lab

When IDB Lab’s predecessor – the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) – made its first venture capital investments in Latin America in the 1990s, the asset class was still nascent, with few local managers, limited track records and scarce exit precedents. The pitch asked institutional investors to price a market that had not yet been built.

Five selected startups will present their solutions to investors in October during the IDB Group’s Global Entrepreneurship and Technology Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean - GET Forum.  

GEORGETOWN — IDB Lab, the innovation and venture arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), has approved a financing for PAS Cargo Guyana Inc. to support the digital transformation and geographic expansion of its logistics operations, improving access to logistics services for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Guyana.

The IDB Group flagship event to take place on October 5-7 in Ecuador. 

WASHINGTON – Leaders from the global entrepreneurial ecosystem will gather in Quito, Ecuador, from October 5-7 for GET Forum 2026, the Inter-American Development Bank Group’s (IDB Group) flagship event on innovation and early-stage investment for development. The forum aims to turn the region's entrepreneurial drive into businesses, investment and development impact at scale.

IDB Lab and Corporación Mexicana de Inversiones de Capital, S.A. de C.V. (Fondo de Fondos México) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that renews and strengthens the strategic partnership between the two institutions, originally established in May 2023. The signing ceremony took place in Mexico City and was led by Magdalena Coronel, CIO of IDB Lab, and Liliana Reyes, Director of Fondo de Fondos.

Mexico faces one of the highest burdens of diabetes globally, with prevalence in adults rising from 15% in 2015 to over 18% in recent years—equivalent to approximately 14.6 million people. Diabetes is a leading cause of death and a major driver of healthcare costs, placing significant pressure on public systems and households. Yet access to early detection, continuous monitoring, and effective disease management remains uneven, particularly for low- and middle-income populations, contributing to late diagnosis, poor long-term control, and preventable complications.

In 2025, Jamaica stood out as the only Caribbean country ranked among the top 100 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, placing 87th. While this reflects considerable progress, it also highlights the challenges that remain in building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Unlocking Jamaica’s growth potential calls for coordinated public-private strategies to strengthen the ecosystem and expand access to financing for startups and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). 

MEXICO CITY — IDB Lab, the innovation and venture arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), is joining forces with Fundación Capital to expand digital and financial inclusion for older adults and micro and small businesses in Mexico through Connected Finance 55+, an initiative to help more people participate in the digital economy.

The initiative aligns with broader efforts to create lasting economic opportunities through innovation, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion, while contributing to the social legacy agenda linked to the FIFA World Cup 2026.