Investments, partnerships, and new programs are boosting the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and driving innovation across Latin America and the Caribbean.

SAN SALVADOR — GET Forum, the flagship innovation event of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), held for the first time in Central America — in El Salvador — showcased the progress of regional entrepreneurs and highlighted the host country’s positioning as an emerging hub for startups.

WASHINGTON — The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Macmillan as general manager of IDB Lab, effective January 5, 2026.

IDB Lab is the innovation and venture capital arm of the IDB Group. It leverages financing, knowledge, and connections to support early-stage entrepreneurship, foster new technologies, activate innovative markets, and catalyze existing sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

New edition of marquee forum will provide a space where innovation and technology unite to address development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean.

By Maria Paula Lopez de los Rios y Raquel Trigo

By 2050, more than 28% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean will be over 60 years old. This accelerated demographic shift presents an unprecedented challenge: how to ensure dignity, autonomy, and quality of life for millions of older adults across the region. Unlike other parts of the world, Latin America faces this transformation in a much shorter period and with more limited resources.

Washington, D.C., and Montevideo, September 29, 2025.

IDB Lab and LACNet announce the launch of LNet, the new brand identity that unifies the trajectory of LACChain—an initiative led by IDB Lab since 2019—and LACNet, the nonprofit organization created in 2021 to catalyze the use of Web3 for development and inclusion.

WASHINGTON — IDB Lab, the Inter-American Development Bank Group’s innovation and venture capital arm, announced a $2 million strategic investment in the 500 LatAm Seed Fund IV, managed by 500 LatAm. The fund will invest in approximately 40 early-stage tech startups in Latin America and the Caribbean, including in emerging ecosystems such as Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay.

Five entrepreneurs will present their solutions on December 2 at GET Forum, the IDB Group’s flagship event on innovation and technology for development.

WASHINGTON – IDB Lab, the innovation and venture capital arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), has announced the five women-led businesses that have won the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs 2025 competition.

Esta publicación forma parte de una serie que busca visibilizar la situación de bienestar y salud mental de las personas emprendedoras de alto impacto (EAI) en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC).

WASHINGTON — IDB Lab, the innovation and venture capital arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, announced a strategic investment of $1.5 million in the financial technology startup Aviva in Mexico. Founded in 2022, Aviva leverages AI-powered kiosks to expand access to financial services among underserved communities across the country.

The Success Story of the Outcomes for Change Fund

By Jean Emmanuel Desmornes 

Against the backdrop of civil unrest, a quiet transformation is underway. A coalition of funders, investors and implementing partners are seeking to improve how aid is delivered in Haiti—a sector that spends nearly US$1 billion annually. Their aim is to bring accountability, value for money and locally driven solutions to address the country’s greatest development challenges.