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.
WeXchange, IDB Lab’s platform focused on expanding access to opportunities for women entrepreneurs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across Latin America and the Caribbean, has launched the fourteenth edition of its regional Women STEMpreneurs Competition.
GEORGETOWN — IDB Lab, the innovation and venture arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), and the University of Guyana’s Institute of Food and Nutrition Security (IFANS) launched an initiative to bring precision agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to smallholder farmers across the country’s Amazon Basin.
By Shreshta Chotelal
Along the upper Saramacca River in Suriname, the Matawai community has lived for generations in close connection with a vast stretch of Amazon rainforest. A tribal community with a rich cultural heritage that is deeply connected to the land and river systems that sustain their communities.
They will join a coalition under GovTech Connect, which promotes collaboration to solve public challenges through innovative solutions.
SANTIAGO, CHILE — IDB Lab, the innovation and venture arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, and Chile’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation announced the incorporation of 13 municipalities into the Coalition of Cities for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CIIAR Chile), an initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in local governments.
By Paula Auerbach and Javier Madariaga
In the department of Pando, in the Bolivian Amazon, Pando Verde—an initiative implemented by Conservación Amazónica (ACEAA) with the support of IDB Lab—is advancing the development of a productive model that links forest conservation with concrete economic opportunities for local communities.