Strengthening the climate landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean: The entrepreneurship support organisations leading the charge

Climate change remains a global challenge, yet the solutions lie within local contexts. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) contribute less than ten per cent to total global greenhouse gas emissions, but the impact in this region is particularly acute. Extreme weather and rising temperatures threaten their agriculture-dependent economies. In response, the ‘Developing Capacity of Innovation Ecosystems Actors to Accelerate Climate Technology Solutions in LAC’ programme was initiated to support the renewable energy transition, ecosystem preservation, and climate innovation projects — essential moves in a region that has received only six per cent of global climate financing in recent years.

This joint programme is run by EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, in collaboration with IDB Lab, a vital player for innovation development in Latin America. These efforts are further strengthened by the support of the Clean Technology Fund, who support clean energy transformation in developing economies.

Running from June 2023 to May 2025, this initiative is set to lead and transform the climate innovation landscape across the LAC region, with a focus on countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Peru. The primary goal is to amplify the capabilities of incubators, accelerators, and other ecosystem enablers in the region, equipping them to support climate-focused start-ups efficiently.

The programme launched with an open call targeting Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs), including innovation agencies, incubators, accelerators, ecosystem builders, venture capital investors, coworking spaces, and hubs. The call garnered 115 applications across 16 countries, underscoring the region’s talent, enthusiasm, and pressing need for sustainable solutions.

The selection process was comprehensive, assessing various factors such as entrepreneurial support experience, innovation ecosystem positioning, and the aspiration to co-create a ClimAccelerator. Given the outstanding quality of applications, the cohort was expanded from the initial 25 to 28 ESOs, representing 11 countries.

Looking ahead, the cohort will spend the next four months in a customised development programme with workshops and mentoring, aimed at co-creating proposals to accelerate climate tech innovations regionally. They will leverage an open-sourced suite of tools for running their own ClimAccelerator, encompassing management resources, content, and a coaching network. A climate impact framework will guide start-ups them to align their environmental and financial goals, and they will join a global network of over 400 organisations dedicated to a net-zero transition.

Following this capacity-building phase, the programme will shift gears to its next critical step: fostering climate innovations within the region. By mid-2024, the top three to five ESOs with the most promising results in the programme will be selected and mentored to accelerate 100 climate tech start-ups over 12 months. The official call for start-ups will be made in the second quarter of 2024.

For public and private organizations, as well as individuals eager to support the cohort and the development of ClimAccelerators, sign up here to become part of our ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Meet the cohort

Bolivia

La Paz 

Fundación Solydes – Solydes Aceleradora 

Santa Cruz de la Sierra 

Pista 8 

Santa Cruz Innova – CAINCO 

Brazil 

Manaus 

AMAZ Impact Accelerator 

Amazon Investor Coalition (New Brazil Spin-off Project)   

São José dos Campos 

BrazilLAB 

São Paulo 

Cietec 

Quintessa 

Chile 

Santiago 

Fundación Chile / ChileGlobal Ventures 

Magical 

Temuco 

IncubatecUFRO 

Colombia 

Bogota 

Corporación Connect Bogotá Región 

Ean University / Impacta – Sustainable Entrepreneurship 

Bucaramanga 

Camara De Comercio De Bucaramanga 

Medellin 

Corporación BIOINTROPIC  

Impact Hub Medellín 

Santiago de Cali 

Octopus Force 

Ecuador 

Quito 

Social Entrepreneurship | CODEIS | Quito (somoscodeis.org)

IMPAQTO 

Guatemala 

Ciudad Vieja  

Pomona Impact Foundation 

Quetzaltenango 

Alterna 

Haiti

Delmas 

Banj

Honduras

Tegucigalpa 

Impact Hub Tegucigalpa 

Jamaica

Kingston 

TBR LAB   

Mexico 

Ciudad de México 

New Ventures (Consultoría en Negocios Sustentables SA)   

Monterrey 

Impact Hub Monterrey 

San Luis Potosi 

StartupLab MX 

Peru

Lima 

SCALE Incubator