On Tuesday, September 10th, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator and ENRICH in LAC, the European Network of Research and Innovation Centres and Hubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, held the webinar “Supporting Business Partnerships Between LAC and EU: Opportunities for LAC Startups to Connect with European Corporates”.
The session focused on how startups in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) regions can leverage opportunities to collaborate with European corporates, thereby accelerating cross-regional digital business solutions.
Watch the recording here.
The webinar began with an introduction by Filipe Cassapo, Vice President of ENRICH in LAC, who emphasized that in a rapidly evolving global market, digital transformation is no longer an option but a necessity for startups and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs).
Next, Ruben Carrandi, Senior Project Leader at EBN, provided an overview of the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, a platform that promotes collaboration between Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It enables companies to innovate, grow, and scale internationally. The accelerator aims to bridge the gap between regions by offering a structured pathway for collaboration, innovation, and investment.
Ruben introduced the accelerator and its opportunities, such as the Open Call #2 for EU-LAC Partnerships, which focuses on the Cleantech and Smart Production areas and offers in-kind services valued at up to 30,000 euros, or 40,000 euros if one of the partners comes from the Caribbean region.
The webinar continued with Miguel Rodríguez, responsible for Business Development at Octantis, who presented the European challenges that are available on the matching platform, direct business opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean startups.
During the session, Miguel also shared an example of how partnerships drive innovation, showcasing the successful collaboration between Infotrack, a Colombian corporate specializing in supply chain transformation, and Bleecker, a Spanish startup focusing on artificial vision. Infotrack is utilizing Bleecker’s artificial vision technology to provide accurate, real-time product verification and logistics management. The two companies are working together to develop real-time inventory management solutions, creating a roadmap to expand digital solutions across Latin America, from Colombia to Panama and Mexico. Don’t miss the full story here.
Miguel highlighted the accelerator’s success in fostering corporate partnerships and driving cross-regional collaboration. With over 45 corporates involved and 65 matches leading to 9 partnerships, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator has demonstrated its ability to create meaningful relationships between startups and corporates across continents.The session ended with a reminder about the ongoing opportunities for startups and corporates to get involved in the accelerator program, especially the current Open Call #2 for EU-LAC Partnerships.