More than 50 Costa Rican entrepreneurship and MSME projects will receive seed capital thanks to CABEI, the European Union, and the Government of Germany

San José, April 23, 2025.- A total of 51 Costa Rican entrepreneurs and MSMEs with high growth potential were selected as winners of the Regional Seed Capital Program under the regional initiative "DINAMICA II".

Nearly US$614,260.00 in non-reimbursable funds will be distributed among the winners to support 25 initiatives in the services sector, 16 in the industry sector, and 10 in agriculture, with green and digital transition proposals that address issues such as sustainable agricultural production, development of technology platforms, innovative logistics solutions, digital financial services, and cultural products, integrating approaches to circular economy, energy efficiency, and digitization of processes.

The program has distinguished itself for its inclusive and equitable approach, as 50% of the projects were submitted by women entrepreneurs and MSME leaders.

The seed capital that will be awarded to the winners is the result of a competition that called on entrepreneurs and MSMEs from all of Central America and the Dominican Republic to apply for financing and support to strengthen their business ideas. The process in Costa Rica has been supported by two important Business Development Centers (CDE): "Yo Emprendedor" and the "Centro Latinoamericano de Innovación y Emprendimiento" (CELIEM).

At a symbolic event to present the awards to the winners held in the auditorium of the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica headquarters, CABEI Director for Costa Rica Erwen Masís congratulated the winners and encouraged them to continue fighting for their projects. "Through this initiative we are sowing hope, empowering visionary women and men, and supporting an entrepreneurial ecosystem that drives economic growth and transforms communities in Costa Rica," she said.

For his part, Pierre-Louis Lempereur, Ambassador of the European Union in Costa Rica, said: "This European Union program has been able to significantly support hundreds of micro and small businesses in Costa Rica and the rest of Central America. We are committed to supporting green and digital transitions, as well as fostering talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Empowering women entrepreneurs is a priority for us, as evidenced by the 50% female leadership among the selected projects."

"This is a great opportunity to promote business proposals and initiatives that allow entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises to make significant leaps in their production processes, particularly by incorporating good innovation practices towards the digital transition and the green transition, with something very important, not only to receive non-reimbursable resources to finance these initiatives but also to receive business support to accompany them with individualized technical assistance to strengthen the implementation of the proposals," said Luis Alvarez Soto, executive director of CELIEM.

"At Yo Emprendedor, we believe that this initiative promotes two important objectives: first, the promotion of entrepreneurial innovation in digital and sustainable areas; and second, the strengthening of the entrepreneurial ecosystem through joint work led by CABEI, which also contributes to the economic and social development of the country and of emerging entrepreneurs," commented Luis Daniel Ramírez, executive director of Yo Emprendedor.

For his part, one of the winners expressed, "Having the backing of the DINAMICA II Initiative is very attractive to me because my main objective is to bring ImPAQ™ to the market and generate a positive impact on urban mobility in the Central American region and beyond. A program like this provides the crucial financial boost for the launch stage, especially for the initial production, marketing, and logistics needed to succeed on platforms like Indiegogo.com, which is our initial go-to-market plan," explained Jesse Wayne Blenn, owner of ImPAQ™, which is focused on the research, development, and future commercialization of the world's first practical folding car.

The DINAMICA II Initiative, through its Regional Seed Capital Program, has also benefited entrepreneurs and MSMEs in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.