SEGIB, CEIB and FIJE launch the Ibero-American commitment to Innovative Entrepreneurship
3rd Ibero-American Forum on Open Innovation
- Business entrepreneurship has increased 32-fold in the last decade.
- The proposals of the meeting will give content to the business agenda of the forthcoming 28th Heads of State and Government Summit due to be held in March 2023 in the Dominican Republic.
Ibero-America has more than 1,000 companies valued at one million dollars and, over the last 4 years, 40 unicorns have emerged, that is, 40 private equity companies valued at one billion dollars. This dizzying escalation has lead to the value of the Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystem having increased 32-fold over the last decade.
Ibero-America has more than 1,000 companies valued at one million dollars and, over the last 4 years, 40 unicorns have emerged, that is, 40 private equity companies valued at one billion dollars. This dizzying escalation has lead to the value of the Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystem having increased 32-fold over the last decade.
With this reference, these figures about what is already considered a real “business boom,” the opening ceremony of the 3rd Ibero-American Open Innovation Forum got underway. It was opened by the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, accompanied by the President of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi; the President of the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs, Matías Fernández and the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence of Spain, Carmen Artigas. In turn, the Forum was closed by the Minister of Trade and MSMEs of the Dominican Republic, Ito Bisonó; the President of CEIB and COPARDOM (Dominican Republic), William Matías Ramírez; and the CEO of ICEX, María Peña.
The President of the CEOE highlighted the importance of persisting with the commitment to innovation and digitalisation of the economy in Ibero-America: “At times like now, it is particularly important to insist that no company should be tempted to not prioritise its commitment to innovation and digitalisation, and at the same time to encourage new companies to begin to innovate,” he said.
During the workshops, more than 25 speakers from nine Ibero-American countries explored and shared various experiences of innovation in the region. The presentations included the creators of two Ibero-American unicorns: Eduardo della Maggiora, the founder and CEO of Betterfly, the first Triple Impact unicorn in Latin America; and Martín Uraman, the co-founder and EMEA President of Globant, which focuses on the digital and cognitive transformation of companies.
It is notable that most Ibero-American enterprises directly impact social, environmental or digital transformation. As mentioned by the Secretary of State for Digitalisation, Carmen Artigas, evidencing the distribution of the region’s innovative projects into two large groups: 30% of them opt for digital issues and 40% for issues related to the environment and climate change.
SEGIB, the Ibero-American Business Council (CEIB) and the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs (FIJE) advocate for entrepreneurship as a driver of economic development for the benefit of the entire Ibero-American community. In this connection, Andrés Allamand stressed that the Ibero-American Secretariat General will remain committed to promoting the connection and integration of the entrepreneurial ecosystems of the region’s various countries.
The Forum, an official event of the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting, is an exercise to prepare for it, as part of the official programme of the forthcoming 28th Ibero-American Summit in the Dominican Republic, where the conclusions reached and proposals made during the working sessions will provide content for the next Summit’s business agenda.
“Ibero-American Innovative Entrepreneurship Charter”
The alliance between SEGIB, CEIB and FIJE prompted a call to action named the “Ibero-American Charter for Innovative Entrepreneurship,” a document that will contain a set of recommendations summarised in eight standards that seek to foster productive simplification and debureaucratisation, innovation in regulation, innovative public procurement, developing digital talent, access to financing and promoting triple impact enterprises. These recommendations will be borne in mind in the forthcoming official events in the run-up to the Ibero-American Business Meeting and the Ibero-American Heads of State Summit, as presented today by Esteban Campero, the Head of Economy and Business at SEGIB, Narciso Casado, the Permanent Secretary of CEIB and Antonio Magraner, the Secretary General of FIJE.
The 3rd Ibero-American Open Innovation Forum was organised jointly by the Ibero-American Business Council (CEIB) and the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs (FIJE) with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Secretary of State for Trade, through ICEX, at the CEOE’s head office in Madrid. Moreover, companies such as MAPFRE, Iberia, Bancolombia and Iberdrola, and unicorns such as BetterFly, Globant and Curbo attended the meeting, setting out their experiences in the field of Ibero-American innovation and entrepreneurship.
Closure
To close the event, the Minister of Trade and MSMEs of the Dominican Republic, Ito Bisonó, after underlining the efforts being made by institutions such as SEGIB, CEIB and FIJE, towards the forthcoming Ibero-American Business Meeting, emphasised innovation as a long-term factor driving countries’ development. We are in a process of turning ideas and knowledge into competitive advantages, such as improved productivity and opening up new markets. “Thanks to innovation, we have seen a new entrepreneurial core being formed”. The world has changed, Bisonó declared, the pandemic has permanently changed consumer habits and how we relate to each other, and it has accelerated trends such as open innovation and the use of technologies. In fact, he reported in the Dominican Republic, the 1st National Strategy for Exporting Modern Services was launched to boost exports of services in the creative economy, the audiovisual industry, telecommunications and information technology, to position the country as an international leader in non-traditional services.
In turn, the President of CEIB and COPARDOM (Dominican Republic), William Matías Ramírez, stressed that we cannot speak of open innovation without including young people, who play an increasingly significant role in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He recalled that this Open Innovation Forum is an official activity and part of the preparatory events for the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting, which is due to be held as part of the Heads of State and Government Summit in the Dominican Republic, and he said that “no effort and work will be spared to present the Ibero-American reality, which is strongly linked to open innovation”.
Finally, the CEO of ICEX, María Peña, bet on technological entrepreneurship and promoting business competitiveness to guarantee more sustained and sustainable growth and to achieve more resilient economies. “Technology and innovation are the foundations for building the world of the future.” She also considered it essential to find technological solutions to be able to create a greater impact on economies and the environment, the creation of quality employment, and collective well-being. “We must make innovation the engine of growth, and continue betting on initiatives that generate a positive impact,” he said.
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