ACTIVA-CATIE brings together 32 rural ventures in its second business event

• EMIN emerges as a platform to connect various players in the Costa Rican rural entrepreneurial ecosystem  

November 22, 2023. The business event for rural transformation and development, "Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Nature" (EMIN 2023), became the space for ACTIVA-CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) to link rural entrepreneurs with key actors who enhance business opportunities, knowledge transfer, and the creation of synergies.  

For this second edition, held on November 20 in San José in collaboration with the National Bank of Costa Rica, 32 entrepreneurs focused on regenerative agriculture, ecotourism, bioinputs, livestock, among others, participated. The event also saw the attendance of representatives from public institutions, the private sector, and international organizations. 

Mapping the success of rural businesses 

Since its foundation in 2020, ACTIVA has solidified under a clear objective: to promote, through non-refundable funds, specialized advice, and networking, innovation and technology in Central American rural enterprises with a sustainable, environmentally appropriate, and socially responsible focus. 

"ACTIVA is also an initiative of CATIE. Like you, we had seed capital. Today, we are an innovation and entrepreneurship laboratory for the rural sector because that's where there are fewer development opportunities," said Vladimir Valera, ACTIVA's director.  

In its nearly four years of operation, five country-wide calls have been made, totaling over 2,500 applications, of which more than 100 enterprises have been selected, and over USD 1.4 million in seed capital distributed through the alliance with the Development Banking System (SBD). 

CATIE's General Director, Muhammad Ibrahim, stated that ACTIVA works to ensure that the new businesses it supports have a triple impact—profitable, socially just, and environmentally appropriate—with the adoption of so-called Nature-Based Solutions. 

Therefore, most supported businesses implement national decarbonization strategies, providing opportunities to vulnerable and traditionally excluded populations from access to financial resources, such as young people and rural women.  

"These measures address significant social challenges, such as food and water security, climate change and risk management, and economic and social development. In other words, everything that represents green and inclusive development for CATIE," emphasized Ibrahim. 

ACTIVA-CATIE's support for export-potential ventures aligns them with the Green Deal, the European Union's strategy for achieving neutrality by 2050. The Green Deal imposes actions for trade and exports of agricultural products to Europe. Hence, there are ventures related to bioinputs, regenerative agriculture, and livestock, among others. 

"I thank the Board of the Development Banking System for the trust placed in us as the operating agency for seed capital. And to the National Bank as the main sponsor of this event, with whom we will sign a cooperation agreement to continue expanding the actions of ACTIVA-CATIE," said the CATIE director. 

Cinthya Morera, Director of Segments at the National Bank, congratulated CATIE for creating opportunities for people from rural communities to link with the country's entrepreneurial ecosystem.  

Morera made the Pymenauta online training platform of the National Bank available to the entrepreneurs present at the event. "Remember, you are not micro-entrepreneurs. You are entrepreneurs with a small business that is starting but has all the conditions to grow. You have to believe in it," she recommended.  

Roberto Alvarado, Director of the General Directorate for Support to Small and Medium Enterprises (DIGEPYME) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Commerce, highlighted that initiatives like these strengthen innovation in agro-industrial processes.  

Alvarado recalled that SMEs represent 97.4% of Costa Rica's business landscape, contributing 40% to the Gross Domestic Product and 34% to the formal employment of the country.  

An event for rural transformation 

In 2022, ACTIVA organized its first business event, managing to bring together a total of 13 ventures and representatives from public and private organizations. On this occasion, it is intended that EMIN 2023 consolidates as an annual platform that enhances synergies among various business ideas and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  

"All our ventures have a technological foundation. We wanted to remove the label that agriculture is only traditional entrepreneurship," explained Valera.  

If you want to learn more about the work of ACTIVA-CATIE and the supported ventures, we invite you to visit their website: activa.catie.ac.cr 

About ACTIVA-CATIE 

It is an innovation and entrepreneurship laboratory led by the Forests and Biodiversity Unit in Productive Landscapes of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and accredited by the Development Banking System (SBD) to promote, through non-refundable funds and specialized advice, various businesses in the rural area of Central America.