In Nacimiento, Biobío Region, the Nacimiento Co.Lab space, an initiative of Duoc UC promoted by CMPC, the Regional Government of BioBío and the startup Futuregg, founded by Javier Ergas, has given rise to 10 technological startups, one of which signed an investment commitment letter of USD 1 million, marking a milestone for regional entrepreneurship in Chile.
The project has managed to consolidate an innovation ecosystem in the commune, where external startups have begun to implement pilots together with local actors, generating new opportunities for collaboration.
At the same time, startups born in the area have strengthened their capabilities thanks to the interaction with more consolidated companies, which has allowed an exchange of knowledge and experiences that enhances joint growth.
Futuregg: Connection with the public and private world
“Duoc with CMPC, inaugurate a headquarters in this commune, where many students aspire to find direct employment, within the same company. Clearly, reality does not allow this, so together, we created the idea of setting up startups to create jobs,” comments Javier Ergas, CEO of Futuregg.
“In addition, public and private institutions have opened support and accompaniment channels, actively joining the development of the ecosystem. The Duoc UC educational community has also played a leading role, integrating into the activities and contributing talent and energy to the process. All of this has contributed to Nacimiento projecting itself as an emerging hub of regional innovation,” explains the CEO of Futuregg.
Expansion and investment of startups in the ecosystem
Some of the participating national startups are Arcom, EFI Labs, BinarioTech, Bonex, Neutral Farming and Humos de la Patagonia, the latter being the one that signed an investment commitment letter of $US1 million to install the first pilot plant in the area, with the support of CMPC. Likewise, there are three ventures originating from the commune of Nacimiento: Vitasensory, Nacimiento Patrimonial and Gesture Talk.
“To consolidate the innovation ecosystem in Nacimiento and ensure the continuity of collaborative work from the Co.lab, it is essential to facilitate access to public and private financing. In this context, the active participation of the authorities represents a strategic opportunity to channel resources towards emerging startups, local entrepreneurs and Duoc UC students, thus strengthening the territorial development and impact of the project,” says Julián Ugarte, who participates in this project with Socialab Startups.
