Canada Commits to IDB Lab’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Focusing on Women and Vulnerable Groups

The government of Canada committed CA$3 million to IDB Lab for an entrepreneurial accelerator, specifically targeting women and vulnerable populations. This contribution highlights Canada's commitment to fostering economic growth and inclusivity in Latin America and the Caribbean. By focusing on an accelerator program with a gender lens and socially inclusive approach, the government aims to create opportunities for marginalized communities and promote a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape.

This contribution from the government of Canada reflects a strategic alignment with IDB Lab's mission of promoting early-stage entrepreneurial innovations, supporting vulnerable and marginalized populations and activating new engines of sustainable growth.

“Canada’s commitment to IDB Lab, our innovation laboratory, to promote early-stage entrepreneurial innovation with a focus on gender and vulnerable populations, will help us scale up work with other partners to reduce inequality and drive development that is both more sustainable and more inclusive,” said IDB President Ilan Goldfajn.

"As the IDB's innovation laboratory, we know that there are underserved areas regarding investment in early-stage ventures in Latin America and the Caribbean. An accelerator program focusing on poor and vulnerable populations will reduce undesired gaps and give the entrepreneurial ecosystem an important role to leverage social inclusion and create new engines for the sustainable development we want for our region," concluded Irene Arias, CEO of IDB Lab.

The Americas Partnership - IDB Responsible Investment Forum was celebrated in Washington, D.C., on November 2, 2023. The Forum was organized on the occasion of the inaugural Americas Partnership Leaders’ Summit, and provides a framework for hemispheric cooperation to foster regional competitiveness, resilience, shared prosperity, and inclusive and sustainable investment.