What do you think may surprise Collaborative members the most about the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Chile?
I think they will be surprised by the complex and dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem that has been developing in Chile over the last two decades. Even with changes in government, there has been consistently strong public policy, primarily through the economic development public agency CORFO and its flagship, Startup Chile. They have increased support for new entrepreneurs and are creating a sophisticated ecosystem including universities, incubators, co-working spaces, mentoring networks, massive venture competitions and a developing venture capital industry.
What entrepreneurial initiatives are you currently working on at UDD that have you most excited at the moment?
In the past 10 years, we have been able to consolidate UDD’s entrepreneur-ship & innovation ecosystem, which has more than 26 programs and initiatives, including several programs supporting student and non-student ventures, programs dedicated to training innovators such as dLab (recipient of the 2018 Babson Collaborative Spotlight Award), and our MBA (ranked #1 in Latin America for Entrepreneurship and Innovation).
We are also very excited about our new academic model, UDD Futuro which was implemented in 2018 and based on our insights from the development of our E+I Ecosystem. With this model, we strive to increase the probabilities of delivering a better education for our students and empower them to improve their own communities.
For those unfamiliar with recent events in Chile, what should we expect in March 2020?
Today, Chile is in the middle of a big change in the ways we think about and organize our society. These are times of historical importance to our country and its citizens. The uprising that started in October 2019 has been decreasing in severity. However, demonstrations and debates continue about decisions that will very likely include a new constitution and, at the very least, a change of axis in how political forces are organized to truly represent the people.
There is much to gain from being here during this interesting time in Chile's history. I encourage you to come hungry to discover the greatness of our country and its people, and I look forward to seeing you in March!
