More than 260 projects were received in the eighth edition of AntofaEmprende, the longest-running call for entrepreneurship in northern Chile, presented by Escondida | BHP together with Fundación Minera Escondida and executed by Socialab.
Of all the initiatives received, 13 were selected as winners. All of them will be implemented in the Antofagasta Region, with the aim of contributing to the development of local solutions through social innovation in areas such as: circular economy, education, health, well-being, security, and technology for SMEs .
Cristóbal Marshall, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Escondida | BHP, commented that “ we have been promoting this competition for over a decade together with the Escondida Mining Foundation, with a cumulative investment of US$1 million for startups focused on social innovation. These are entrepreneurs from all over the country who have presented triple-impact solutions to implement in Antofagasta, a city with enormous development potential. Therefore, we congratulate the 13 winners of this year's competition, who join the community of innovators and change agents .”
In this version, AntofaEmprende awarded a total of $124 million to be distributed among 13 winners: 5 funds of $8 million for the winners of Consolidation, 5 funds of $15 million for the winners of the Expansion category, and 3 funds of $3 million for the winners in the new Antofagasta Seedbed category, aimed at emerging entrepreneurs residing in the region.
Meanwhile, José Antonio Díaz, executive director of the Escondida Mining Foundation, stated that “ the winners are a true reflection of our enthusiasm and energy for addressing the challenges facing the region in its various territories and communities. Through their initiatives and projects, they contribute to the development of a robust ecosystem that, through agile, innovative, and triple-impact solutions, allows us to move towards a better, more equitable, sustainable, and forward-looking region .”
Hosted by journalist Carla Zunino, the awards ceremony, held at the Fundación Minera Escondida Community Building, featured representatives from the regional and national innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, where the 21 finalists presented their innovations to the public and judging panel.
Winners
In the Consolidation category , the five winning ventures with a fund of $8 million were: Bondup, Innova Recicla, Wefarm, Foodtag and R-Mas: Circular Economy with Gamification.
Meanwhile, in the Expansion category , the five winning ventures that received $15 million in funding to pilot their solutions in the region were: Remote Tourism with Drinking Water, Changonectados, Aula Integral, Lokal: Online Distributor of Local Brands, and Smert.
“ The support of AntofaEmprende was crucial for us throughout the entire process. Thanks to the funding provided by this initiative, we will be able to expand to other coastal towns, democratizing access to the sea through the implementation of water bikes ,” said Sergio Molina, winner in the “Consolidation” category with the “Changonectados” project.
Likewise, entrepreneur Ana María Arrau, winner in the “Expansion” category with the “Wefarm” project, stated that “ we want to create an agricultural productivity hub in the Antofagasta Region, and with our initiative, crops save up to 95% of water. Undoubtedly, winning this award provides us with a boost and motivation to continue contributing to regional development with transformative solutions .”
Meanwhile, the 3 winners of the Antofagasta Seedbed category who received $3 million in funding to further boost the growth of their projects were: “Ecodesierto” Tire Recycling Plant, Escuela de surf en movimiento (Surf School in Motion) and Creaciones Kolor Kids.
The winning projects will be implemented in the Antofagasta region and in collaboration with a local partner to promote and encourage the incorporation of new actors into the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.