Uruguay Connects with International Investors to Boost Private Capital Initiatives
The Second Private Capital Forum of Uruguay successfully connected funds, companies, and institutions, aiming to drive investment and innovation. Held on October 8 at the Parque de Innovación del LATU, the forum focused on developing private capital as a pivotal tool to fund businesses, transform knowledge into ventures, and accelerate economic growth. This event brought together a diverse group of investors, investment funds, entrepreneurs, and startups from both local and international backgrounds, as well as Uruguay’s institutional representatives. It provided a platform to present various work streams aimed at expanding funding and reinforcing Uruguay’s position as a regional business hub.
Organized by Uruguay XXI, the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), and the Uruguayan Association of Private Capital (URUCAP), with support from Uruguay Innova, the forum was inaugurated by Gabriel Oddone, Minister of Economy and Finance. Key figures like the executive director of Uruguay XXI, Mariana Ferreira; president of ANII, Álvaro Brunini; executive director of Uruguay Innova, Bruno Gili; and president of URUCAP, Sylvia Chebi, were in attendance.
Gabriel Oddone emphasized the connection between developing this sector and facing one of the country’s major challenges: accelerating growth. “The responsibility of the leaders is to generate conditions for individual initiatives in the business world to develop and thrive.” He highlighted the importance of economic stability and a solid financial system as prerequisites for innovative businesses to flourish, along with the need for increased competitiveness and an institutional framework that encourages investment.
The discussions extended to strategies included in the competitiveness bill, aiming to promote investment funds, crowdfunding platforms, open finance, and regulatory testing environments or financial sandboxes. Oddone also emphasized the crucial role of linking knowledge generation with innovation and business opportunities, highlighting the importance of coordination among agencies like Uruguay Innova.
Uruguay as a Platform for Developing and Exporting Solutions
Mariana Ferreira of Uruguay XXI noted that private capital’s contribution goes beyond financing, stating, “With private capital comes funding, experience, contacts, and access to an international network.” She stressed the country’s advantages, noting Uruguay’s talent, digital infrastructure, and significant ecosystem, where businesses, startups, universities, research centers, and both public and private institutions interact effectively. “Uruguay has talent, infrastructure, and a significant ecosystem,” she affirmed.
The goal is to position Uruguay as a platform where companies can develop capacities, invest, develop, test, and export solutions globally. Demonstrating the sector’s dynamism, it was forecasted that by 2025, over thirty private capital-related operations would be recorded, marking the highest level in the last decade. This analysis is part of the “Overview of Private Capital Investment in Uruguay” report, presented during the forum.
Ferreira also highlighted the necessity of preparing companies to attract investment and developing a project portfolio appealing to investors. The event featured prominent fund and company representatives, including Monashees, Canary, BTG Pactual, Patria, and Kaszek, covering topics such as regional expansion, mergers and acquisitions, biotechnology, scientific-based technologies, and early-stage funding. The agenda also included a conference by Ted Yang on artificial intelligence and investment decisions.
In line with the forum’s objectives, the Demo Day by Sprint UY, a Uruguay XXI and ANII program, provided international startups an opportunity to showcase their projects to investors and engage with the local ecosystem. This initiative aligned with one of the central goals of the forum: to attract capital, knowledge, and international networks to foster business growth from Uruguay.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
