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The Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI)
Strengthening Guatemala's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Growth and Prosperity
Table of contents
1. ANDE: Builder of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems 3
6. Success Stories and Testimonials 30
2. Context and challenges in Guatemala 5
7. Goals and Outcomes 37
3. The Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI) 6
7.1 Resource Mobilization 38
8. Learnings, Adaptations, and Recommendations 41
4. Partners 9
5. Projects 10
5.1 First Cohort 11
Este ícono señala que el contenido es interactivo y puedes hacer clic en él.
5.2 Second Cohort 21
ANDE: EcosystemBuilder
A thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem increases the success rate of Small Growing Businesses by providing them with the support they need to launch, sustain, and scale their ventures. When these ecosystems function effectively—through hubs like accelerators, co-working spaces, and mentorship networks—they connect entrepreneurs with critical resources, knowledge, and capital. As a result, more businesses succeed, generating local opportunities that drive social mobility and reduce the need for migration.
ANDE helps build, curate, and advise a community of practitioners to become highly effective engines of economic growth, addressing poverty and solving related social and environmental challenges. In service of its members, ANDE:
Facilitates peer learning communities with guidance and accountability.
Provides capacity-building opportunities in areas such as impact monitoring and investment.
Advocates for funding evidence-based approaches through knowledge curation, donor conversations, and managing large-scale regranting facilities like GEDI.
Through GEDI, ANDE identifies high-impact practitioners, funds their capacity-building efforts, measures and validates their impact, and empowers them to strengthen local economies.
Context and Challenges in Guatemala
Despite these obstacles, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report highlights Guatemala's strong entrepreneurial spirit, with many individuals possessing the skills and confidence to start businesses.
Research shows that small and growing businesses (SGBs) are key drivers of economic impact, creating jobs and increasing productive output. However, entrepreneurs in Guatemala face challenges such as limited access to financing, a lack of investor connections, and scarce business development services.
Guatemala also has the lowest fear of entrepreneurial failure rate in Latin America.
Know more
GEM report
The Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative(GEDI)
The Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI) is a five-year program led by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) to create stronger local economies and expand opportunities in communities affected by migration. Although Guatemala’s ecosystem is expanding beyond major cities, capacity development and financing remain concentrated in urban centers. GEDI addresses these gaps by coordinating efforts among ANDE network partners with a strong local presence to deliver tailored support to overlooked entrepreneurs, ensuring more equitable economic growth.
Key Objectives:
GEDI strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Guatemala to foster economic prosperity in communities heavily impacted by migration, helping ventures overcome challenges to:
incubation or acceleration programs
and access to finance and markets
access for business advisory services
The program creates support systems that help ventures boost revenue, generate employment, and offer community-focused goods and services. This fosters prosperity, diversifies economic opportunities, and encourages people to stay invested in their communities.
Key Objectives:
GEDI strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Guatemala to foster economic prosperity in communities heavily impacted by migration, helping ventures overcome challenges to:
incubation or acceleration programs
and access to finance and markets
access for business advisory services
The program creates support systems that help ventures boost revenue, generate employment, and offer community-focused goods and services. This fosters prosperity, diversifies economic opportunities, and encourages people to stay invested in their communities.
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Key Components:
CoalitionBuilding
Grant Calls for Proposals
Local Ecosystem Participation
To enhance collaboration among ANDE members and other stakeholders in designing activities that address the needs of communities affected by migration.
To establish a coalition of implementing partners to execute core activities, leveraging private sector contributions.
To identify and financially support innovative solutions to remaining ecosystem gaps identified by local stakeholders.
GEDI’s geographical and demographic approach prioritizes businesses led by women, indigenous people, youth, and rural communities in areas with high levels of irregular migration.
Partners
GEDI is a public-private partnership pooling resources to support entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) in Guatemala. Collectively, partners have invested over $22.36 million in the SGB sector. Key partners include:
The projects
GEDI partners implemented projects in all 22 departments across Guatemala.
Desliza el cursor para ver más información.
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4.1
First Cohort
GEDI´s first cohort supported eight organizations and nine projects over 24 months, from August 2022 to July 2024, with an investment of $6.1 million from public and private sector partners.
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ALTERNA
Who are they?
Alterna is a social innovation platform based in Guatemala that promotes the development of entrepreneurship and businesses with social and environmental impact in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Project:
Sustainable Value Chains and Thriving Communities
Objective:
To support thriving communities and promote sustainable value chains in Guatemala. Alterna strengthened small and growing businesses (SGBs) led by indigenous, women, and youth entrepreneurs, improving their business models, skills, and connection to sustainable markets and financing.
Main results
Haz clic
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EARTH UNIVERSITY
Who are they?
Earth University is a private, non-profit, international academic institution, founded with the support of the Costa Rican government and other organizations. Its mission is to prepare young rural leaders as agents of change for peaceful and prosperous communities.
Project:
Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Livelihoods (REAL)
Objective:
Equip 16 small and growing businesses (SGBs) led by youth, women, and indigenous leaders in rural communities with entrepreneurial mindsets, knowledge and skills to strengthen their businesses and access new markets.
Main results
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FUNDES
Who are they?
FUNDES is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 to address unemployment and foster entrepreneurship in Latin America. Its mission evolved to focus on developing sustainable strategies to address inequalities in the region. FUNDES implemented two projects under GEDI:
Project No. 1:
Social Microfranchises for Job Creation
Objective:
Create microfranchise hot dog (shukero) businesses (mainly run by women and/or indigenous peoples) linked to Cargill´s supply chain and develop entrepreneurial skills to promote job creation and increase family income in Guatemala.
Main results
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FUNDES
Project No. 2:
Thriving with Small and Growing Businesses.
Objective:
Establish an agency model of small neighborhood stores that diversifies product offerings, strengthens entrepreneurial skills and provides access to seed capital to promote job creation and increase household incomes in Guatemala.
Main results
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INCAE Business School
Who are they?
INCAE is a private non-profit educational institution, founded in 1964, with headquarters in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It focuses on business education and sustainable development in Latin America.
Project:
Business Women Progressing - Empresarios Progresando (EMPRO)
Objective:
Increase the income and jobs created by women-led small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in migration-prone regions.
Main results
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MERCY CORPS
Who are they?
Mercy Corps is an international organization with more than 40 years of experience working in development in more than 40 countries, helping to build safe, productive and just communities. Its programs focus on promoting the competitiveness of smallholder agricultural producers, improving market access, and building the capacity of producers to meet food safety and quality standards.
Project:
Promoting Entrepreneurship in Guatemala - JEG
Objective:
Strengthen six producer cooperatives comprising 770 coffee farmers, increasing their access to national and international markets, improving the quality of coffee and providing access to capital for women producers.
Main results
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MULTIVERSE
Who are they?
Multiverse is a regional platform based in Guatemala City that supports entrepreneurs and growing startups, offering services to prepare, structure, and connect entrepreneurs, especially in rural and high-migration areas in Guatemala.
Project:
Fostering Economic Prosperity in Communities Affected by Migration
Objective:
Expand programmatic footprint to Quetzaltengango and Huehuetenango to strengthen small and growing companies and foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem in new areas.
Main results
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POMONA IMPACT
Who are they?
Pomona Impact Foundation runs acceleration and incubation programs to support small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Guatemala and Costa Rica. Pomona Impact Foundation helps SGBs scale their operations and impact, and fight against the negative effects of climate change and migration in the region.
Project:
Investing in Renewable Energy and Innovation — ENERGY INVEST
Objective:
Provide acceleration services and access to financing for renewable energy small businesses, develop a portfolio of more than $3 million for growing and small businesses, and launch the Impact Center to provide legal, administrative and business development assistance.
Main results
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GLOBAL NETWORK OF INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURS - RED GLOBAL DE EMPRESARIOS INDÍGENAS (REI)
Who are they?
REI is a grassroots business movement with a community and indigenous identity. REI promotes entrepreneurship, striving to develop a thriving business sector that generates intergenerational wealth and fullness of life for indigenous peoples
Project:
Integrated Business Services to Scale Prosperity with Indigenous Entrepreneurs and Growing Small Businesses
Objective:
Offer integrated business services to indigenous entrepreneurs, including training, mentoring, brand development and marketing, connected with market studies to foster growth of high-potential, indigenous-led SGBs.
Main results
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4.2
Second Cohort
Eight projects were implemented over 12 months, from July 2023 to June 2024 and $2.612 million USD granted from private and public sector partners.
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INTERFOREST
Who are they?
Interforest is a private company that provides consulting, administration and management services for forest assets in the Central American region, with particular knowledge and experience with Ladino and Q'eqchí communities in Izabal.
Project:
Network of Agroforestry SGBs in Izabal.
Objective:
Develop a network of small and growing enterprises (SGBS) in the agroforestry sector in Izabal to generate opportunities for the local population, promoting their formalization and professionalization, to generate linkages and have access to sources of financing for working capital.
Main results
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ASSOCIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL AND MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT - ADAM
Who are they?
ADAM is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations in rural areas of Guatemala. It focuses on working with small-scale producer organizations, integrating their perspectives and knowledge into program design and implementation.
Project:
Rural Economic Dynamics for Prosperity -DERP
Objective:
Transform small rural agri-food initiatives into micro, small and medium-sized enterprise models through the reduction of barriers to market entry and the promotion of productive and competitive scaling.
Main results
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Fundación Solidaridad Latinoamericana (Solidaridad)
Who are they?
Solidaridad is a civil society organization that works in more than 50 countries to support sustainable and inclusive food systems. The organization possesses a deep understanding of local contexts and works along the entire supply chain to promote sustainability and ensure that farmers and workers earn a living income.
Project:
Q'uch - Financing ecosystem for climate-smart business models.
Objective:
Main results
Improve the resilience of agri-food companies to climate change, through technical advice, incorporation of climate components and access to climate funds.
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APODIP
Who are they?
APODIP is an association of organic producers comprising 80 communities and more than 1,300 associated producers in Guatemala who produce cocoa, coffee, cardamom and peanuts with organic certification and fair trade. APODIP improves the quality of life of producer families, facilitating access to services and promoting the organizational structure for production and marketing.
Project:
Business Associative Model for the Industrialization of Cocoa in Alta Verapaz.
Objective:
To strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities of organizations of small cocoa producers in the northern zone of Guatemala for their integration within a model of second-tier business associative organization. The model was designed and feasible to facilitate the industrialization of cocoa and its commercialization, as cocoa paste or liquor, to international and national fair-trade markets.
Main results
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BRIDGE FOR BILLIONS
Who are they?
Bridge for Billions is a social enterprise that acts as a digital ecosystem of early-stage entrepreneurship programs. Its mission is to democratize access to entrepreneurship training and mentorship to create innovative and growing small businesses around the world.
Project:
Guate Progresa
Objective:
Provide business development services and training for 100 entrepreneurs with experienced mentors and workshops taught by local experts.
Main results
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FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE
Who are they?
Friendship Bridge is a social enterprise with a mission to empower vulnerable women in Guatemala to create a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities through access to financial products, education, and health services.
Project:
Bridge to Success
Objective:
Support women-owned businesses to improve their business management skills, improve jobs, increase their assets and income, increase their profits, and increase their leadership and community participation.
Main results
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PRO MUJER
Who are they?
Pro Mujer is a leading social enterprise in financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and health, with a focus on women. It provides comprehensive solutions both individually and collectively to facilitate the empowerment of women in Latin America.
Project:
Transforming entrepreneurship into regenerative agriculture - TRAE.
Objective:
To strengthen business ecosystems and promote economic prosperity through regenerative agriculture in rural communities of Chimaltenango and Chiquimula, Guatemala.
Main results
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HANNS R. NEUMANN STIFTUNG - HRNS
Who are they?
HRNS aims to improve livelihoods in tropical rural environments, integrating youth and protecting nature and the environment. HRNS works with smallholder families and youth in coffee growing regions to shape thriving rural communities. HRNS Central America has its regional office in Guatemala City and has implemented projects in Guatemala and Honduras with public and private sector partners since 2001.
Project:
Innovative and Inclusive Coffee Business Corridor – "Cinco Project"
Objective:
Strengthen inclusive, women- and youth-led agricultural Small and growing businesses (SGBs) in the coffee value chain in the migratory corridor of Western Guatemala, and incubate and accelerate sustainable SGBs to promote climate resilience, diversify incomes, and revitalize the local economy.
Main results
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Success Stories and Testimonials
+ Explore the full GEDI playlist on our YouTube channel!
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Success Stories and Testimonials
Alterna | Sustainable Value Chains and Thriving Communities
Chica Bean
Website
CORCI
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Success Stories and Testimonials
INCAE Business School | EMPRO Guatemala
+ full playlist
María Fernanda Rivera focuses on sustainable agricultural development. Azucena Acuña, from Quilalí, demonstrates the impact of value chains. María Ixchajchal Ordoñez transforms agricultural production with her brand, Love and Tea. Fernanda Arias, Panadería La Dulce Abuelita
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Friendship Bridge
Teresa García, a baker from Santo Tomás La Unión, improved her production processes with training and funding from the "Impulsa tu Negocio" Fund. She purchased an industrial oven and expanded online sales through “Directorio al Éxito” and an enhanced Facebook page, resulting in Q3,000 in additional sales, new orders, and increased social media followers.
HRNS
Brayan López, from Huehuetenango, joined HRNS/Neumann Foundation’s “Innovative and Inclusive Coffee Business Corridor” under GEDI’s second cohort. In 2024, he relaunched his coffee shop, ´As Coffee Shop´, with the motto “From plant to cup,” after gaining skills through workshops and a barista course. Brayan aims to share his knowledge with local growers and inspire future generations.
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Multiverse
Don Mejillón Restaurant, established five years ago, faced challenges in marketing, financial planning, and staff delegation as it expanded to three branches. After joining Multiverse’s acceleration program, the business improved operations, resulting in a 30% sales increase and the opening of a fourth branch, boosting total sales by 80%.
Pomona Impact
Albedo Solar connects SMEs, solar installers, and investors to expand solar energy access in Guatemala. Through the Pomona Renewable Energy Acceleration program, it grew its team from six to ten, secured over $1.8 million in investments, and financed 3,500 solar panels, reducing 85,000 tons of CO2 emissions and saving users $15 million in electricity costs.
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Interforest
William Cortez and his team at DarkWoods in Livingston, Izabal, transitioned from using sawmill leftovers to offering sustainable forest management and timber sales. Participation in Interforest’s program addressed operational challenges, increasing sales to 8,000 cubic meters of lumber, adding three employees, and expanding the client base to 50.
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Testimonials from Subgrantees
“I am grateful for this opportunity and the growth I experienced in my venture. Entrepreneurship is an investment of time and knowledge, and above all, it is an opportunity to generate income.”
“In the GEDI project, we received direct support from APODIP technicians who taught us pruning and cutting techniques, as well as traceability tools for our cocoa. My daughter and I also learned chocolate-making in workshops. This experience has improved our production and added value to our products."
Cesia López Ambrocio, Bistro Café y Jardín
Don Luis Pop, ACPOC Member
ADOPIP program
HRNS program
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Goals and Outcomes
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Resource Mobilization
GEDI’s two regranting facilities concluded with 16 Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) successfully completing programs, benefiting over 6,696 entrepreneurs and small businesses across Guatemala's 22 departments. Key outcomes:
Business development services provided to in producer associations and value chains.
6,696 entrepreneurs
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Resource Mobilization
30%
invested by USAID and private partners in business development services for Guatemalan SGBs.
60%
$18.5M
60% women and 30% youth participation in project activities.
in sales generated by SGBs.
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Resource Mobilization
$3.84M accessed in agriculture-related financing. $48.22M in new investments catalyzed by GEDI’s ecosystem support. $6.46M mobilized in equity investments, including $4.7M for clean energy. 36 renewable energy companies received acceleration services. Avoiding 3,538.19 tons of CO2 through subgrants to partners working with businesses investing in clean energy. 3,948 jobs created or improved, with 948 new jobs and 3,000 strengthened.
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Learnings:
Partnership Alignment: Collaborating with trusted partners requires aligning factors like resource management, technical coordination, and geographic coverage. Field Activity Coordination: Successful implementation depended on clear communication and coordination among field teams, management, technical, and administrative staff. Beneficiary Selection: Refining participant selection processes maximizes the impact of business service strategies. Tailored Technical Assistance: Personalized support addresses the specific needs of entrepreneurs.
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Learnings:
Project Planning: Regularly reviewing and adjusting plans improves task coordination and overall progress. Technology Management: Effective use of technology is increasingly critical for project success. Ecosystem Engagement: Open events (e.g., ecosystem meetings, business roundtables, and product fairs) expanded networks and fostered alliances. Sector Knowledge: Staying informed on ecosystem trends and developments supports effective project planning.
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Adaptations:
Implementation Partner Changes: Some organizations faced challenges in meeting implementation objectives due to consortium partner shifts. Political and Social Events: Activities were affected by the 2023 elections and national blockades. Activity Security Challenges: Some organizations dealt with security issues, such as extortion in certain areas, affecting staff and beneficiaries. Financial Planning Adjustments: Organizations had to adapt their financial management systems due to ANDE’s reimbursement method.
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Recommendations for Future Actions in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem:
Technical and Technological Capacity Building: Rural organizations need access to advanced technologies and specialized training to enhance productivity and competitiveness. Market Access and Commercialization: Strategies and commercial networks should be developed to help rural organizations access larger, more profitable markets. Financial Inclusion and Credit Access: Financial inclusion programs offering accessible credit and financial services can address critical funding challenges for businesses.
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Recommendations for Future Actions in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem:
Entrepreneurship Development: Strengthening the administrative, financial, and strategic capacities of small and medium enterprises is essential. Climate Change Resilience: Rural businesses and producer organizations need tools and knowledge to adapt to the effects of climate change. Strengthening Networks and Alliances: Continued efforts to reinforce collaborative networks and inter-institutional alliances are crucial for maximizing intervention impacts.