ACTIVA-CATIE concludes the year with a positive evaluation from the Development Banking System

• In the first three years of the project, 52 rural entrepreneurs in Costa Rica have been supported, and in 2023 alone, 71 new entrepreneurs have been selected.

December 26, 2023. On December 19, 2023, the final conference for the CATIE assurance study took place, presenting the results of the operational audit conducted by the Development Banking System (SBD) on the seed capital services project executed by ACTIVA-CATIE since 2020 with resources from the National Development Fund (FONADE) of Costa Rica.

The evaluation results were positive, as the SBD audit determined that the seed capital services provided by ACTIVA-CATIE, the innovation and entrepreneurship laboratory of the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Unit (UBBPP), are carried out appropriately within the current legal framework and sound practices. Therefore, no findings or observations were identified that the laboratory needs to address.

The oversight process involved a documentary review of all information related to the files of entrepreneurs supported with seed capital resources, an analysis of the administrative management conducted by CATIE concerning the transfer of resources, support and mentoring processes, and a visit to a sample of eight pre-selected ventures.

The final conference was chaired by Ms. Sara Patricia Porras, Internal Auditor of SBD, and the senior auditor, Ms. Rocío Agüero Arce, and the Junior Auditor, Mr. Alejandro Granados Marín. Also present were personnel from the innovation and entrepreneurship coordination of SBD, among others, and from CATIE, Mr. Vladimir Valera, Director of ACTIVA-CATIE, Mr. Walter Solís, Internal Auditor of CATIE, and personnel from UBBPP.

"It is a pleasure to close the year with such good and positive results from the study we conducted on CATIE. We truly want to congratulate them for the excellent management of seed capital services," stated Ms. Sara Porras at the end of the conference.

Vladimir Valera, Director of ACTIVA-CATIE, indicated, "The results of the SBD audit process fill us with a lot of pride and satisfaction, but they also commit us even more to continue working efficiently and systematically in the coming years. With the work done by ACTIVA-CATIE, we not only fulfill the institution's mission towards green and inclusive development but also support the Costa Rican state with its development, inclusion, and strengthening of the entrepreneurial ecosystem."

Strengthening ACTIVA

2023 has been the year of consolidation for ACTIVA as the innovation and incubation laboratory of CATIE.

In the first three years of operation, 52 rural entrepreneurs in Costa Rica have been supported, but in 2023 alone, 71 new entrepreneurs were selected, and their training and support have already begun and will continue during the first semester of 2024 with proven working methodologies.

 Additionally, the Development Banking System has just granted ACTIVA-CATIE licenses A and B, allowing it to manage seed capital resources to promote the inclusion of entrepreneurial initiatives through formalization, the creation of startups, or rural businesses based on knowledge and technologies, as well as a new program aimed at increasing the business competitiveness of SMEs by promoting the implementation of innovation and productive transformation processes.

For 2024, ACTIVA-CATIE plans to launch at least two new calls for rural entrepreneurs in Costa Rica and strengthen the alliance with the National Bank to provide financing to rural startups with a focus on decarbonization.