With the support of CABEI, the European Union and the Government of Germany, the capacities of Panamanian SMEs were strengthened
"Article originally published on CABEI's website on 30/01/2024. LACIF contributes to the DINAMICA II Initiative through an investment grant and technical assistance."
The DINAMICA II Initiative of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the Government of Germany, through KfW, and the European Union (EU), supported the implementation of the Advanced Scalability Program for SMEs, facilitated by the Innovation Center of the Fundación Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge Foundation), with the aim of generating capabilities, strategies, and tools so that companies can scale, identifying strategic sectors and market segments.
A total of 20 SMEs participated in the training process in which topics such as networking and sales strategies, how to overcome problems and barriers, e-commerce and associativity, how to scale operations, market entry and scaling strategies were addressed through the development of 7 training sessions.
The Program concluded with the awarding of the two most outstanding SMEs: COBOTS LABS deRL and Especias Valmar, which received prizes valued at US$3,500 and US$2,500, respectively, for the design of their sales strategy, visibility and monitoring, with which companies are expected to increase their sales, strengthen their associativity, and select their market segments in a strategic way.
COBOTS LABS de RL, is part of the Flying Labs network and is a company that promotes the use of science, robotics, and technology, in an ethical and responsible way, to find solutions to social problems in communities in more than 40 countries. Dania Montenegro, one of its partners, highlights that “with the award we received from the DINAMICA II Initiative, we will invest in the diversification of our technology, specifically in thermal and multispectral sensors that will allow us to venture into areas such as precision agriculture, supporting entrepreneurship and companies with investments in renewable energies.”
The DINAMICA II Initiative seeks to contribute to economic development and job creation in Central America, strengthening the business ecosystem for new, young, and innovative MSMEs, in addition to promoting adequate access to financial services. To date, this Initiative has supported more than 2,000 Central American MSMEs with more than US$52 million in loans, managing to protect more than 17 thousand jobs.
In the coming months, through this Initiative, the Seed Capital instrument will be launched with the objective of supporting ventures and MSMEs in the region to start their operations, consolidate, grow, and ensure their sustainability. The Seed Capital's non-reimbursable funds will be available for ventures and companies in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic
