Top 20 Grants for Early-Stage Startups in South America in 2025
South America is rapidly becoming a hotbed for innovation and entrepreneurship, with various grants and funding opportunities available for early-stage startups. In 2025, there are numerous paths to securing much-needed capital to launch and grow businesses. Below is a comprehensive list of the Top 20 Grants for Early-Stage Startups in South America for 2025, detailing each opportunity, including location, focus areas, benefits, and application links.
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1. South Summit Brazil Startup Competition
When: April 9-11, 2025
Where: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Focus: Global visibility, networking, investment opportunities
Benefits: Participation provides access to a renowned startup competition, potential investment opportunities, and recognition as a leading startup. There will also be VIP access to event areas, offering unparalleled networking opportunities.
Application Deadline: January 23, 2025
2. Venture Capital World Summit (São Paulo)
When: November 18, 2025
Where: São Paulo, Brazil
Focus: Technology and entrepreneurship
Benefits: Connect with global venture capital investors and engage in deal-making, providing potential funding sources for innovative solutions.
3. VC Latam Summit
When: March 26-27, 2025
Where: Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, Florida
Focus: Venture capital, networking
Benefits: Opportunities for learning, connecting with Latin American VCs, and accessing mentors and industry experts, particularly for STEM women entrepreneurs.
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4. eMerge Americas
When: March 27-28, 2025
Where: Miami, Florida
Focus: Technology and entrepreneurship
Benefits: This event promotes startup showcases, keynote talks, and valuable networking opportunities between entrepreneurs and investors.
5. 100x Impact Accelerator
Focus: Social impact
Benefits: Funding for scalable for-profit or non-profit models addressing global challenges like climate change and education. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Application Deadline: January 6, 2025
6. Inter-American Foundation (IAF) Community Development Grants
Focus: Grassroots community projects
Benefits: Supports innovative solutions to local development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no specific funding amounts mentioned, making it flexible for numerous projects.
7. NBME Latin America Grant Program
Focus: Health professional education
Benefits: Grants up to $50,000 over two years for innovative projects related to health professions education; perfect for startups in health education.
8. Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) Grants
Focus: Support for business organizations
Benefits: Grants for non-government business organizations, specifically chambers of commerce and trade associations.
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9. Gilead Sciences Corporate Giving
Focus: Health-related projects
Benefits: Funding for initiatives addressing HIV and liver diseases in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries. Projects must align with Gilead Sciences' mission.
10. NSF SBIR/STTR Program
Focus: R&D funding
Benefits: America’s Seed Fund supports startups creating groundbreaking technologies, offering research funding to innovative projects.
11. Amazon Web Services Activate Program
Focus: Cloud computing solutions
Benefits: Provides promotional credits for AWS services, technical support, and access to a global network of experts to grow startup infrastructure.
12. Startup Chile
Focus: Tech-driven startups
Benefits: Offers equity-free funding of up to $40,000, mentorship, and networking opportunities, encouraging innovation in Chile and beyond.
13. Fundación Chile Ventures
Focus: Early-stage investments
Benefits: Aims to provide early-stage startups with the resources, mentorship, and funding necessary to succeed in growth and scale.
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14. Techstars
Focus: Startup accelerator programs
Benefits: Offers mentorship, funding, and access to a network of global entrepreneurs for startups to thrive and scale effectively.
15. Seeding Labs
Focus: STEM education and research
Benefits: Provides equipment grants to universities and startups in STEM, promoting impactful research and innovation across Latin America.
16. Endeavor Entrepreneurs Program
Focus: High-impact entrepreneurs
Benefits: Provides mentorship, access to capital, and network connections to foster sustainable business growth within Latin America.
17. Startup Brazil
Focus: Innovative technology sectors
Benefits: Offers support in business development, mentoring, and access to funding to technology-driven startups in Brazil.
18. The Global Innovation Fund
Focus: Social innovation
Benefits: Provides grants, loans, and equity investments in innovative projects aimed at improving the lives of low-income communities around the world.
19. Citi Ventures
Focus: Financial technology
Benefits: Provides funding and shares expertise to stimulate innovation in fintech and support early-stage startups within the sector.
20. Crowd4Impact
Focus: Social enterprises
Benefits: A crowdfunding platform that connects social entrepreneurs with impact investors to fund sustainable initiatives across South America.
This list includes some of the most promising grants and funding opportunities available to early-stage startups in South America in 2025. Each opportunity offers unique advantages for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses.
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FAQ
Q: What is the South Summit Brazil Startup Competition?
A: The South Summit Brazil Startup Competition is a global event for startups to showcase their companies and connect with investors. This event takes place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from April 9-11, 2025. Learn more about South Summit.
Q: What opportunities does the Venture Capital World Summit provide?
A: The Venture Capital World Summit in São Paulo on November 18, 2025, brings together startups, investors, and entrepreneurs for networking and fundraising opportunities. Discover more at VC World Summit.
Q: What is the focus of the VC Latam Summit?
A: The VC Latam Summit, held on March 26-27, 2025, in Miami, focuses on connecting STEM women entrepreneurs with investors and mentors, promoting innovation in Latin America. Learn more about VC Latam Summit.
Q: How does eMerge Americas benefit startups?
A: eMerge Americas connects North and South American tech and entrepreneurship through networking, startup showcases, and keynote talks in Miami on March 27-28, 2025. Find out more about eMerge Americas.
Q: What is the 100x Impact Accelerator?
A: The 100x Impact Accelerator seeks for-profit or non-profit models addressing global challenges, focusing on areas like climate, health, and education. Applications are accepted until January 6, 2025. Learn about 100x Impact Accelerator.
Q: What kind of projects do Inter-American Foundation Community Development Grants support?
A: The IAF Community Development Grants fund community-led projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, encouraging innovative solutions to local development challenges. More information can be found here.
Q: What does the NBME Latin America Grant Program support?
A: The NBME Latin America Grant Program provides grants up to $50,000 for innovative projects related to health professions education in Latin America. Check out NBME's program here.
Q: Who can apply for CIPE Grants?
A: CIPE Grants are available for non-government business organizations, including chambers of commerce and trade associations, that focus on promoting private enterprise. Learn more about CIPE Grants.
Q: What types of projects does Gilead Sciences fund?
A: Gilead Sciences Corporate Giving funds health-related projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, specifically focusing on HIV and liver diseases. Explore Gilead Sciences funding opportunities.
Q: What is the NSF SBIR/STTR Program?
A: The NSF SBIR/STTR Program is America’s Seed Fund that provides funding for startups focusing on research and development in new technologies. Find out more about the NSF program.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
