Formation 2002 (2002) Area served Chile | Founded at Santiago de Chile | |
Type non-profit organization Location Santiago de Chile, Chile Methods training and assisting owners of poor micro-enterprises | ||
Acción Emprendedora (AE) is a non-profit organization founded 2002 in Chile. The organization seeks to eradicate poverty by training and assisting poor small business owners and helping microentrepreneurs grow their businesses through education and mediating loan negotiations. Based in Santiago de Chile, it is present in seven major cities throughout Chile.
Contents
- Development model
- Progress to date
- Awards
- Results
- Learning centers
- Courses
- Participating business sectors
- eMarketplace project
- References
In Chile, 98% of businesses are small businesses and micro-entreprises, and 62% of national employment is linked to micro-enterprises, half of whose employees have not completed their basic education.
Development model
AE uses a three-step development model:
- AE offers basic and advanced business classes in entrepreneurial communities.
- AE provides access to low-rate microcredit that would be otherwise unavailable to impoverished communities.
- AE provides free consulting services during the initial development or growth of the micro-enterprise, as well as free access to technology.
Progress to date
Since 2003, AE has trained over 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs, and in the Santiago Learning Center alone trained 500 micro-entrepreneurs in 2010. AE also mediates loans for its entrepreneurs through various banks including the Banco de Dessarrollo, Banco Santander, and the Women's World Banking FINAM. For its efforts, AE has received international recognition from the Inter-American Development Bank as one of the 40 best social projects in Latin America.
Awards
AE has received awards in Chile and throughout Latin America.
Results
In addition to the above, to measure its effects, Acción Emprendedora has implemented a database system, innovative methodologies, rigorous monitoring. Thus it is possible to accurately measure how many jobs are generated by the model implemented, the cost per additional job, and what sales growth the micro enterprises supported; increases in their income, the percentage completion, among others.
Learning centers
AE currently has 6 entrepreneurial centers in Chile located in Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Antofagasta, San Pedro de Atacama, and Coronel. Additionally, AE has continued expansion into neighboring countries including Guatemala, where AE had to close due to political instability and Peru, where it is still strong today. In the future, there is a plan in place to open a learning center in Durham, NC, after AE finished as a finalist in the Duke University Start-Up Challenge. There are also plans to share the AE model in Ecuador.
Courses
AE offers courses for small business formation and growth, such as management courses. AE also offers workshops for entrepreneurs, such as accounting, marketing, digital literacy, among others. AE offers workshops for entrepreneurs ("Beginning your business"), micro business owners ("Growing your business"), and small business owners ("Consolidating your business").
AE opens its courses to those of all levels of education: no education, basic education, secondary school, technical school, university-level, and professional.
Participating business sectors
- Agriculture
- Crafts and traditional art
- Commerce
- Confection
- Construction
- Food services
- Services
- Transportation
eMarketplace project
AE is in the early stages of developing an online marketplace that will enable entrepreneurs in AE's municipalities to sell their products to US consumers.