A few days ago, Koga Impact Lab developed the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Roundtable in the Spanish Cultural Centre Juan de Salazar, in Paraguay. Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) attended the open event.

Koga, together with IDB and Icon, the network of creative industries, opened this discussion space to debate on the importance of building and accelerating an ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in Paraguay.

The event welcomed young people, entrepreneurs, students and professionals with an interest in knowing more about current issues linked to entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as possible future outcomes.

Bruno Defelippe, executive director of Koga Impact Lab, said “by developing this kind of spaces, we seek to work together with actors of the local ecosystem to strengthen and accelerate it”.

Luis Alberto Moreno, president of IDB, pointed out that “I tell young Paraguayans that this new generation is different than prior ones because it has a greater sense of purpose and knows that their life is meaningless unless they do something that transforms reality”.

Other participants of Moreno’s panel were Eduardo Almeida, IDB Representative in Paraguay, Santiago Peña, Ministry of Economy, Leonardo Maldonado (General Manager Gulliver, Chile) specialist in implanting innovative culture, Rodrigo Weiberlen (CEO Icon), Gabriela Galilea, Founder of the Startup Mr. Patch and Bruno Defelippe, Executive Director of Koga Impact Lab.

The panel made it clear that collaboration is a key issue of the new economy, and that betting on local entrepreneurs is both essential and necessary. It also stated that the current capitalist model must be reconsidered and a more inclusive model should be developed, and discussed the impact of creative industries as powerful tools applied to innovation processes.

Rodrigo Weiberlen, Entrepreneur and CEO of Icon, claimed that “creative industries are accessible for new startups. The most important capital here is not investment, but talent. Besides, they can eventually generate high quality jobs for every social level.”

About Koga

Koga Impact Lab is the first Paraguayan B company with a B Lab certification (the organization that certifies companies that provide real solutions to social and environmental problems). Its goal is to promote development, supporting entrepreneurs and ideas that enhance companies with the potential of generating social, environmental and economic impact. Through its different actions and together with other actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Koga aims for Paraguay to become a social innovation epicentre in the region.

About IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank has the goal of improving lives. Founded in 1959, the IDB is one of the main long term financing sources for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also develops front-line researches and provides counselling on policies, technical assistance and training for public and private clients from all over the region.