Start-Up Chile

Choose the right programme

• Build fits an early-stage idea that has been validated and has an early prototype.
• Ignite fits a working product with early validation, under three years of development.
• Growth fits a consolidated company in its expansion stage.

How applications work

• The application is an online form. Answer it first, because the team uses it to learn about your business.
• Applications are closed now. The next call is listed as opening soon, so check back before you plan a start date.
• Read the programme terms before you apply. Selected startups sign a contract with Corfo based on them.

How selection works

• Eligibility check against the terms.
• Review by expert judges and the Start-Up Chile team.
• Interviews for some applicants, then a committee chooses the startups.

What reviewers look for

• A technology base, innovation, scalability and high impact, which are the organisation's stated criteria.
• A team that includes women in leadership. The organisation runs a Female Founder Factor initiative, and Ignite and Growth say women-led startups receive a larger share of funding. The brochure gives different splits, so confirm the figure before you plan.

Practical points

• Expect a co-financing share, as described in the 2026 brochure.
• Ask about visa timing and whether you must be based in Chile during the programme.
• Free co-working space is part of the support for selected participants.

Start-Up Chile is a public accelerator run with Corfo. It backs technology startups at several stages, from a validated idea to a company that is ready to scale, and it asks each one to grow from Chile into wider markets. Applications are closed at the moment, and the next call is listed as opening soon.

How the programmes work

Start-Up Chile runs three programmes. Build is a four-month pre-acceleration programme for early-stage startups, from a validated idea to an early prototype. Ignite is a four-month acceleration and funding programme for startups with a working product that want to find product-market fit and scale sales. Growth is for consolidated startups in their expansion stage, and its page gives eight months of acceleration.

Each programme combines academic sessions, board sessions, access to mentors and experts, meetings with other startups in the same industry and pitch sessions. Selected startups receive equity-free funding, which the programme pages say takes no equity. The 2026 brochure also describes a co-financing share that the startup pays towards each programme. The programme pages do not mention that share, so the two sources sit side by side here and are not reconciled. Read the terms before you plan a budget.

Who can apply

Start-Up Chile looks for technology-based, innovative, scalable and high-impact businesses. The organisation says it supports entrepreneurs from all over the world, and its brochure says it is agnostic to nationalities. The programmes are built around growing a business from Chile, and the team helps with the work visa process. The brochure lists two years of work visa among the support on offer. The fetched pages do not say whether a founder must live in Chile for the whole programme, so ask before you apply.

Ignite takes startups with a working product and early validation that are less than three years into development. Build takes early-stage ideas. Growth takes consolidated companies that want to expand. The organisation says it is agnostic to industry, so no single sector is required.

Each programme runs two generations a year, so a closed call usually means the next intake is weeks or months away. The fetched pages give no dates for the next call, only that it is coming. The Growth page also gives a range of ten to fifteen startups per generation, but its wording names the Ignite programme, so that size is not confirmed here.

Facilities and support

Selected participants receive free co-working space and discounts on a range of business services. The brochure also lists credit on platforms for operating and business management, and legal support from third parties. Founders also get mentoring, pitch training and sessions with corporate and investor networks.

Scale

The organisation says more than 3,000 startups have been through its programmes and more than 6,000 founders have been supported, from more than 85 countries. The brochure dates these counts to March 2026 and says they come from the organisation's own count. It also lists more than 500 volunteer mentors. These are self-reported totals, not audited figures.

The organisation dates its public policy to 2010, when it was created to attract global talent to Chile. Its impact page gives sales, capital raised and valuation totals for the alumni portfolio. Those totals are self-reported and are not repeated here.

Who runs it

Start-Up Chile is a public accelerator operated with Corfo. The programme terms describe a selected startup's contract as one with Corfo. The organisation publishes a general inbox for enquiries, and no named staff contact is listed.

Locations

The programmes are run from Chile. The fetched pages give no street address or city.