Developing Entrepreneurs

Business Plan Competitions
TechnoServe is introducing its successful business plan competition model to help the country's nascent entrepreneurs turn good ideas into thriving, growth-oriented businesses. The program will focus on small and medium businesses that benefit people at the bottom of the economic pyramid by generating jobs and markets while also increasing the supply of high-quality, affordable goods and services. There will also be an emphasis on businesses in the fields of energy, food, health, housing, basic services and information technology.
Key supporter: Inter-American Development Bank

Entrepreneurship Training
To help turn great ideas into strong businesses, TechnoServe is identifying and supporting young entrepreneurs, training them in subjects such as management, operational issues and accounting. We also sponsor specialized training sessions for the general business community in the impoverished mining region of Cajamarca.
Key supporters: Association Los Andes de Cajamarca (ALAC), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Fondo Empleo

Building Businesses and Industries

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Horticulture
In the remote and mountainous Huancayo region, TechnoServe is helping local farmers grow an artichoke industry. Our business advisors are helping dozens of producers improve farm management and crop handling. They are also given guidance in crop diversification, to reduce weather-related risks. We have also helped them form a cooperative to capitalize on economies of scale and further boost their incomes. TechnoServe is helping a local entrepreneur launch a business to supply goods and services to this industry. Together, these new businesses have already generated scores of new jobs.
Key supporter: INCAGRO

Other Sectors › Business Development in Mining Communities
TechnoServe is working with Minera Yanacocha, South America's largest gold producer, to help small rural enterprises capitalize on its mine's presence in the poverty-plagued area of Cajamarca. In phase one, we supported 22 local businesses that focused first on supplying the mine's catering facilities and then expanded to serve regional and international markets, creating jobs and boosting the incomes of their local suppliers. Now we are helping a second group of businesses create opportunity and hope by leveraging the supply needs of the mine and expanding into new markets. We are also starting work on a similar initiative in the Ancash region with Minera Antamina.
Key supporters: Association Los Andes de Cajamarca (ALAC), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Fondo Empleo, JPMorgan, Hampshire Foundation and Minera Antamina