“My dream is that, in the future, we can say: the Amazon bioeconomy really is viable, and people make a living from it, and that we never have to say the forest is gone.”

Yuli Rodríguez (Co-founder, BioIncos)

A program co-designed with Indigenous peoples that strengthens a network of bioeconomy enterprises and supports a holistic, long-term vision for the Amazon.

Purpose

To support Amazonian Indigenous peoples and their enterprises to grow, reinforcing Indigenous governance and the stewardship of their territories.

Vision

An Amazon where Indigenous Peoples lead the growth of sustainable enterprises that conserve forests, protect biodiversity, strengthen community knowledge, and contribute to resilient local economies.

“Our communities are not the same as before. Homes have improved, family incomes have grown, and people now they have opportunities to buy things and to give their children a better education”

Martín Huaypuna (Co-founder, AFIMAD)

One of the foundations of this pilot project was designing the incubator in close collaboration with the Indigenous communities, led by Indigenous organizations OPIAC (Colombia), CONFENIAE (Ecuador), and AIDESEP (Peru). Through this participatory governance model, each national organization determined how enterprises in their country are selected, how investment decisions are made, and how support is delivered to portfolio entrepreneurs. In this way, each regional incubator reflects local priorities, knowledge, and governance practices.
Incubation supports community-based enterprises to grow into sustainable, culturally-aligned businesses. The incubator we have co-created with our partners guides enterprises from the initial selection process through investment and tailored business support, using clear tools such as investment committees with local, diverse representation, investment plans, and support for impact monitoring.
In this way, we can evaluate each enterprise’s economic, social, and environmental potential, tailor financing to its specific needs, and provide targeted support.
The project is a multi-level alliance that combines institutional support, specialized technical assistance, financing, and territorial backing from local and regional grassroots organizations.
- NESsT: The lead organization driving and managing the project. It designed and implemented the Indigenous incubation model together with Amazonian organizations, provided business support and training, and channeled financing to 13 enterprises, adapting business tools to the cultural and territorial context.
- COICA (Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin): Promoted the project from its initial phase and played a key role in its design and regional coordination.
- National Indigenous organizations (OPIAC in Colombia, CONFENIAE in Ecuador, AIDESEP in Peru): Co-created the governance models and managed the national incubators.
- BID Lab (Inter-American Development Bank): Served as a key sponsor and the main funder of the program, accompanying the technical implementation of the regional pilot.
- Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation: Provided additional funding to strengthen the incubators and expand support for Indigenous enterprises.