We identify and support the next generation of sustainable business entrepreneurs in Central America and Mexico.

Agora’s Accelerator program builds on our work in ecosystem development and impact investing.  Think of the ecosystem as the soil, impact investing as water and entrepreneurs in our Accelerator Program as the seeds. There needs to be good soil, good water and good seeds to create the kinds of businesses that can thrive.

The problem is that in poor communities the soil is not good, there is little water, and it’s hard to find good seeds. Our approach is to try to make an impact by working directly to address some of the key barriers to entrepreneurship in the developing world.

• Lack of information: we help investors find reliable information on opportunities
• Lack of trust and community: we serve as a trust broker to vouch for both entrepreneurs and investors
• High risk: we select the opportunities that represent the most acceptable levels of risk
• High transaction costs: we help identify opportunities and manage the due diligence process to reduce the cost of making deals
• Divergent expectations: we help investors and entrepreneurs understand what to expect out of small, early-stage deals in Central America
• Weak entrepreneurial ecosystem: we work with a variety of partner organizations on field-building initiatives to create infrastructure and support for entrepreneurs
• Lack of experience among impact investors: we work directly with impact investors to share our experience with early stage investing in the region.