Más Comercio closed its 2025 cycle in Montevideo and announced an enhanced program for 2026

Más Comercio, promoted by Uruguay XXI in partnership with various public institutions, closed its 2025 cycle in Montevideo after a year of activities in Maldonado, Canelones, San José, Artigas, Río Negro, Durazno, and Treinta y Tres. The event, held at the LATU Innovation Campus, marked the end of a phase dedicated to strengthening the export capabilities of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) throughout the country.

To date, the initiative has visited all 19 departments twice, delivered 40 workshops, trained more than 1,000 participants, and provided around 130 personalized mentoring sessions—consistently achieving satisfaction rates above 90%, and reaching 100% in most cases.

This year’s Montevideo edition also incorporated nine thematic roundtables where more than 80 participants received direct advice from experts representing institutions across the export ecosystem. This format, highly valued by companies, strengthened inter-agency coordination and enabled tailored responses to the needs of each enterprise.

Looking ahead

Uruguay XXI’s executive director, Mariana Ferreira, highlighted the program’s expansion and its territorial impact.
“Más Comercio was created with a clear purpose: to bring tools, knowledge, and real opportunities to companies across the country. That means traveling, listening, adjusting, and starting again. We are very proud to have completed 40 workshops nationwide.”

Ferreira also emphasized the program’s gender dimension:
“Fifty-eight percent of this year’s participants were women. We are extremely proud of that, and it is why we plan to launch a Más Comercio Women edition in 2026—to address the specific needs that many women entrepreneurs face.”

Looking to the future, she reaffirmed the program’s commitment to territorial reach:
“In 2026, we will continue with Más Comercio—hopefully with even more support programs—and we will keep reaching every corner of the country with tools that are increasingly precise and adapted to local needs.”

The value of exporting: an impact that extends beyond the company

During the closing session, Claudia Peisino, leader of Más Comercio, highlighted the program’s transformative impact on MSMEs.
“When a company exports, it doesn’t grow alone—its entire environment grows with it. Jobs are created and the local economy becomes more dynamic. That impact is real, and we see it in every department. Más Comercio helps make those first steps possible.”

She also emphasized the importance of on-the-ground interaction:
“This program is valuable because of our proximity and our ability to listen. Each mentoring session and each workshop teaches us something new and helps us refine our support.”

Innovation, coordination, and development

The event also featured remarks from Bruno Gili, head of the Uruguay Innova program, and Fernando López, director of the Economic Promotion Division of the Municipality of Montevideo, who stressed the importance of inter-institutional collaboration to drive business development.

Gili noted:
“It is a pleasure to participate in an event organized by Uruguay XXI, where public and private institutions committed to development come together. We aspire to a stronger integration of the entire science and innovation system so that academia, companies, and public agencies can work in a coordinated way. The State will continue providing financing and support tools that help companies grow and project themselves with greater strength.”

López underscored the municipality’s commitment to entrepreneurship:
“We have been deeply committed from day one to promoting a renewed vision and responsibility towards businesses. We value the work of Uruguay XXI and want to continue building cooperatively to strengthen development and opportunities across the country.”

Sustained growth and narrowing gaps

This year, Más Comercio brought together institutions such as ANDE, Mype Exporta, Banco República, Correo Uruguayo, LATU, MIEM, the Municipality of Montevideo, and other specialized organizations.

Its territorial focus, the growing participation of women, the high satisfaction levels, and the strong demand for personalized mentoring consolidate Más Comercio as a key tool for promoting the internationalization of MSMEs.

Ferreira closed with an optimistic message:
“We will continue traveling across the country—strengthening local capacities, connecting companies with institutions, and generating new opportunities for internationalization.”