Uruguay brought together international investors and presented initiatives to expand private capital

The development of private equity as a tool for financing companies, transforming knowledge into business, and accelerating economic growth was the focus of the Second Uruguay Private Equity Forum, held on October 8 at the LATU Innovation Park. The event brought together investors, investment funds, entrepreneurs, and local and international startups, as well as institutional representatives from Uruguay, and provided an opportunity to present strategies for expanding financing and strengthening the country as a regional business hub.

Organized by Uruguay XXI, the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), and the Uruguayan Private Equity Association (URUCAP), with the support of Uruguay Innova, the forum opened with remarks by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Gabriel Oddone. Next to speak were the executive director of Uruguay XXI, Mariana Ferreira; the president of ANII, Álvaro Brunini; the executive director of Uruguay Innova, Bruno Gili; and the president of URUCAP, Sylvia Chebi.

Oddone linked the development of this industry to one of the country’s main challenges: accelerating its growth. He noted that economic stability and a solid financial system are essential conditions for innovative businesses to thrive, although they must be complemented by improvements in competitiveness and an institutional framework that facilitates investment.

“The responsibility of government leaders is to create conditions so that, in the business world, individual initiative can develop and thrive,” he stated. In this context, he mentioned proposals included in the draft bill on competitiveness, innovation, and productivity promotion, among them the promotion of investment funds, crowdfunding platforms, open finance, and regulatory testing environments or financial sandboxes.

The minister also highlighted the need to link knowledge generation with innovation and business opportunities, and emphasized the role of Uruguay Innova and interagency coordination in this effort.

Uruguay as a Platform for Developing and Exporting Solutions

The executive director of Uruguay XXI emphasized that the contribution of private capital goes beyond financing. “With private capital comes funding, experience, contacts, and access to an international network,” she said. These resources, she argued, help an innovative idea become a company with opportunities to scale up.

The executive director of Uruguay XXI noted that trust and stability must be complemented by other capabilities. “Uruguay has talent, digital infrastructure, and a robust ecosystem,” she affirmed, highlighting the interaction between companies, startups, universities, research centers, and public and private institutions.

In this regard, she outlined the goal of positioning the country as a platform where companies can build capabilities, invest, develop, test, and export their solutions to the region and the world.

As a sign of the sector’s dynamism, she noted that in 2025, more than thirty private equity-related transactions were recorded—the highest level in the last ten years of the period surveyed. The analysis is part of the report “Overview of Private Equity Investment in Uruguay”, which was presented by the Uruguay XXI Investments team at the forum.

Ferreira also emphasized the importance of preparing companies to attract investment and develop a portfolio of projects that is attractive to investors.

The agenda brought together leaders from funds and companies such as Monashees, Canary, BTG Pactual, Patria, and Kaszek, and addressed regional expansion, mergers and acquisitions, biotechnology, science-based technologies, and early-stage financing. It also featured a talk by Ted Yang on artificial intelligence and investment decisions.

As part of the event, the Sprint UY Demo Day—a program organized by Uruguay XXI and ANII—offered international startups a platform to present their projects to investors and connect with the local ecosystem. The initiative aligned with one of the forum’s central objectives: to bring together capital, knowledge, and international networks so that more companies can grow from Uruguay.