Are Start-Up Chile applications open?
See the current status on Start-Up Chile's homepage
Start-Up Chile's Build, Ignite and Growth programs usually open applications twice a year. The timing varies, so check the next official call before planning a submission. Each cohort publishes its own application dates and rules.
What Start-Up Chile offers
Start-Up Chile is a public accelerator backed by CORFO, Chile's economic development agency. Its BIG programs support technology-based startups at different stages with equity-free co-funding, acceleration support and access to the Chilean startup ecosystem. It is open to international founders who can meet the specific call's requirements and build from Chile.
The grant is one part of the offer. Mentoring, a local network and a route to test or expand in Latin America may matter more to a company that can use them. A two-year work visa was among the benefits described for selected foreign founders in the BIG 12 call; confirm the visa conditions and founder obligations in the next call's official rules before relying on it.
Build, Ignite or Growth: start with your actual stage
For BIG 12, CORFO announced the following funding and program lengths in May 2026. Amounts are in Chilean pesos (CLP); the next call will publish its own terms.
| Track | Best fit | BIG 12 support | BIG 12 duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build | A startup validating an innovative, scalable solution | Up to CLP 15 million | 4 months |
| Ignite | A startup with a validated solution ready to accelerate | Up to CLP 30 million | 4 months |
| Growth | A growing startup preparing to scale | Up to CLP 75 million | 6 months |
Read CORFO's dated BIG 12 call and amounts
The track labels are a starting point. Read the new call's bases for eligibility, funding percentage, required contribution, eligible expenses, participation in Chile and evaluation criteria. The dated bases for the cohort you apply to set the requirements.
- Build: explain the problem, show evidence that a real customer has it, and describe the test that will validate your solution.
- Ignite: show working product and market evidence, then explain how the program would accelerate repeatable acquisition or delivery.
- Growth: show traction, a credible growth engine and what must change operationally to scale.
Check fit before you invest time in the application
The BIG 12 call focused on innovative, scalable startups with a technological or scientific basis and potential impact. A good Chile or Latin America market opportunity strengthens the case when it connects to a specific plan, customer or partner; a general statement that the region is attractive does little work.
- Read the upcoming call's official bases for incorporation, age, traction and founder participation requirements; do not assume last year's rules still apply.
- Decide who from the founding team can participate in Chile and who will run the project during the program.
- Check which legal, identity and supporting documents the application asks for, especially for founders applying from abroad.
- Choose one program that matches your evidence. A strong application for the wrong stage can still fail on eligibility or fit.
Selection is competitive. Start-Up Chile reported 59 companies chosen for BIG 12 from more than 1,296 applicants. That is a reason to write a specific, evidence-based application, not to treat a grant as expected funding in your operating plan.
Prepare a clear application before the deadline appears
Prepare a concise pitch, founder information, a description of the business model and market, and a specific plan for Chile. The exact questions, video format, references and documents are set by each call. Work from the official form when it opens.
| Question to answer | Evidence to prepare |
|---|---|
| Why this problem? | Customer interviews, observed behavior or a costly existing workaround |
| Why this solution and team? | Product demonstration, technical advantage and who builds and sells it |
| Why now and why Chile? | A specific market hypothesis, customer access, partnerships or regional test |
| What will happen in the program? | A small set of measurable product, commercial and team milestones |
| What does the funding enable? | A scoped budget, your own contribution and a credible plan beyond the grant |
Keep the story consistent across the written answers, any video, your traction metrics and your spending plan. For example, if the promised milestone is pilot sales in Chile, the team, timeline and budget should make those pilots possible. If you have limited traction, state what is known and what the program will help you test.
Plan the grant alongside runway and co-funding
Grant amounts attract attention, but a founder needs a cash plan. Distinguish the maximum announced support from the amount your project can actually request, the portion your company must cover and the timing of approved payments. The next cohort's bases control eligible expenses and payment conditions. Do not count the entire advertised maximum as cash available on day one.
| Plan | What to show |
|---|---|
| Milestones | What the team will build, test or sell each month |
| Project budget | People, product, customer tests and other spending, split by eligibility only after checking the bases |
| Cash timing | When costs are paid, when grant funds might arrive under the actual rules, and what the company must fund meanwhile |
| Without the grant | The smaller plan the business can afford and the next proof point it can reach |
A lean monthly model is enough for this decision. Put milestone dates, spending, customer tests, the company's co-funding and possible grant receipts on one timeline. The most useful question is what you can prove by the end of the program and whether the business can survive until then.
Use the wait for the next call well
- Choose the track that matches the evidence you already have, then read its official page.
- Write a one-page case for the problem, solution, team, Chile plan and program milestones.
- Sketch the project budget and two cash scenarios: selected and not selected.
- Watch Start-Up Chile and CORFO's dated announcements for exact dates and download the new call's bases before submitting.