Are Start-Up Chile applications open?
Apply through the official BIG 13 page
Read CORFO’s dated BIG 13 call notice
| Stage | Official schedule |
|---|---|
| Applications open | 3 November 2026 at 13:00 (Santiago, GMT−3) |
| Application deadline | 24 November 2026 at 13:00 (Santiago, GMT−3) |
| Evaluation | 25 November 2026–26 January 2027 |
| Results communicated | 27 January–3 February 2027 |
| Benefit delivery window | 3 May–30 June 2027 |
CORFO publishes the same calendar for all three tracks. Acceleration is announced for the first half of 2027. The May–June dates refer to CORFO’s benefit delivery window, not a confirmed start date for every participant or a guaranteed grant payment date. Check your track’s official page for changes and follow the instructions sent to selected teams.
Official BIG 13 calendar and rules on CORFO
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. CORFO’s 6 November BIG 13 announcement also describes a two-year work visa for selected foreign founders; check the current bases for the applicable conditions.
Build, Ignite or Growth: start with your actual stage
For the open BIG 13 call, CORFO confirms the following maximum co-funding and program lengths. Amounts are in Chilean pesos (CLP).
| Track | Best fit | BIG 13 support | BIG 13 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 |
The durations above refer to acceleration. The BIG 13 brochure lists subsidy execution periods of 4 months for Build, 6 months for Ignite and 8 months for Growth. Plan your participation and cash needs around both periods, using the current rules for your track.
Read the official BIG 13 brochure (Spanish)
Read CORFO’s BIG 13 Build conditions and bases
Read CORFO’s BIG 13 Ignite conditions
Read CORFO’s BIG 13 Growth conditions
The track labels are a starting point. BIG 13 co-funding covers up to 90% of a Build project, 80% of Ignite (90% with a female project leader), and 50% of Growth (60% with a female project leader), subject to the stated caps. Read the current bases for the required contribution, eligible expenses, participation in Chile and evaluation criteria.
- 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 13 call focuses 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 BIG 13’s official bases for incorporation, age, traction and founder participation requirements. CORFO’s current pages state that Build targets early-stage ventures, Ignite requires at least an MVP or functional prototype, and Growth has a 12-month sales threshold.
- 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 for BIG 13
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 current official form and complete it before 24 November at 13:00 GMT−3.
The official Apply button takes you to Charly.io. Create an account, select BIG 13 and your program, complete the form and submit it. You can save your progress. If you withdraw a submitted application to make changes while the call is open, submit it again before the deadline. Selection proceeds through eligibility checks, specialist evaluation, online interviews for shortlisted teams and the final decision.
Start-Up Chile’s guide to the BIG 13 application process
| 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. BIG 13’s November 2026 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.
Apply to BIG 13 by 24 November 2026
- 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.
- Complete the official BIG 13 form before 24 November 2026 at 13:00 GMT−3, and check the bases for your selected track before submitting.