A multilateral fund has concluded its first phase with a diverse portfolio of projects across Latin America and the Caribbean, and will announce the winners in August who will receive funding between USD 40,000 and USD 100,000 to scale their initiatives.
Latin America and the Caribbean are aging rapidly. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), it is projected that by 2050, 25 percent of the population will be over 60 years old. This demographic shift, rather than a crisis, presents a historic opportunity to reimagine products, services, and policies through the lens of innovation, inclusion, and development.
“Aging is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, but also one of its biggest opportunities. We can turn this demographic transition into a driver of economic development, social inclusion, and regional leadership,” said María Andrea Orduz Mateus, director of the program.
With this vision, the Silver Region initiative was launched—the first multilateral fund promoting entrepreneurship and solutions focused on the silver economy. The initiative is led by the Arturo Sesana Foundation in collaboration with BID Lab, BID, IDRC, and GRADE, with support from Latimpacto, Innpactia, Agora, and Grupo Impacta.
Its first call aimed to map and promote solutions for people over 60 years old. The response exceeded expectations: more than 1,800 applications were received, with over 340 projects completing their submissions and around 230 evaluated. As a result, 35 companies were selected to participate in an acceleration, strengthening, and visibility program.
Strategic investment to accelerate change
In August 2025, the winning initiatives will be announced, receiving between USD 40,000 and USD 100,000 to accelerate their growth and impact. This investment aims to catalyze scalable and sustainable projects in sectors such as health, technology, education, well-being, and care. This support arrives at a critical time: according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), this market could surpass one trillion dollars in the region by 2030, becoming a new engine for economic and social growth.
This is how the future looks: a full portfolio of the 35 selected companies.
“The region has the potential to build an ecosystem capable of responding to the challenges of aging. Today, we see a solid base of ongoing solutions that serve as examples and starting points for building a stronger, more diverse, and better-prepared environment for what lies ahead. Many of these initiatives are even led by older adults themselves, with the majority of applications coming from Generation X, and only 19 percent from Baby Boomers,” concluded Orduz.