Start-Up Chile2027 deadline, funding, equity and how to apply

Start-Up Chile is a government accelerator run by Corfo, Chile's economic development agency. It launched in 2010 and is one of the best-known public accelerators in the world. Its main draw is equity-free money.

Corfo co-finances selected startups without taking shares. It also gives foreign founders a two-year work visa to set up their business in Chile. The program has three tracks under one call, known as BIG.

Build is for early teams going from a validated idea to a first prototype, with CLP 15 million and four months of acceleration. Ignite is for startups with an MVP looking for product-market fit, with CLP 30 million and four months. Growth is for companies expanding or raising capital, with CLP 75 million and six months.

Funding is co-financing, so startups cover part of the budget themselves. Women-led Ignite and Growth startups get a higher Corfo share, 90% and 60%, and at least half of Build places go to women-led teams. Start-Up Chile says more than 3,000 startups have gone through its programs.

88 billion. NotCo, the food tech company, is its best-known alumnus. The most recent call, BIG 12, closed on May 25, 2026.

Each BIG generation selects startups for all three tracks at once. Build and Ignite run four months and Growth runs six months. Startups get Corfo co-financing, which they spend against an approved budget.

The program provides an intensive acceleration curriculum, coworking space in Santiago, mentoring and introductions to Chile's innovation ecosystem, corporates and investors. Foreign founders receive a two-year work visa so they can operate from Chile. Founders are expected to build the company from Chile during the program and take part in its community activities.

Startups that complete one track can apply later to the next one, such as Build to Ignite. Funding is disbursed as reimbursable co-financing under Corfo rules, not as an equity investment, so the startup keeps all its shares.