UC Innovation and Future Festival to commence on July 4 and 5

This new version of the most important meeting in the country in terms of innovation, science and technology will have prominent exhibitors, and will include the participation of the rector Ignacio Sánchez, and the Minister of Science, Aisén Etcheverry, among other authorities. A rich program of activities is coming as well as contests for entrepreneurs.

The festival will be held at the Nueva Las Condes headquarters of the UC School of Administration, and its objective is to strengthen the Ecosystem of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Chile, through the role of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which articulates and generates networks among the ecosystem actors, to develop disruptive innovation and high-impact global ventures. PHOTO: UC School of Administration.

Generate ties and synergies with a look to the future. This is the objective of the fifth version of the UC Innovation and Future Festival, which already has its main speakers and all its activities already programmed, including workshops, talks and contests.

This event –which will be held at the Nueva Las Condes headquarters of the UC School of Administration- will be inaugurated by the rector of the UC, Ignacio Sánchez, and the Minister of Sciences, Aisén Etcheverry, among other authorities. This year’s motto is “Scaleup, the adventure of growing” , an idea related to the step that all ventures must take to project themselves into the future and achieve consolidation.

As in the four previous versions, this event is organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administration and its MBA program, the Faculty of Engineering with the joint Magister in Innovation program, and the Master in Industrial Engineering, DUOC UC and the Innovation Center UC. The festival aims to strengthen the Ecosystem of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Chile, through the role of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which articulates and generates networks among the actors in the ecosystem, to develop disruptive innovation and high-impact global ventures.

This spirit of the FIF is precisely part of what the UC rector, Ignacio Sánchez, highlights, who assures that: “We have always said that synergy and interdisciplinary work are key. We have compared it to a four-leaf clover made up of the public and private sectors, civil society and academia.” And in this sense, he highlighted the role of study houses as engines of innovation, “more than 95% of knowledge is produced in universities” .

For his part, Marcos Singer, director of the UC MBA and co-founder of the Festival, explained the value of innovation, since this concept is a form of economic inclusion: “What is sought is new protagonists. In this sense, the scaleup is a concept to name the ventures that are overcoming the so-called “valley of death” and are projected into the future. The message is to dare to undertake” .


“We have always said that synergy and interdisciplinary work are key. We have compared it to a four-leaf clover made up of the public and private sectors, civil society and academia”.- Rector Ignacio Sánchez.


Speakers, panels and activities
As in previous editions, the FIF has stood out for the international and national speakers it summons. This year, and in tune with the scaleup concept, the international guest will be Gerardo Tyszberowicz, a prominent Argentine-Israeli businessman and innovator, who is confirmed for the second day. While Alex Horvitz, CEO of HCS Capital and renowned entrepreneur, will be the national speaker.

Regarding panels, the FIF UC 2023 will have five instances dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship. The first two will take place on July 4 and will be “Deepening the venture capital market in Chile” and “Opportunities to scale the market: are there still gaps to solve?” .

Meanwhile, on July 5, the panels “Skills and Management in escalation: Are we prepared to escalate?” , “Incentives for escalation in the professional technical sector” and “ The experience of having escalated with impact: recommendations and lessons learned” .

The FIF UC 2023 will also be marked by being the second version of the festival since the return to face-to-face, after carrying out two virtual versions between 2020 and 2021. In this context, the networking activities, contests and all the spaces for encounter have a special meaning, whether they are startups or established companies.


“What is sought are new protagonists. In this sense, the scaleup is a concept to name the ventures that are overcoming the so-called “valley of death” and are projected into the future. The message is to dare to undertake”.- Marcos Singer, director of the UC MBA and co-founder of the Festival.

Among these, the “Speed ​​Mentoring” activities stand out , which are quick meetings between entrepreneurs and mentors in limited sessions aimed at project growth. There will also be “B2B Networking” meetings, which will consist of business meetings that aim to link startups and companies to generate future connections between said parties.

The festival -an initiative open to young talents and startups- will also feature an “Innovation Challenge” open to undergraduate and graduate students from UC and Duoc UC who may apply for projects to enter business scalability stages. The “Cage of Pumas” contest will consist of a competition of entrepreneurs who will have 15 minutes to carry out an “elevator pitch” in front of a jury from the FIF.

The first place will obtain a scholarship for the UC MBA and the second one, the second place will be left with a benefit of the same characteristics for the diploma in Innovation and Entrepreneurship UC. While the third place will be able to take the online Diploma in Exponential Growth Entrepreneurship.

As in 2022, this year a Technology Showroom will be held on the two days of the FIF. A space in which the specialized public, but also companies, can interact and test ventures or projects.