Amazonas Start-Up: a promising initiative in Northern Peru

The ‘Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza de Amazonas’ (UNTRM) recently decided to establish a business incubator named ‘Amazonas Start-Up’ . This initiative, driven by a passionate team of the university, aims to foster entrepreneurship and drive economic development in the region. In collaboration with PUM experts Peter Wierenga and Hans van Halteren, UNTRM is laying the foundation for this incubator.

The ‘Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza de Amazonas’ (UNTRM) in Chachapoyas, Peru, is one of the fastest growing public universities in Peru. Students and faculties work together to turn ideas into impact, aiming at transforming lives. The energetic and diverse academic community is focused on teaching and learning, discovering new knowledge, and serving the Amazonas region and beyond. Embracing new challenges, they decided to establish a business incubator named ‘Amazonas Start-Up’. The university approached PUM to collaborate on establishing the incubator and preparing the teachers and students in the field of entrepreneurship. A visit from Cees Schoenmakers, at the time PUM sector coordinator incubators, led to recognising the potential impact of the incubator. Early 2024, it was decided to bring this ambitious project to life.

Initiating the collaboration remotely, PUM experts Peter Wierenga and Hans van Halteren engaged in several insightful discussions with the incubator team via video calls. Under the leadership of Dr. Danilo Bustamante, the university staff quickly developed into a highly motivated incubator team eager to drive change in the entrepreneurial landscape of Northern Peru. Within a few weeks, several teachers were persuaded to join the effort and support the incubator team on a part-time basis.

Advice on location

In March 2024, Peter and Hans travelled to Peru to closely provide advice on location. They discussed crucial aspects such as ideation, business planning, implementing competency-based learning and project-based education. With the enthusiastic incubator team, they achieved a lot in this short period. Ten teachers were trained in the following subjects: project-based education, the concept of a Student Company, and working with competency profiles. Furthermore, a detailed business plan was jointly developed and handed to the university Board and members of the business network. Finally, an action plan was formulated for the coming year.

Reflecting on their experience, Peter and Hans comment: “We found a situation at UNTRM that, in our opinion, is quite unique: a university board that is highly motivated to make the incubator initiative a success, an exceptionally capable team, a significant budget from the central government for the construction and outfitting of the incubator, and, last but not least, a realistic possibility to make the incubator financially independent from external donors.”

With the basic elements in place, a good start has been made in establishing a thriving business incubator in Chachapoyas. This marks the beginning of an innovative entrepreneurial culture at the university and in the region. Further collaboration with PUM will guide this business incubator towards a more mature status.