Since 2017 we have been partnering with Young Enterprise to introduce Latin American business and culture to secondary students around Aotearoa

“Young people are the future of business with Latin America… we need to create a new generation of businesses and these Young Enterprise students are the ideal group.” – Dr Matthew O’Meagher

Prior to the pandemic, the LatAm Biz programmes selected 8 YES students for an opportunity to go to Latin America and attend business visits, learn about New Zealand’s ties with the country, and immerse themselves in cultural activities. Since 2020, we’ve delivered the programme domestically where we select 16-20 students and introduce them to businesses around Aotearoa that are currently exporting to Latin America and participate in language and cultural activities. Both programmes culminate in a business challenge where students have to create a market entry strategy for a hypothetical Kiwi business. Whether it’s a programme in Latin America or New Zealand, students get an unforgettable experience where they are equipped with the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to do business in Latin America.

LatAm Biz programmes we have run:
• 2017 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Brazil
• 2018 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Brazil
• 2018 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Chile
• 2019 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Colombia
• 2019 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Argentina
• 2019 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Chile
• 2019 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Brazil
• 2020 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Latin America (Domestic programme)
• 2021 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Latin America (Domestic programme)
• 2022 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Latin America (Domestic programme)
• 2023 LatAm Biz: Entrepreneurship in Latin America (Domestic programme)

Our Globalistas-in-Action programme is a weekend that brings together alumni of our LatAm Biz programmes and continuing to extend these students’ entrepreneurship skills and knowledge of Latin America. Globalistas is the Latin America CAPE term for young people who successfully develop links with Latin America to do business, apply their language and global competence skills and experience to deliver great results.

In 2019 we brought Globalistas together to work on a market entry strategy for 4 companies to enter into Latin America. It featured the participation of the Embassies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and the Consulate-General of Colombia, along with Callaghan Innovation, Vaka Interactiv, Tuia Group, Next Farm Ltd, Gamefroot, and Founder Spring.

In 2021 we ran a similar weekend but instead of a market entry strategy, Globalistas were tasked with solving a “real-world” challenge that was posed by the companies regarding their activity in Latin America. Students participated in sessions delivered by organisations in New Zealand and Latin America that specialised in the sectors of the featured businesses: Gamefroot, PikPok, Abacus Bio, and iSparx.

Watch this video to find out more about the initiative: