Five Women-Led Startups Win WeXchange STEMpreneurs 2025 Competition

The Inter-American Development Bank Group’s (IDB Group) innovation arm, IDB Lab, has announced the winners of the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs 2025 competition, a flagship initiative that supports and amplifies the work of women entrepreneurs in STEM fields across Latin America and the Caribbean.

This year’s competition attracted over 400 entries from 35 countries, showcasing innovation in sectors ranging from edtech and fintech to biotech, healthtech, climatetech, agtech, SaaS, and e-commerce. The process involved more than 86 judges from 59 organizations, including 52 leading investment funds in the region, with AVP Ventures spearheading the selection process.

The Five Winning Startups

The competition’s winners are women-led ventures tackling some of the most pressing challenges in education, health, sustainability, and financial inclusion.

• Musa (Peru): An omnichannel AI-powered learning platform that operates primarily through WhatsApp to provide scalable training to workers and communities. Musa has already trained more than 500,000 people with a completion rate of over 90%, partnering with businesses and NGOs to close educational gaps.

• Polymera (Uruguay): A biotechnology company developing biodegradable superabsorbent materials for diapers, sanitary napkins, and incontinence products. By replacing petroleum-based components, Polymera offers a sustainable solution that reduces the plastic footprint of hygiene products by up to 50% without compromising cost or performance.

• Quipu (Colombia): A fintech startup using AI-driven credit analysis to provide fair financial services to informal workers excluded from traditional banking. By leveraging SMS, social media, and video data, Quipu creates alternative credit profiles, offers direct loans, and licenses its technology to banks and cooperatives, advancing financial inclusion.

• Oncoliq (Argentina): A healthtech startup pioneering a blood-based analysis for the early detection of multiple cancers. Combining polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology with artificial intelligence, Oncoliq aims to reduce cancer mortality rates by identifying cases earlier while lowering diagnostic costs for health systems.

• Pathogenix (Jamaica): A biomedical technology company offering Pathogenix.ai, an AI-powered nanobiosensor air quality monitor capable of detecting pathogens such as influenza A, Legionella bacteria, harmful gases, and volatile organic compounds within five minutes. Its integrated filtration system cleans the air just as quickly, providing a dual solution of detection and protection.

Showcasing at GET Forum in El Salvador

The winning companies will present their solutions at the WeXchange Demo Day 2025 on December 2 in San Salvador, El Salvador, during the GET Forum. This platform will connect them with venture capital investors, innovation leaders, and stakeholders across the region. They will also take part in networking sessions and training activities, further embedding them in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in STEM

WeXchange, created by IDB Lab, serves as a platform for women entrepreneurs in STEM to connect, grow, and access capital. By pairing promising startups with investors and global partners, the initiative helps bridge persistent gaps in funding and visibility for women-led ventures.

The competition is supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), which backs programs that empower women entrepreneurs in developing countries through financial resources, training, and market access.

Driving Inclusive Innovation in Latin America

The selection of five diverse startups underscores the transformative role of women-led innovation in tackling structural challenges—ranging from health crises and financial exclusion to environmental sustainability. By amplifying these solutions at a high-profile forum, the competition provides visibility and resources that can help these ventures scale across borders.

As women entrepreneurs gain recognition and access to capital, WeXchange continues to contribute to a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient economic future for Latin America and the Caribbean.