Utzil

The Inter-American Development Bank, through the Representation in Guatemala, created the Utzil initiative as a laboratory that seeks innovative solutions to social problems, through open innovation.

Utzil is a word recognized by the indigenous communities of Guatemala and that means what is good, goodness, peace, good.

Institutions involved

Inter-American Development Bank

The IDB works to improve the quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean through financial and technical support in the sectors of health, education and infrastructure, with the aim of reducing poverty and inequality to achieve development in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.  

Launched operations in 1959 and today is the main source of financing for the development of the region. Committed to development, it is exploring options to support the country in finding solutions to the education problem from its roots. For more information about the IDB’s work, you can click here.

Inter-American Development Bank in Guatemala

Guatemala is one of the founding member countries of the IDB. As the rest of the shareholders, Guatemala appoints a governor, representing the country in the Board of Governors.

​For the Bank’s day-to-day operations, Guatemala is represented in the Executive Board by a chair it shares with Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Skala Ventures

Founded in Barcelona (2005), Skala Ventures is a consulting firm, specializing in innovation issues.  

Skala drives innovation by combining design, strategy and experience, creating new products, services and mentalities. for Fortune 500 companies, governments, startups and impact-focused institutions.

For Utzil, Skala has been part of the design and architecture of the program since its first release. During the program, it provides its accompaniment to the innovative winners to transfer knowledge and support them in the challenges of the execution of their pilots. In the same way, it functions as a point of contact between the Bank and the initiatives.

Mentors and allies

Utzil brings together great mentors and allies in the fields of Education, Health, Social Contexts, Gender, Diversity and many other topics to support the initiatives in the execution of their pilots in the country of Guatemala.  

Each winning initiative will have access to the large network of mentors and allies of the IDB ecosystem in Guatemala. This is made up of specialists, companies, civil associations, government ministries and public and private institutions.