Background on Key Figures and Relevance
Jalisco, a state in western Mexico known for its thriving economy and tech industry, faces a significant challenge in supporting its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Ian Paul Otero, president of the Technical Committee of PROJAL (Promotora de Financiamiento para el Desarrollo de Jalisco), highlighted that fewer than 40% of these vital businesses have access to financing. In some rural municipios, the percentage drops even lower, at 30%. This issue is particularly pronounced outside the state’s major metropolitan areas.
The Role of SICyT and PROJAL
To tackle this challenge, the Secretaría de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología (SICyT) and PROJAL signed a collaboration agreement. This partnership aims to facilitate access to financing for regional SMEs and bolster the productive development of Jalisco. The agreement not only brings financial resources closer to businesses and entrepreneurs but also offers training programs tailored to key sectors in priority regions with limited credit opportunities.
Key Actions and Ideas
- Access to Financing: PROJAL will promote access to financing through authorized intermediaries and create specialized products for crucial sectors in priority regions.
- Capacity Building: The collaboration will provide training to empower SMEs with the skills needed to leverage emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in strategic sectors across the state.
- Coinvestment Projects: SICyT and PROJAL will jointly develop projects that foster co-investment, guarantee schemes for startups, evidence-based financing mechanisms, and impact measurement tools to assess enterprise creation, job generation, and regional disparity reduction.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue? Less than 40% of SMEs in Jalisco have access to financing, with some rural areas seeing even lower percentages.
- Who are the key players? The Secretaría de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología (SICyT) and PROJAL (Promotora de Financiamiento para el Desarrollo de Jalisco) have signed a collaboration agreement to address this issue.
- What does the collaboration aim to achieve? The partnership seeks to facilitate access to financing, offer tailored training programs, and develop coinvestment projects and other initiatives to support SME growth in Jalisco.
