what latin american founders gain from scaleup gateway
Our Scaleup Gateway programme offers Latin American founders mentorship and networking in Tartu and Tallinn. Learn more and apply.
Guillermo Chávez García is e-Residency's Head of Spanish and Portuguese Markets. Originally from Mexico, he spent years advancing his country's trade and investment ties with Europe before moving to Estonia, where he now leads e-Residency's work connecting Latin American founders with the country's digital ecosystem.
Two years ago, one idea kept coming back to me: what if founders could experience Estonia's startup ecosystem firsthand, instead of just hearing about it at conferences? Today, that idea is the Scaleup Gateway, an immersive programme for ambitious startup founders from Latin America seeking a practical entry to Europe.
Each year, a hand-picked group of founders spends two weeks in Estonia, meeting the people and companies behind one of the world's most advanced digital societies. Here's what the programme offers, and why demand for a spot keeps growing.
Built on early success
The idea started small: a pilot trip called Zero-To-Founder, run in partnership with Rocket-U, a Mexican startup accelerator. The first cohort of founders, from Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina and Chile, confirmed what I'd hoped: there was real appetite for this kind of hands-on experience in Estonia.
Building on that momentum, e-Residency brought the programme fully in-house for 2026 and partnered with Garage48, Estonia's longest-running startup accelerator and hackathon organiser, to create something bigger: the Scaleup Gateway.
A programme in high demand
This year, 21 founders joined the Scaleup Gateway from seven countries: Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Panama and France. They were chosen from a pool of applicants exceeding the number of spots available, a sign of just how much interest there is in understanding Estonia's digital ecosystem from the inside.
Interest didn't stop at Latin America, either. Prospective founders, existing e-residents and established companies from well beyond the region wanted in, drawn by the chance to see, firsthand, how a small country built one of the world's most advanced digital states.
What the programme included
In May 2026 over ten days between Tartu and Tallinn, the programme ran on four themes: networking, mentorship, Estonia itself, and attending the Latitude59 startup conference. See the programme itinerary for more details about what it included.
- Networking: Founders meet the people shaping Tartu and Tallinn's startup scenes, from government agencies, accelerators, VC funds and business angels to universities and fellow founders. This includes visits to homegrown companies and unicorns such as Bolt, Wise and Playtech, plus a behind-the-scenes look at Estonia's digital government at the e-Estonia Briefing Centre.
- Mentorship: Many of the same people return to give dedicated, one-on-one mentorship tailored to what each founder actually needs, whether that's raising capital, refining product-market fit, or something else entirely. Masterclasses on setting up and running a company in Estonia round out the practical side, covering the legal, financial and tax basics.
- Estonia itself: A glimpse into the culture and history that shaped the country's digital mindset, including a traditional sauna, a ride aboard the Jõmmu barge, and historical tours of Tartu and Tallinn's Old Town. It's a look at the resilience and adaptability that built Estonia's ecosystem in the first place.
- Latitude59: Full access to Estonia's flagship startup conference, where founders network alongside thousands of people from around the world and see firsthand why so many choose to build in Tallinn, all in the same laid-back, low-ego atmosphere that defines the local scene.
The trip closed with a farewell dinner to celebrate new friendships and connections.
What founders say about the trip
One of our largest delegations this year came from Uruguay, thanks to our close relationship with accelerators there.
Brian, CEO and founder of the Uruguayan edtech startup WeCode, said:
“What I liked most was having one-on-one conversations with founders in Estonia. It's been a really practical experience, and I think that's really valuable.”
Teo, CEO and founder of the lifestyle startup Rise Up, agreed:
“Besides the mentorship track and access to support programmes, we also got to know the country. It's an entirely different culture and set of customs around entrepreneurship. It was unforgettable.”
Please to watch this video.
Spreading the word about Estonia's startup ecosystem
As a foreigner myself, showing off Estonia’s business ecosystem to other foreigners is a strange position to be in. You want to do the country justice, but in the end, you can only create the opportunity; founders have to find that experience themselves.
Leading the Scaleup Gateway has given me that opportunity on a much bigger scale than showing my own family around Tallinn's Old Town. For the founders who join us, Estonia becomes more than somewhere they visited. It becomes somewhere they understand and want to talk about, the kind of impression that's hard to create through marketing slogans alone. That's what builds real networks of support, sparks new projects, and brings new e-residents who choose to build their companies here.
Apply for the next Scaleup Gateway
Applications for the next Scaleup Gateway are open now, with the next cohort heading to Estonia in autumn 2026 or winter 2027. Apply here and experience the ecosystem for yourself.
Prefer to support the next group of founders instead? Get in touch about becoming a mentor. Spreading the word about Estonia takes a village, and I'm grateful to everyone who has helped make the Scaleup Gateway what it is.
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