ALAS Launches The Next Gen Builder, a Free Venture-Building Program for Entrepreneurs

The Next Gen Builder is a new six-month, free and equity-free venture-building program launched by the Latin American Startup Alliance (ALAS) to develop AI-native entrepreneurs across Latin America. Applications are now open to entrepreneurs and aspiring founders across the region.

A founder-first approach to venture building

Unlike traditional accelerator programs that generally require participants to have an established company, The Next Gen Builder starts with the entrepreneur.

The program is open to solo founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, technology professionals, researchers, students and early-stage teams, with no incorporation or revenue requirement.

Through a cross-border model, ALAS will connect participants based on complementary skills and capabilities. This could include, for example, a business-oriented founder in Brazil working alongside an AI specialist in Colombia or a product builder in Mexico.

The initiative is designed to help participants move from individual talent and ideas toward the development of technology companies with regional potential.

“Latin America does not lack talent. What we still lack is enough infrastructure connecting that talent across borders,” said Junior Rodrigues, President of ALAS. “Our goal is to create an environment where geography stops being a limitation and starts becoming an advantage.”

Four stages to develop new technology ventures

The Next Gen Builder will take participants through four stages: Empower, Keys On, Hands On and Demo Day.

The program will address areas including entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and market access, while providing opportunities for participants to develop projects and connect with talent from across Latin America.

ALAS expects to select approximately 200 entrepreneurs, with 70 projects and early-stage startups advancing through the program. From there, 24 companies will receive intensive acceleration.

The strongest ventures will have the opportunity to gain international exposure through a Demo Day connected to Web Summit Rio 2027.

According to Junior Rodrigues, the initiative represents the organization's next step after focusing on connecting ecosystems across the region.

“São Paulo Tech Week showed us what becomes possible when we bring the region into the same room,” Rodrigues said. “The Next Gen Builder is the next step: moving from connecting ecosystems to intentionally developing the entrepreneurs who will build the next generation of Latin American technology companies.”

ALAS expands its regional activities after São Paulo Tech Week

The launch follows São Paulo Tech Week 2026, where ALAS hosted three events at Oracle, Microsoft and inovabra.

The events generated 579 registrations from 20 countries, including 157 corporate representatives, 129 startup leaders and 37 investors.

The activities also preceded ALAS' announcement that São Paulo will host the organization's 2027 Annual Leaders Summit, bringing its flagship regional gathering back to Brazil.

São Paulo will host the 2027 Annual Leaders Summit

ALAS confirmed that São Paulo will be the host city for the 2027 Annual Leaders Summit, planned for September 2027 during São Paulo Tech Week.

The gathering is expected to bring together leaders from government, corporations, venture capital and private equity, startups, academia and international organizations.

The discussions will focus on regional cooperation, investment and market integration.

Before São Paulo hosts the summit in 2027, the next edition will take place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, from November 4 to 7, 2026.

Applications are now open

Applications for The Next Gen Builder are currently open to entrepreneurs across Latin America.

The six-month program is free and equity-free, and applicants do not need to have an incorporated company or existing revenue.

Applications: forms.gle/54kd2SZ6D1mCMuYy6

Junior Rodrigues is also available for interviews, while high-resolution images and additional assets are available upon request.