The Latin American Startup Alliance has opened applications for The Next Gen Builder, a six-month venture-building program designed to develop AI-native entrepreneurs by matching talent across borders rather than requiring established companies. The initiative targets approximately 200 participants and runs equity-free with no incorporation or revenue prerequisites, opening the program to solo founders, technology professionals, researchers, students, and early-stage teams.
Applications remain open through October 30, 2026, for candidates across the region interested in forming cross-border ventures.
ALAS launches free cross-border venture program for 200 AI-native founders
The Next Gen Builder departs from traditional accelerator models by starting with individual talent rather than existing companies. ALAS President Junior Rodrigues framed the approach around a regional constraint: Latin America does not lack talent but still lacks infrastructure connecting that talent across borders.
The program will match participants based on complementary capabilities, pairing a business-oriented founder in Brazil with an AI specialist in Colombia or a product builder in Mexico. This cross-border model aims to help individual contributors and aspiring entrepreneurs move from isolated ideas toward technology companies with regional reach.
From the initial 200 participants, 70 projects and early-stage startups will advance through four stages: Empower, Keys On, Hands On, and Demo Day. 24 companies will then receive intensive acceleration, with the strongest ventures gaining international exposure through a Demo Day connected to Web Summit Rio 2027.
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The program covers entrepreneurship fundamentals, artificial intelligence applications, and market access while providing structured opportunities to develop projects and connect with talent from across Latin America.
How Next Gen Builder reshapes founder-to-founder talent matching across LATAM
For employers and talent professionals tracking regional startup ecosystem trends, the program signals a shift in how early-stage ventures assemble founding teams. Rather than relying on local networks or chance encounters at events, ALAS is creating a structured mechanism to identify skill gaps and match complementary profiles across geographies.
This has direct implications for workforce planning in markets where technical talent is unevenly distributed. A founder with domain expertise in fintech regulation in Mexico can now systematically connect with a machine learning engineer in Colombia, reducing the friction that has historically kept founding teams concentrated in a single metro area.
The model also affects how companies approach connecting talent across Latin America. By demonstrating that cross-border founding teams can be intentionally assembled and supported through a structured program, ALAS validates an approach that larger organizations can adapt for distributed product development, regional expansion teams, or innovation labs spanning multiple countries.
For recruitment and talent acquisition functions, the program creates a visible pipeline of vetted, motivated professionals who have demonstrated willingness to work across borders and time zones. ALAS expects to select approximately 200 entrepreneurs, with participants assessed across complementary skills and capabilities for cross-border collaboration.
The emphasis on AI-native ventures reflects shifting skill demands. Participants are expected to integrate artificial intelligence into core product offerings rather than treating it as an add-on, mirroring capabilities increasingly required in product management, engineering, and business development roles across sectors.
Web Summit Rio 2027 Demo Day and ALAS 2027 summit signal regional startup momentum
The Next Gen Builder launch follows ALAS activities during São Paulo Tech Week 2026, where the organization hosted three events at Oracle, Microsoft, and inovabra. Those gatherings generated 579 registrations from 20 countries, including 157 corporate representatives, 129 startup leaders, and 37 investors.
Rodrigues described São Paulo Tech Week as proof of what becomes possible when the region convenes in one location, positioning The Next Gen Builder as the logical next step: moving from ecosystem connection to intentional development of entrepreneurs who will build the next generation of Latin American technology companies.
ALAS confirmed that São Paulo will host the 2027 Annual Leaders Summit in 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 to discuss regional cooperation, investment, and market integration.
Before the São Paulo summit, ALAS will convene in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, from November 4 to 7, 2026. The Bolivia summit represents a deliberate effort to rotate flagship events beyond traditional tech hubs, a strategy that aligns with the cross-border talent matching philosophy underlying The Next Gen Builder. Organizations tracking hire in bolivia opportunities may find the November summit useful for understanding local ecosystem dynamics and meeting early-stage technical talent.
The strongest ventures will have the opportunity to gain international exposure through a Demo Day connected to Web Summit Rio, providing participating startups with a defined milestone and international visibility.