From October 5 to 9, Montevideo is hosting nine international startups at Sprint UY 2026, the immersion program through which Uruguay XXI and the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII) aim to get regional companies to choose Uruguay as their base for expanding across Latin America.
What Sprint UY is
Uruguay XXI describes Sprint UY as an intensive immersion program: a week of in-person activities in Montevideo for international startup founders to get to know the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, assess the country as a business and innovation platform, and explore how to set up regional operations from here.
According to Ecosistema Startup, citing El Observador, the 2026 edition brings together nine startups: five from Argentina, three from Brazil and one from Spain, in sectors such as biotechnology, industrial AI, edtech and healthtech.
What participants receive
The program covers economy-class airfare and accommodation in Uruguay for one founder per startup. The agenda includes visits to incubators and laboratories, plus workshops on legal structure, hiring talent and raising capital.
Institutional investment is around 32,000 dollars per edition: 22,000 from ANII and 10,000 from Uruguay XXI. Between 2024 and 2025, 25 startups took part; standout cases include Efficast, which obtained 75,000 dollars in incentives, and Anzi Finance, with 260,000 dollars through co-investment.
Why it matters
The program is part of Uruguay’s strategy to position itself as a regional hub for technology-based companies, backed by institutional stability, talent and quality of life. Every startup that sets up here adds skilled jobs, investment and demand for professional services in the country.
Strategic takeaway — Studio 24-7
Uruguay is building, through sustained public policy, a system to attract companies that want to scale in the region. For local businesses, that opens a concrete opportunity: suppliers, agencies and service companies ready to work with international startups.
Seizing it requires the same things investors ask for: clear processes, a professional digital presence in Spanish and English, and the ability to show measurable results. Those who have that system in place will be better positioned when these companies look for partners in the country.
Sources
- Uruguay XXI — Sprint UY 2026 (program running October 5–9, 2026)
- Ecosistema Startup — Sprint Uy 2026: Uruguay recibe 9 startups para escalar en LATAM (October 3, 2026)