By Belize Live News Staff: Belize’s startup scene just got a major shot in the arm. The Belize Enterprise Empowerment Project (BEEP) has approved grant funding for twenty-two promising Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises under its Startup Cohort 2, pumping a combined BZ$110,000 into the country’s newest businesses.
Announced by BELTRAIDE on July 7, the awards see each selected business receive $5,000 in seed capital, money designed to help these young enterprises strengthen their day-to-day operations, break into new markets, and accelerate their growth. The winners emerged from a highly competitive pitch evaluation process, earning their place among what BELTRAIDE describes as the next generation of Belizean entrepreneurs.
Notably, women are leading the charge. Fifteen of the twenty-two recipients are women-led businesses, making up sixty-eight percent of the cohort, a result BELTRAIDE says underscores BEEP’s push to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and build a more inclusive business landscape.
The variety in the cohort is just as striking. Creative industries top the list with nine businesses, followed by agriculture and tourism with three each, agro-processing with two, professional services with two, light engineering and manufacturing with two, and information technology with one. The strength of the creative sector speaks to the programme’s deliberate investment in Belize’s Orange Economy.
The initiative is funded by the CARICOM Development Fund, with key partners including the National Institute of Culture and History, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Development Finance Corporation.
Board Chair Mrs. Narda Garcia credited the milestone to collaboration, saying the success being celebrated “is the result of strong partnerships and a shared commitment to entrepreneurship,” and pointing to the powerful impact achieved when government, the private sector, development partners, and financial institutions pull in the same direction.
Executive Director Ishmael Quiroz framed the awards as an investment in the country’s future, stating that by providing entrepreneurs with skills, mentorship, and financial support, the project is “strengthening local industries, creating new economic opportunities, and building a more resilient and competitive Belizean economy.”
The numbers behind the programme tell their own story. BEEP has already backed seventy-three MSMEs and disbursed roughly $678,000. With this latest round, total funding across the project’s life will hit BZ$788,000, cementing its role in supporting Belizean businesses at every stage of development.
