Corfo updates Start-Up Chile's guidelines and provides subsidies for foreign talent

Corfo updated the technical and administrative guidelines for lines 1 “Build”, 2 “Ignite”, and 3 “Growth” of the Start-Up Chile financing instrument through exempt resolution No. 1,411, signed on October 23, 2026, by the director of Start-Up Chile, Javiera Andrea Araneda de la Sotta. The regulation was published in the Official Gazette No. 44,589, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in Section I, with the official reference CVE 2893766.

The resolution modifies exempt electronic resolution No. 1,457 of 2025 from Corfo, which approved the text of the program’s guidelines. Its basis is the Single Agreement of Session No. 66 of the Start-Up Chile Subcommittee of the Entrepreneurship Committee, held on October 16, 2026, and executed through exempt electronic resolution No. 1,408 of 2026, which nullified the agreement of Session No. 62 from September 3, 2025. The authority to establish the final text comes from Article 9, letter b), of the Entrepreneurship Committee Regulations, approved by affected resolution No. 33 of 2021.

The diagnosis: the decline of international talent

The replaced text in the “General Background” recognizes that attracting entrepreneurs residing abroad has been a core pillar of the program since its inception, but that this participation “has decreased” since the pandemic. The resolution quantifies the phenomenon: the percentage of foreign entrepreneurs in the portfolio dropped from a historical 62% to 38.3% in the Build, Ignite, and Growth lines.

Among the causes listed in the document are increased international competition for this type of talent, the costs of travel and installation in Chile, and the lack of contact networks or support for relocation. The regulation also links the objective to the National Migration and Foreigners Policy, approved by decree No. 181 of 2023 from the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security.

5% bonus and new evaluation criteria

• A bonus of 5% on the final grade will be granted to projects whose Team Leader has habitual residence outside of Chile at the time the call for applications opens and must relocate to the country.
• Residence abroad is proven with a residency certificate or other official document dated no more than 90 days prior to the opening.
• This bonus is not cumulative with that of the seventh transitory article of law No. 21,561 (small-sized company with an early workday reduction seal), which is also worth 5%.
• The application of bonuses cannot raise the final grade above 7.00.
• Foreign Team Leaders must process their Temporary Residence Visa within the timeframe set by Corfo; without it, the subsidy agreement will not be formalized.

In the second evaluation stage, which remains a remote interview with the Team Leader notified at least 7 business days in advance, the weightings are: Team Leader 30%, Problem to be solved 20%, Technological base 20%, and Scope in Chile 30%, with grades from 1 to 7. To move from the first to the second stage, a minimum grade of 4.00 is required in the sub-criteria “Composition, qualification, and experience of the team” and “Product or service,” plus a minimum final grade of 4.00; projects ranked up to triple the number of fundable initiatives will advance.

Spending caps and requirements per line

• Executors: up to 3 natural persons, Chilean or foreign, at least 18 years of age, optional.
• Build: the start of commercial development must have occurred within the 12 months prior to the opening.
• Ignite: requires a minimum viable product or functional prototype and a commercial start within the previous 36 months.
• Growth: global project sales between 2,400 UF and 25,000 UF in the previous 12 months, with initiation of activities before the Internal Revenue Service between 24 and 120 months prior.
• Human Resources: up to $1,300,000 net monthly for the Team Leader and one executor in Build, and for the Leader and each executor in Ignite.
• Family support and relocation: up to an additional $300,000 for those traveling with children under 12 years old and a one-time payment of up to $500,000 for the relocation of the foreign Leader.

It is further prohibited for the business model to consist primarily of consulting, advisory, or professional services tailored to each client, or the exploitation of franchises; the admissibility analysis will have a term of 30 days from the closing of applications.

The update redefines the rules of the game for any technological venture applying to the program: teams with a leader residing abroad gain a measurable advantage in the ranking, while local applicants face more precise filters regarding development stage, sales, and proprietary technological component.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,589, November 3, 2026, Section I, page 1 (official reference: CVE 2893766).