Boricua Emprende Fest 2026

The organizers' count, released this morning: 2,275 participants on the day, against the 2,000 planned. The full report is online.

Barbara Rivera Chinea, executive director of Colmena66, noted that this eighth edition falls in the network's tenth year. The program is closing.

Pop-Up Markets on the floor list more than 20 local businesses selling. The day's count from the door is not out yet; the organizers planned for 2,000.

A first for this festival: the Enactus National Social Enterprise Competition, student teams with social-enterprise projects for a more sustainable Puerto Rico.

The BE Boricua Pitch Competition: 20 finalists in four categories, Artesanos, Sabor Boricua, Ideas con Impacto and Jovenes con Vision, for more than $20,000 in seed capital.

Why they started, from the same survey: 28.4 percent saw an opportunity or a need, 17.8 percent wanted more income, 14.2 percent wanted to contribute to their community.

Lucy Crespo, chief executive of the Trust, said the study gives the ecosystem a clearer, data-based picture of who is starting businesses in Puerto Rico, what drives them, what stands in their way, and where the openings are to strengthen it.

On permits: 26 percent waited more than six months, and 30.5 percent reported losses during the process. Of the businesses surveyed, 49.9 percent are microenterprises and 15.3 percent are in growth. 68 export to the United States; 45 reach international markets.

On money: 44.9 percent named traditional financing as a barrier. 32.4 percent fund the business from personal savings, 17.5 percent from personal credit cards, and 3.8 percent have taken a commercial loan.

From the report: 53.7 percent of the entrepreneurs surveyed use artificial intelligence in the business. A further 19.3 percent plan to adopt it.

Colmena66 presented the State of the Entrepreneurial Community of Puerto Rico 2025. The sample: 555 entrepreneurs and 94 support organizations representing 130 programs, surveyed from September 2025 to May 2026.

On the speaker list: Mariela "Mela" Pabon, Norwill Fragoso, Israel Lugo, Elsa del Pino, Hector Westerband, Claudia Ramos and Michelle Arce. The sessions cover access to capital, marketing, artificial intelligence, financial management, incentives and permits.

Coffee Talks by Fase1 run as small-group sessions, more than 20 on the day's list. The Mentor Hub has more than 20 business leaders taking one-to-one slots.

El Panal Expo is open on the hall floor: more than 60 support organizations at tables. BE Marketplace beside it lists more than 15 service providers.

The theme on the banners: Come to Connect, Stay to Grow. This edition falls in Colmena66's tenth year. The network counts more than 200 support organizations across the island.

Registration opened at 8:00 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center for the eighth Boricua Emprende Fest. The organizers, the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust with Colmena66, Fase1 and parallel18, planned for more than 2,000 people, more than 45 educational sessions and more than 60 business resources on the day.