Peru
PROMPERÚ and SIPPO Promote Open Innovation to Strengthen the Competitiveness of Peruvian Exporters
PROMPERÚ and SIPPO are fostering open innovation as a mechanism to strengthen Peru's export offer and help companies respond to the growing demands of global markets.
The increasing complexity of international markets requires exporting companies to adopt new tools and solutions that enable them to effectively address challenges linked to sustainability, traceability, digitalization, and market intelligence. In this context, open innovation has emerged as a key approach to enhancing business competitiveness and accelerating the adoption of new technologies.
To support this objective, PROMPERÚ, with the support of the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), launched the Innova Exporta 2026 Hackathon, an initiative aimed at identifying innovative technological solutions for small and medium-sized exporting companies in the processed food sector. The final event, held on May 28, brought together finalist startups, innovation ecosystem experts, export sector representatives, and institutional partners committed to strengthening Peru's export capacity.
The initiative was developed in response to a significant gap identified within Peru's export ecosystem. While micro, small and medium-sized enterprises account for 91% of the country's exporting companies, they contribute only 4.3% of the total export value. In addition, 32% of these companies depend on a single product, while 54% export to only one market, making them particularly vulnerable to regulatory changes, shifts in demand, and evolving international requirements.
SIPPO's involvement reflects its commitment to strengthening trade support systems and enabling more companies to access modern, market-oriented services aligned with international market requirements. Through collaboration with business support organizations such as PROMPERÚ, SIPPO helps bring innovative and practical solutions closer to the challenges faced by exporting companies.
The Innova Exporta Hackathon represented a significant milestone in the cooperation between SIPPO and PROMPERÚ by connecting startups with proven technological capabilities directly to the needs of processed food exporters. This approach helps reduce the risks associated with technology adoption while accelerating the implementation of innovative solutions in strategic areas such as traceability, circular economy, market intelligence, and digital sales channels.
In addition, SIPPO facilitated knowledge exchange between PROMPERÚ and Swiss EP, a programme specialized in entrepreneurship development and strengthening innovation ecosystems. Swiss EP's expertise in working with startups played a key role in designing an effective methodology that encouraged collaboration between Peruvian agro-exporting companies and scalable technology ventures.
By connecting exporters with innovative startups and fostering collaboration among key ecosystem actors, Innova Exporta contributes to the development of practical solutions that address current export challenges and enhance the competitiveness of Peru's export offer in an increasingly demanding global marketplace.
