The Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AEI) selected the best entrepreneurs in 2023, as part of its 10th anniversary and eighth edition of the Ei Awards, in which awards were also given to the allies who stood out the most.

Amazon’s women-run micro-enterprise Quijos Frut was awarded in the ‘entrepreneur of the year’ category, as well as the ‘resilient entrepreneur of the year’. This company has been dedicated to the sale of fruit pulp since 2013. It procures raw materials from small producers in Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbíos and Orellana.

From the Amazon and crossing the river on the tarabita, the fruit pulp reaches the supermarket shelves

In other categories, the winners were:

While significant allies were:

During the award ceremony, the president of the AEI board of directors, Camilo Pinzón, reflected on the 10 years of this initiative and also congratulated the entrepreneurs who are part of the AEI, as well as the winners.

AEI graduated 9,000 beneficiaries of the Re-Emprende program who completed the first phase of the plan

For his part, the CEO of AEI, Andrés Zurita, indicated that promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Ecuador requires an extraordinary effort. “Overcoming the country’s challenging conditions and achieving outstanding results that benefit entrepreneurs, drive innovation and create opportunities requires commitment,” he said.

According to AEI, which consists of a network of more than 170 public, private and academic actors, since its establishment they have supported more than 17,000 entrepreneurs, generating more than 5,000 jobs and $115 million in sales.