TikTok and New Ventures Launch EmprendeEnTikTok LATAM 2026 Initiative

TikTok and New Ventures launched the #EmprendeEnTikTok LATAM 2026 initiative in Cundinamarca, Colombia, on June 11, 2026. The program provides local entrepreneurs with business training, professional mentorship, and seed capital to scale their ventures using short-form video marketing and digital commerce tools.

The initiative targets business owners in the Cundinamarca department, offering a structured path from content creation to revenue growth. According to the program’s announcement, the rollout focuses on providing entrepreneurs with the technical skills needed to navigate the platform’s algorithm and convert viewers into customers.

Participants can access seed capital and mentorship, though the specific maximum funding amounts vary by applicant eligibility. The program is led by a partnership between TikTok and New Ventures, an organization specializing in startup acceleration and venture capital.

What does the #EmprendeEnTikTok program provide?

The program provides a three-tiered support system: educational training, expert mentorship, and financial backing. The training component focuses on “content-to-commerce” strategies, teaching entrepreneurs how to use TikTok’s creative tools to build brand awareness.

Mentorship sessions pair local business owners with industry experts to refine their business models. This guidance is intended to move entrepreneurs beyond simple video posting and toward sustainable business operations, according to the #EmprendeEnTikTok framework.

The seed capital is designed to reduce the initial financial barrier for small businesses looking to digitize their inventory or improve their product packaging for shipping. It’s a targeted approach to ensure that the digital visibility gained on TikTok is matched by the physical capacity to fulfill orders.

How is the partnership between TikTok and New Ventures structured?

TikTok provides the platform infrastructure and the data-driven insights into consumer behavior. New Ventures manages the operational side of the incubator, including the selection of entrepreneurs and the administration of the seed capital.

This split ensures that while the marketing side is handled by the social media giant, the business fundamentals—such as cash flow management and scaling strategies—are handled by venture specialists. It’s a contrast to previous social media grants that focused primarily on “creator” growth rather than “business” growth.

By integrating New Ventures, the initiative shifts from a marketing campaign to a business accelerator. This structure mirrors similar tech-led incubator models seen in North American markets, where platforms partner with VC firms to cultivate a healthier ecosystem of third-party sellers.

Why is TikTok expanding entrepreneurship tools in Latin America?

The expansion into Cundinamarca is part of a broader strategy to deepen TikTok’s role in the Latin American e-commerce landscape. By empowering small-scale entrepreneurs, TikTok increases the volume of native commerce happening within its app, reducing the reliance on external links to third-party websites.

This move follows a global trend of “social commerce,” where the discovery and purchase of a product happen in a single session. For users in Colombia, this means a shorter path from seeing a product in a video to completing a transaction.

The focus on Cundinamarca specifically suggests a strategy to capture growth in regional hubs outside of major metropolitan centers like Bogotá. By targeting departmental entrepreneurs, TikTok can diversify the types of products and services available on the platform, from artisanal goods to local tech services.

The long-term consequence of these programs is the creation of a loyal base of “merchant-creators.” These are users who don’t just produce content for views, but operate their entire business backend through the platform’s integrated tools.