Fundación Luksic and Caja Los Andes Launch Call for Applications for Entrepreneurs Over 50

This is the second edition of “Impulso Senior,” a call that will provide semi-industrial machinery and digitalization tools to strengthen businesses led by experienced individuals. Applications will be open until Monday, March 16 at fundacionluksic.cl and cajalosandes.cl.

Hands that have worked for decades. Gray hair that represents wisdom, learning, and reinvention. Accumulated experience that may not appear in books but sustains businesses, families, and entire communities. In Chile, millions of people over the age of 50 continue to start businesses, innovate, and contribute to the country’s development.

This contribution becomes even more relevant in the context of an aging population. According to data from the latest Census, a significant percentage of Chileans are aged 50 or older, representing 31.6% (2.9 million workers) of the labor force and of both formal and informal entrepreneurship. This demographic shift presents new challenges and opportunities to empower this segment.

In this context, Fundación Luksic and Caja Los Andes have joined forces to support experienced entrepreneurs, sharing the vision of promoting Chile’s development by helping individuals unlock their full potential. As part of this effort, they are launching the second edition of Impulso Senior, a call aimed at individuals over 50, significantly expanding its reach from 400 to 765 beneficiaries. Selected participants will receive semi-industrial machinery to professionalize their production processes, as well as digitalization tools.

Impulso Senior is aimed at entrepreneurs over 50 with businesses formally registered in the first tax category with the Chilean Internal Revenue Service (SII), either as individuals or legal entities, and with monthly sales exceeding 100,000 Chilean pesos. Application requirements include being Chilean or a foreign resident with duly accredited permanent residency and domicile in Chile, being the owner or majority partner of the business, and registering on Fundación Luksic’s “La Brújula del Emprendedor” platform.

The initiative seeks to include more experienced individuals who wish to strengthen or reinvent their businesses but face gaps in access to productive capital that limit their growth. Cristián Schalper, Director of Entrepreneurship at Fundación Luksic, highlights the importance of supporting this segment: “We believe in the talent and capabilities of Chilean entrepreneurs, and we have seen many examples of men and women over 50 with tremendous energy, talent, and passion for what they do. Through this call, we invite them to think big so they can continue growing their businesses.”

“Turning 50 marks the beginning of a new phase of productivity. Today, experienced individuals are at a key moment to start new ventures or reinvent themselves. At Caja Los Andes, more than 34% of our members belong to this segment seeking new paths for development. While we have promoted well-being tools throughout the life cycle for years, the new demographic reality challenges us to go further. This alliance with Fundación Luksic allows us to transform that support into concrete productive assistance to strengthen their businesses,” says Paulina Las Heras, Commercial Manager at Caja Los Andes.

Ulises Rojas, a 60-year-old entrepreneur from Quilicura, was one of the winners of the first edition of Fundación Luksic’s Impulso Senior in 2025. With more than 40 years of experience as a woodcarver, he creates paintings, boards, and mirrors, and also conducts workshops to pass on his craft. Thanks to the program, he received an industrial table saw that allowed him to professionalize his carpentry work. On Instagram, through @caminosdelroble, he has gathered more than 15,000 followers. Speaking about the recognition, he proudly states: “They saw a future in me. Supporting senior entrepreneurs is very valuable. It allows us to continue contributing, to keep creating, and that gives new value to experience.”

Applications will be open until Monday, March 16, through an online web form available at www.fundacionluksic.cl and www.cajalosandes.cl. Informational and practical content about the application process will also be shared on the social media channels of both organizations.