Piensa en Grande: More than 300 entrepreneurs from La Araucanía gathered to network, share experiences, and strengthen their businesses

Claudia Valenzuela is an engineer by profession, but the pandemic led her to explore a path that would eventually become her main source of income. In 2020, she lost her job and decided to start baking bread, cookies, and cakes from home. That’s how Claudia Pastelería Casera was born—a business venture that, six years later, allows her to make a living from her own enterprise. Although she returned to her on-site job last year and temporarily put the bakery on hold, she soon began to miss the independence, flexibility, and ability to balance work with her family life.

Motivated to continue growing her business and build new networks, Claudia participated in the second edition of the Luksic Foundation’s  Piensa en Grande event, held at the Dreams Hotel in Temuco, which brought together more than 300 people from the region. During the event, attendees were able to connect with other entrepreneurs, share experiences, and access consulting and mentoring services to address various challenges facing their businesses.

Participants were able to access personalized consultations with experts from various organizations on topics relevant to business. Araucanía Digital offered mentoring on digital transformation; the Taxpayer Advocate’s Office provided guidance on finance and accounting; the Simón de Cirene Corporation on strategy, Sercotec Temuco’s Punto Mipe on business operations, and the Municipality of Temuco provided advice on legal matters related to permits, licenses, and health regulations.

Luis Alvarado, a real estate agent and one of the participating entrepreneurs, particularly valued the opportunity to build connections during the event. “These kinds of events really motivate us. It’s very important to know that there’s support for entrepreneurs because our journey can be very lonely. Here we were able to make contacts and meet people; it’s even an opportunity to close deals,” he noted.

The event also featured personalized mentoring sessions with professionals from the Simón de Cirene Corporation. Paulina Leyton, an entrepreneur in the field of astrology, participated in one of these sessions and appreciated the personalized support she received. “It was a very personalized mentoring experience. Even though my business was already very well structured, the mentor helped me focus on what’s important—the very essence of entrepreneurship. I’m leaving happy, having learned a lot, and with plenty of recommendations that I’m going to start implementing right away,” she said.

Piensa en Grande was also an opportunity to strengthen the entrepreneurial community and build new collaborative networks. “At this event, I was able to meet other entrepreneurs and learn about their different experiences. I encountered a different atmosphere—a super warm welcome. I felt very welcome, like I was part of a family,” said Claudia Valenzuela.

Regional officials also attended the event, including Yurisan Castro, regional director of Sercotec, and Carlos Zirotti, regional minister of economy for La Araucanía, who highlighted the value of creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, the public sector, and the private sector to meet and collaborate. “We know this is a challenging region with many needs, and it is this public-private partnership that allows us to enrich the La Araucanía region,” said Castro, who also noted that the event provided participants with the opportunity to attend talks, enjoy recreational activities, and spend time socializing with one another.

Along the same lines, Zirotti emphasized that these types of events help connect entrepreneurs with opportunities from different sectors and highlight the potential that exists in the region. “There are many entrepreneurs eager to succeed, eager to start businesses, and eager to innovate, but we do need to bring opportunities from both the public and private sectors closer to them so that their ventures can take off and they can fulfill their dreams,” he said.

The event also featured a panel discussion among entrepreneurs, where Paula Díaz, founder of ROU Esencia Natural; Alex Romero, of Chucao Kayak; and Sebastián Oyarzo, of Willi KiTRAL, shared their experiences, challenges, and motivations for building their businesses. The conversation was moderated by Cristián Schalper, Social Programs Manager at the Luksic Foundation, and provided insight into various entrepreneurial stories and the key factors that have driven them to where they are today.

During the event, Macarena Cea, manager of the Luksic Foundation, highlighted the contribution entrepreneurs make to the development of their families, communities, and the country: “We want to tell you emphatically that we trust you—the entrepreneurs of Chile—and we believe in your abilities, your talents, and your passion. We’ve seen what you can achieve with that. After all, an entrepreneur, through their business, not only generates income but also contributes to the development of well-being—both individual and collective—and, therefore, to the development of well-being throughout Chile.”

For his part, Cristián Schalper, Social Programs Manager, highlighted the importance of supporting entrepreneurs and providing them with concrete tools to strengthen their businesses: “We invite you to think big, but we know that support is essential to doing so. That’s why we’re here today: to continue supporting Chile’s entrepreneurs by providing them with concrete tools, guidance, and opportunities that truly make a difference. With that goal in mind, we created the Entrepreneur’s Compass, a tool designed for you and your businesses, which aims to strengthen your knowledge and help you make more informed decisions.”

La Brújula del Emprendedor is a free digital platform from the Luksic Foundation with more than 50,000 registered users. At the event, entrepreneurs were able to complete assessments and access a personalized roadmap with practical content and tools tailored to their specific situations. “I’ve never received financial support from any institution, but I always wanted to be prepared to do so. La Brújula was incredibly helpful in helping me get organized, and I believe that through it I’ll be able to achieve many of my goals,” says entrepreneur Claudia Valenzuela.

As part of the event, Roberto Camhi, an entrepreneur and founder of Mapcity and Apanio, shared his experience and particularly highlighted the value of bringing these types of opportunities to regional areas, as it allows entrepreneurs to expand their networks, learn from others’ experiences, and grow their businesses beyond their immediate surroundings. “The invitation is for you to believe in your own story—that’s the first step. It’s about believing in yourself and realizing that, by connecting in the way that connections were made here, you’ll be able to take the leaps needed to reach the markets or the success you’re seeking—whatever success means to each of you,” he said.

Jean Paul Olhaberry, a magician and illusionist, closed the event with a performance that linked magic to the world of entrepreneurship. For the artist, both paths share a fundamental idea: daring to make possible what initially seems impossible. “The magic word is to keep trying again and again, until suddenly that door opens and you embark on that magical journey and make your dreams come true,” he said. He also highlighted the importance of confidence as the starting point for any project: “If we don’t first trust in our own abilities, in who we are, in our history, our weaknesses, and our strengths, we can’t step out into the world.” In the same vein, she encouraged entrepreneurs to trust themselves, their teams, and the people they meet along the way.

The Piensa en Grande event was held for the second consecutive year, following its inaugural edition in the Metropolitan Region, which brought together more than 550 entrepreneurs. With this new edition in Temuco, the Luksic Foundation continues to provide tools, knowledge, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs from different regions of the country, with the goal of supporting them and strengthening their businesses.