WIPO Academy Empowers Latin American Women Entrepreneurs with Intellectual Property Masterclass

The seventh edition of the Masterclass for women digital entrepreneurs took place from April 1 to 4, 2025, in Bogota, Colombia. Organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under its eTrade4Women program, the event brought together 24 participants representing nine countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

A key component of the Masterclass was a focused intellectual property (IP) training session delivered by the WIPO Academy. This collaboration underscores WIPO’s commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs by addressing knowledge gaps related to IP and its strategic use in digital businesses.

Ms. Lola Kandelaft, the WIPO Academy’s appointed expert for the series, conducted the training in Spanish. Her session emphasized critical IP topics such as brand protection, management of intangible assets, and leveraging IP rights to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The training was designed to be interactive, incorporating real-world examples from the Latin American region to contextualize the IP concepts for the participants. This approach aimed to make the material accessible and directly relevant to the entrepreneurs’ business environments.

By providing this specialized IP education, the WIPO Academy supports women entrepreneurs who often face barriers in scaling their online ventures due to limited access to IP knowledge and resources.

Grace Alvarez, founder of BBG360 Digital in Colombia and a participant in the Masterclass, reflected on the value of the IP training: "My greatest takeaway from the Masterclass was everything related to intellectual property and branding. A brand goes beyond a logo and a slogan. A brand is everything — it represents our dreams, our aspirations, and everything we’ve built. That is why it is so important to preserve it, respect it, and take care of it."

This Masterclass series exemplifies the growing recognition of intellectual property as a vital tool for women entrepreneurs to protect and grow their digital businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The WIPO Academy’s ongoing partnership with UNCTAD through the eTrade4Women program continues to foster inclusive economic growth by empowering women with the knowledge and skills necessary to harness IP effectively.