“Promises Store” wins first place in the “Nada Nos Detiene” contest in Alto Hospicio

The Alto Hospicio City Council received the 10 finalists in the National Entrepreneurship Contest “Nada Nos Detiene” (NND), which was held for the second time in the district. The jury chose Leyla Arancibia, owner of “Promises Store,” as the winner, along with Alicles Bascuñan with “Infant IA” and Leonardo Medina with “Taller Creativo Delaverde” as runners-up.

Leyla won the Ch$3 million prize, while the other two entrepreneurs were awarded Ch$500 thousand each. They and seven other finalists presented their initiatives in a pitch to a jury composed of Andrés Montoya, G100 partner and commercial director of Grupo Progestion; Katherine Urrejola, lecturer and Cowork coordinator at Inacap; Alejandro Fernández, head of Production Development at SQM; and Pilar Zagal, director of community development for the Municipality of Alto Hospicio.

“Infant IA is a platform that uses artificial intelligence for educational planning. Designed for educators, this solution saves time on administrative tasks, while also facilitating communication with parents and student learning assessments, among others. “Taller Creativo Delaverde” is a workshop combining screen printing with sewing machines and plates to offer customized graphic design services.

“Promises Store,” sustainable accessories

A paramedic by training, Leyla Arancibia worked in healthcare for several years until she was notified in December 2022 that her contract would not be renewed. “I needed to find something fast to pay my bills. While I was looking for work, I started selling accessories to generate extra income,” she said.

This is how Leyla created “Promises Store,” an enterprise born out of economic necessity and her interest in sewing and making accessories like purses, bags and scrunchies. “My mom had a sewing machine and I always liked to make things or mend my clothes, so I took her advice and started making products to sell while I tried to find work,” Leyla says.

Leyla wants to use the prize money to invest in machinery, “because I started with my mother’s machine, so I need to have my own tools to continue growing and to develop other related ideas, such as a sublimation machine for making my own fabric designs and improving my business,” she says.

“NND Alto Hospicio” was made possible thanks to the joint work of G100, a non-profit corporation that supports entrepreneurship, SQM and the Municipality of Alto Hospicio.