On October 14, 2026, a milestone graduation ceremony took place in Belize, where 117 women entrepreneurs crossed the finish line of the Catalyze Her Potential Accelerator Program, walking away with new skills, formal certificates, and a clear roadmap to grow their businesses. This event marks not an endpoint, but the official launch of the next phase for these women, many of whom entered the program with nothing more than a raw business idea, while others joined to scale existing ventures that had plateaued without structured support.
Organized by the International Network of Women in Business, the Catalyze Her Potential initiative is a multi-phase project designed to address systemic barriers that women face in entrepreneurship across Belize. To date, the program has supported 250 women total: 124 graduated from the project’s business incubator track in August 2026, with Wednesday’s ceremony celebrating the second cohort of accelerator graduates. According to Katia Montenegro-Hoare, president of the hosting network, the program fills a critical gap by moving beyond basic business operation training to equip participants with the tools to compete in crowded markets, scale their operations, and eventually create job opportunities for other Belizeans.
Following the celebration, the program will move into its next phase of targeted support. Roughly 100 participating graduates will advance to a one-on-one mentorship track, before gaining access to the initiative’s fourth and final component: seed capital to fund business growth. Dr. Yasmin Andrews, a consultant leading the project, outlined that the mentorship phase will begin with a detailed mapping analysis of each graduate’s specific goods and services, allowing organizers to match participants with industry experts whose experience aligns with their business goals. During this phase, mentors will also guide participants through two critical foundational steps: formal business registration and development of a viable, investor-ready business plan—two key priorities identified by financial industry experts who partnered with the program.
For many graduates, the program has already delivered transformative change that extends far beyond classroom lessons. Carmelita Sanchez, founder of Caye Caulker-based tour company Knotty Tours, entered the program as a new entrepreneur navigating a fiercely competitive, male-dominated tourism sector. “Being an entrepreneur right now, I had no idea of how to run a business, what it is like to be a business person,” Sanchez explained. “And I’m so grateful for this course because this course has really helped me get to where I want my business to be.”
Benita-Keme Palacio, owner of beauty brand Curves Royale, completed the three-month accelerator while balancing full-time employment, and used the training to build skills she is already applying to rebrand and relaunch her business. “It ranged from reforming your financials to also learning about how to promote your business, how to rescale your business or rebrand your business as well,” Palacio said. “And that is exactly what I’m trying to do with my own business right now. Trying to reform it and this has definitely helped me know how or what are the steps to do that. As well as having guidance, as a graduate I will receive guidance and mentorship after this to continue reforming my business.”
One of the most valuable, and least quantifiable, outcomes of the program is the peer support network that has grown among participants. Palacio noted that the cohort has already built an active online community where members share experiences, promote each other’s services, and offer support through the common challenges of entrepreneurship. “We are one fifty women in all and although we weren’t able to meet everybody today, we have a chat where we share each other stories and learn about each other and recommend each other, and that’s a beautiful thing to have,” she said.
Program organizers emphasize that the true impact of Catalyze Her Potential will not be measured by graduation numbers, but by how these women turn their training into sustainable, growing enterprises. The long-term vision extends beyond individual business success: organizers hope that the growth of these women-led ventures will create new jobs across Belize, strengthen local communities, and pave the way for more women to pursue entrepreneurship in the future. For these 117 graduates, the certificate they received Wednesday is just recognition of the work they have put in so far—now, the real work of building their businesses begins.