Colmena66 launches 2025 survey to map business challenges
Colmena66 is calling on Puerto Rico’s business community to participate in its 2025 Annual Entrepreneurship Survey, an islandwide effort to gather updated data on the realities, challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs and business owners.
The initiative, developed with the Business Support Network, aims to strengthen understanding of the island’s entrepreneurial landscape and guide strategies that support business growth.
Since 2018, the survey has served as a central tool for tracking the evolution of Puerto Rico’s business ecosystem. Thousands of entrepreneurs, small business owners and startups have contributed data that has helped identify emerging trends, detect persistent gaps and inform programs tailored to business needs.
Survey findings feed into the annual State of the Business Community in Puerto Rico Reports, now available on an interactive platform used by support organizations, government agencies, municipalities, academia and investors.
Colmena66 aims to collect 1,000 responses for the 2025 edition, which will inform the next State of the Business Community in Puerto Rico Report and include insights from entrepreneurs and resource organizations across the island.
“Every year, the Annual Entrepreneurship Survey provides us with an updated snapshot of Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Lucy Crespo, CEO of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, Colmena66’s umbrella organization.
She said the 2025 effort brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs and more than 200 organizations to generate data that can “enable the design of effective programs, close critical gaps and promote the sustainable growth of our business community.”
The 2024 survey, which gathered responses from 777 entrepreneurs and businesses, identified five gaps shaping the ecosystem: business closure and succession planning; financial education and access to capital; crisis and disaster preparedness; access to specialized services such as marketing and mentorship; and challenges related to formalization and permitting.
The report also highlighted examples of entrepreneurial resilience and innovation from sectors including agro-industry, sustainable mobility, gastronomy and marine biotechnology.
Participants in the 2025 edition will be eligible for incentives under the “Tu Historia Cuenta” campaign. Benefits include a 25% discount for Boricua Emprende Fest 2026, the chance to be featured in the 2025 report, participation in the opening session of BE Fest 2025 and eligibility for one $1,000 prize or one of three $150 checks.
“With the 2025 Annual Entrepreneurship Survey, we aim to deepen our understanding of Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial landscape and produce a report that guides effective decision-making,” said Bárbara Rivera-Chinea, executive director of Colmena66 and Fase1.
