Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce inaugurates CRECE 2025 to boost entrepreneurs and SMEs

Santo Domingo. – With the presence of President Luis Abinader, the Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce and Production inaugurated this Friday the second edition of CRECE 2025, an event that seeks to train, support and connect entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium-sized business owners in the country.

The President of the Chamber, Lucile Houellemont, explained that the objective of CRECE is to be a space where entrepreneurs find tools to grow their ideas and businesses.

“We hope that CRECE will be like a spark that ignites the fire of ideas. When a company grows and generates employment and wealth, the city and the country also grow,” Houellemont expressed.

During his intervention, he highlighted that only this year more than 25 thousand formal companies have been created in the Dominican Republic, of which 7,300 belong to the National District and Santo Domingo province.

The president highlighted that the capital city has “the technological and logistical connections, and a young population with all the energy to undertake”, which positions it as a center of innovation and business development in the region.

Among the projects promoted by the institution, he mentioned the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Entrepreneurship Center and the MujerEs Directory, which promotes SMEs led by women with more than 51% of the share capital.

Houellemont explained that the event’s training sessions address topics such as female leadership, business formalization, electronic invoicing, artificial intelligence, finance, content creation, and intellectual property, among others.

“To grow in this digital age, one must not only learn, but also adapt, innovate, and create. Machines may imitate, but they will never replace the creativity and the ability to dream of the human being,” he affirmed.

The event takes place this Friday and Saturday, with panels, conferences, power talks, and workshops. As part of the closing, Vice President Raquel Peña will participate for the first time in a podcast, where she will share her professional experience with young entrepreneurs.

CRECE 2025 is supported by Banco Popular Dominicano and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes (MICM), as well as Diario Libre as a media partner and La X 102.1 FM, which broadcasts live from the event. The initiative is also supported by entities such as APAP, Mujer BHD, MAPFRE, Banreservas, Grupo Mallén, Universal, Grupo SID, ONAPI, ProDominicana, United Capital, Claro, among other institutions.