Catalyzing Opportunity: Women-Led Growth, Local Impact in Colombia
Two decades ago, with just three employees, Edelmira Rosa Montes Peralta turned her vision into reality in Colombia. Through AGC’s financing partnership with Fintra S.A., Edelmira accessed working capital that enabled her to stabilise supply chains, expand orders, and sustainably scale operations. Today, her company, Mueblería La Sampuesana, has grown into a thriving furniture business that supplies 14 clients across major cities including Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Medellín, while fostering a more sustainable financial ecosystem in her community.
What began as a modest, woman-led enterprise has become a beacon of entrepreneurship, showing how small businesses can generate outsized economic and social impact when given the chance to access finance.
Resilience Meets Opportunity: a Lifeline for Entrepreneurship
“Before the Fintra loan, my business was small and had only 3 employees. It was a project with a great desire for growth, but with limited resources,” says Edelmira, reflecting on the support she received from AGC’s financing partner, Fintra S.A. At a time when she was solely responsible for supporting her children and household, access to inclusive financing became a lifeline. It enabled her to stabilize and scale her business, showing how catalytic capital deployed through local partners creates real opportunity and impact.
The World Bank Group reports that SMEs represent 99.5% of all productive units in Latin America and generate more than 60% of formal employment. Yet structural barriers, especially in access to credit, have created a staggering $93 billion financing gap for women-led businesses in the region.[1] Edelmira’s story illustrates the challenges, and the transformative potential, of closing that gap.
Don’t be afraid to trust Fintra. Yes, you can move forward. Dreams come true when you work on determination.
– Edelmira.
From Limited Resources to Lasting Stability
Before financing, Edelmira struggled with limited resources and couldn’t always maintain a steady stock of essential supplies. Without working capital, fulfilling orders on time and ensuring smooth customer experiences were constant hurdles. Today, with financing in place and reliable supplier partnerships, her operations are stable, efficient, and resilient. “Don’t be afraid to trust Fintra. Yes, you can move forward. Dreams come true when you work on determination,” she shares.
“I currently work with three key suppliers for my operation: one that supplies me with foam, another specialized in paints, and a third in fabrics,” she emphasizes, of the importance of essential relationships that have kept her business stable. This also represents more than operational stability, it is the foundation for scalable growth, created through supply chains, and measurable returns on catalytic capital.
Growth with Impact: Empowering Family and Community
Edelmira’s growth tells a broader story of ripple effects. Her team has grown from 3 to 10 employees, a significant increase, creating stable livelihoods for local families. Her children have been supported through education and into the professional workforce, showing the intergenerational impact of inclusive finance.
She has purchased land for future expansion, a tangible marker of independence and long-term vision. Catalytic capital provided by AGC’s partner also empowered Edelmira as a force behind the transformative impact of financial inclusion. Edelmira’s growth illustrates how working capital delivered through trusted local partners can unlock employment, business stability, and intergenerational opportunity. With women-led SMEs continuing to face a $93B financing gap in Latin America, scaling access to inclusive finance is not only a social imperative, it represents a significant, underserved market opportunity for impact-aligned investors.
1 https://elpais.com/america/termometro-social/2025-08-04/las-empresarias-que-sostienen-en-silencio-la-economia-latinoamericana.html
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