Prosenor: Creating Opportunity in Northern Chile
For Prosenor, a female-founded industrial supply business in Northern Chile, growth has never been just about building a big company. Founded by two women in Chile’s Tarapacá Region, the company was created with the ambition to build a successful local business and keep the economic value generated by commercial activity within the region.
Starting with a local vision
Productos y Servicios del Norte SpA, known as Prosenor, was founded in March 2019 by Lilibeth Alejandra Yáñez Vergara and her business partner and wife, Lisette Andrea Concha Bustillos.
The founders saw an opportunity to create a local procurement and supply company serving organizations closer to home, where businesses were mostly reliant on suppliers from outside the Tarapacá region.
“Our primary motivation was to build a company that would create opportunities for our community.”
They began by building relationships with other entrepreneurs, independent workers, local suppliers and small businesses. Prosenor initially supplied hardware, stationery, office products, corporate apparel and other goods to public and private organizations. As the business grew, it secured procurement contracts with municipalities, the Chilean Armed Forces and other government institutions, while developing relationships with large companies serving the mining industry.
Today, Prosenor serves about 15 active customers across the mining, industrial, public and services sectors in Chile. But building the business required more than demand – it required the working capital to keep pace with it.
Finameris gave us an opportunity when many banks and financial institutions closed their doors to us.
– Lilibeth Alejandra Yáñez Vergara.
Growing from the ground up
In their early years, Lilibeth and Lisette managed Prosenor’s products and customer orders themselves from a small warehouse on the outskirts of Iquique and, at one point, from within their own home. Limited access to capital constrained the company’s ability to purchase inventory in larger volumes, secure better supplier pricing and take on larger projects – a common challenge faced by SMEs in emerging markets.
“Every stage of growth required significant financial effort and perseverance.”
Traditional banks were unwilling to finance the business, leaving Prosenor with limited opportunities. That changed when it began working with Finameris, an AGC partner.
Through factoring and working capital financing, Finameris provided liquidity between delivering goods and receiving customer payments. This allowed Prosenor to meet supplier obligations, take on new projects and respond more flexibly to customer demand.
“Finameris gave us an opportunity when many banks and financial institutions closed their doors to us.” With greater access to working capital, Prosenor moved into a larger warehouse on one of Alto Hospicio’s main commercial avenues, increasing its capacity to serve customers and support larger projects.
Resilience in a changing operating environment
Growth has also meant learning how to navigate the more recent pressures facing businesses across northern Chile.
In recent years, Prosenor has faced higher costs, longer delivery times and reduced availability of certain products and supplies due to fluctuations in the mining activity. Logistical challenges required the company to plan purchases and operations further in advance.
The recent rise of fuel, transportation and energy costs also impacted Prosenor’s delivery operations across the region. Prosenor responded by diversifying its supplier base and optimizing inventory management as they continued to review expenses.
The experience has also shaped the company’s longer-term plans. Prosenor is exploring investments in energy efficiency, including solar panels for its facilities, with the aim of reducing exposure to rising energy costs while improving its operational efficiency.
Turning growth into opportunity
The company’s growth has created opportunities both within Prosenor and across its local business network.
Today, Prosenor employs six people directly, five of whom are women, across leadership, administration, commercial management, customer service, logistics, procurement and project development.
The company also works wherever possible with suppliers, seamstresses, technicians, entrepreneurs and other small businesses from the Tarapacá Region. By sourcing locally, Prosenor aims to keep more of the value generated through its commercial activity within the regional economy, with emphasis on opportunities for women, young professionals and older workers.
In 2025, Lilibeth and Lisette expanded the business further by launching Servicios Industriales Yaco SpA, an affiliated company providing industrial tool repair, rental and maintenance, calibration of measurement instruments, corporate apparel manufacturing and other services to the mining and productive sectors across Northern Chile.
Prosenor has also become active in the Iquique Industrial Association and participated in business mentoring and strengthening programs supported by CORFO. Through INACAP, the company contributes to training and support initiatives for students, graduates and local entrepreneurs. The company has also received recognition by the Iquique Industrial Association as a women-led supplier to the regional mining industry.
The founders have also been recognized for their contribution as women-led suppliers to the regional mining industry.
“What truly fills us with pride is seeing how a company founded by two women entrepreneurs has been able to create jobs, support other small businesses, and become a regional example of growth, resilience, and female leadership.”
Building the next chapter
Over the next one to two years, Prosenor plans to deepen its presence in the mining and industrial sectors even further, and improve operational efficiency through more sustainable tech.
Solar energy is part of that plan, alongside expanding its network of local suppliers, strengthening its mentoring programs and continuing to support women entrepreneurs, young professionals and older workers throughout the region.
For Prosenor, access to working capital has helped turn a small, women-led business into an established regional supplier. With the ability to manage larger projects, they continue a journey of growth that creates opportunities for others along the way.
“Our dream is not simply to grow as a company. Our true purpose is to demonstrate that regional development can be built through local entrepreneurship, creating real opportunities for those who need them most and generating a positive impact that extends far beyond financial results.”
Alignment to Global Sustainability Standards
We are closely aligned with United Nations Sustainability Goals 5, 8, 9 and 10
Latest: 2026 Impact Report
AGC’s annual Impact Report explores how working capital financing supports small businesses across emerging markets – and why access to liquidity remains critical to sustaining jobs, local commerce, and economic resilience.
