Filantropis

What Filantropis does

Filantropis is a Guatemalan non-profit organization headquartered in Chajul, Quiché, operating across the Ixil region spanning Chajul, Nebaj, and San Juan Cotzal. Founded in 2015, with its Becas_U scholarship program operational since 2012, the organization runs four core programs: Becas_U (university scholarships), Cultivación de Negocios (business cultivation, active since 2016), Cursos de Liderazgo (leadership courses), and NovaNet, a community wireless internet service. The organization primarily serves indigenous Ixil youth, micro-entrepreneurs, and rural households that lack access to higher education, business development support, and reliable connectivity.

Filantropis's Cultivación de Negocios program has supported more than 230 micro-entrepreneurs since 2016, and in 2024 the organization trained 96 participants across its programs. NovaNet, the organization's commercial ISP arm, currently serves 46 active wireless-internet subscribers in the region, providing last-mile connectivity in an underserved rural market. The underlying technology is a fixed-wireless deployment serving households and small businesses; specifics of the technical stack are not publicly disclosed.

Filantropis employs approximately 15 staff and board members combined. Its revenue model combines philanthropic grants and donations from institutional funders — including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Philanthropiece, HIVOS, Alterna, and Pomona Impact — with subscription revenue from NovaNet ISP customers. In 2025 the Becas_U program shifted toward approximately 70% female participation, signaling an explicit gender-equity reallocation of scholarship capacity.

Name

Filantropis

Legal name

Filantropis

Website

https://filantropis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Filantropis is a Guatemalan non-profit in the Ixil region delivering university scholarships, micro-enterprise incubation, leadership training, and a community wireless internet service to indigenous youth, entrepreneurs, and rural households.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Development Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

Keywords

• Rural education programs
• Social entrepreneurship support
• Community wireless internet
• University scholarship programs
• Nonprofit community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chajul

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a legally established nonprofit organization in Guatemala since 2015, Filantropis funds its programs primarily through donations and grants from institutional donors and international partners. The website includes a donation call-to-action.
2. NovaNet Internet Service Revenue: NovaNet sells internet connectivity plans (residential and corporate) to households, businesses, and organizations in the Ixil region. Plans are differentiated for households vs. institutions. This provides operational sustainability to the social model.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Filantropis is a non-profit organization that delivers free education, entrepreneurship, and leadership programs to vulnerable youth, women, and early-stage entrepreneurs in Guatemala's Ixil region. Its core offerings include university scholarships (Becas_U), business cultivation training and mentorship, three-month leadership courses for ages 14-24, and a community-owned wireless internet service (NovaNet) that sells residential and institutional connectivity plans to fund social programs.

Product overview

Filantropis is a non-profit organization based in Guatemala that operates multiple social programs focused on youth empowerment and economic development in the Ixil region. Its portfolio includes five distinct programs: (1) Becas_U provides university scholarships with comprehensive support including tuition, living expenses, and mentoring; (2) Cultivación de Negocios offers business development and mentorship for early-stage entrepreneurs; (3) Cursos de Liderazgo delivers 3-month leadership courses for youth aged 14-24; (4) NovaNet provides community wireless internet infrastructure; and (5) the Filantropis Bootcamp provides intensive entrepreneurship training and pitch competitions. The organization functions as a non-profit social enterprise rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cultivación de Negocios: Business cultivation program that strengthens early-stage and growth-stage ventures through practical training and close support for entrepreneurs in the Ixil region, operational since 2016.
• Becas_U
• NovaNet
• Cursos de Liderazgo

Products and services

• Becas_U (University Scholarships) University scholarship program covering tuition, fees, and providing reimbursable funds for accommodation, transportation, and educational materials, combined with personalized mentoring, soft-skills workshops, and community action projects for vulnerable youth in the Ixil region.
• Cultivación de Negocios (Business Cultivation) Business development program providing practical training and close mentorship to early-stage and growth-stage rural entrepreneurs, including cost management, sales strategy, brand development, and pitch preparation, with a women-focused track and an FAO partnership for agricultural management training.
• Cursos de Liderazgo (Leadership Courses) Three-month leadership development courses for youth aged 14-24 combining personal development, strategic thinking, and transformational leadership through practical sessions, mentoring, and reflection spaces.
• NovaNet (Community Wireless Internet) Community wireless broadband internet service providing unlimited 24/7 connectivity to households, businesses, and community organizations in the Ixil region, with differentiated residential and institutional plans and local technical support in native languages.
• Filantropis Bootcamp Intensive multi-day entrepreneurship event featuring personalized coaching, thematic workshops, and pitch competitions where participating entrepreneurs present their ventures to a panel of judges for prizes and recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 230+ entrepreneurs supported since 2016 with average annual sales growth of 28.32% among evaluated ventures
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and supporting.

• FAOcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) partners with Filantropis' Business Cultivation program to deliver business management training. In 2024, FAO alliance enabled training of 96 people in entrepreneurial management. FAO provides technical expertise in agricultural business development tailored to the Ixil region's rural context.
• PhilanthropiececoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropiece (Philanthropiece Colorado/Philanthropiece México) is a strategic partner supporting Filantropis' scholarship and entrepreneurship programs. The organization has funded Change Agent scholarships and contributed to community development initiatives in Chajul since at least 2018.
• HIVOScoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHIVOS partners with Filantropis' Business Cultivation program as part of a consortium of organizations strengthening rural entrepreneurship in the Ixil region. Provides funding and programmatic support for venture development initiatives.
• AlternacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlterna is listed as a strategic partner collaborating with Filantropis' Business Cultivation program. The partnership contributes to strengthening local entrepreneurship ecosystems in rural Ixil communities.
• Pomona AgtechnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPomona Agtech co-organized the Filantropis Bootcamp, an annual multi-day entrepreneurship retreat and pitch competition held in Antigua Guatemala. The bootcamp provides Filantropis entrepreneurs with mentorship, workshops, and pitch coaching from experts across Guatemala.
• Pomona ImpactnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPomona Impact appears as a strategic partner of Filantropis, appearing in the partners section of the website alongside other ecosystem allies supporting the organization's mission.
• ICF (International Coach Federation - Guatemala Chapter)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner in Filantropis' partner ecosystem. The specific nature and scope of collaboration is not detailed in the available sources.
• Save the ChildrensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiego Eliseo Imul, a member of Filantropis' Board of Directors, is a professional of Save the Children. Save the Children operates in the Ixil region, and the relationship may involve shared programming or referral of beneficiaries.
• Coffee Green and OlamnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoffee Green and Olam are international buyers and coffee traders who established strategic alliances with the Maya Ixil Cooperative (a Filantropis-supported venture) and the Las Pilas Cooperative, enabling Ixil region coffee producers to access direct export markets.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit that builds businesses in developing countries through entrepreneur training and mentorship — closely comparable to Filantropis' Business Cultivation program, but operating across multiple African and Latin American geographies rather than a single region.
• Ashoka: Global network supporting social entrepreneurs through fellowships, training, and convenings — comparable to Filantropis' entrepreneur cultivation, bootcamp, and pitch-competition approach, but operating at much larger global scale.
• Glasswing International: Central American nonprofit delivering youth education, leadership development, and community programs across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama — directly comparable to Filantropis' leadership courses and community-based youth programming model.
• Enseña por Guatemala: Guatemalan affiliate of Teach For All that places young leaders in schools to expand educational opportunity — comparable to Filantropis' education access mission, particularly for youth in underserved Guatemalan regions.

Emerging players

• Compartamos (Gentera): Latin American microfinance and savings institution serving low-income and rural entrepreneurs — comparable to Filantropis' entrepreneurship and Maya Ixil Cooperative financing support, but operating as a regulated financial institution at much larger scale.
• Root Capital: Impact-focused agricultural lender that finances rural cooperatives and small enterprises in Latin America — directly comparable to the financing path Filantropis-supported ventures like the Maya Ixil Coffee Cooperative have accessed.

Broad incumbents

• Tigo Guatemala: Largest mobile and fixed telecom operator in Guatemala, with growing rural coverage — directly comparable as a competing ISP option for households and businesses that NovaNet currently serves in the Ixil region.
• Mercy Corps: Large international humanitarian and economic development organization with rural enterprise, agriculture, and youth programs across Latin America — comparable in mission and program mix, but with a far broader portfolio and geographic footprint than Filantropis.
• Save the Children: Global children's rights and education organization actively operating in Guatemala's Ixil region — comparable on youth development and community programming, and directly connected to Filantropis via board member Diego Eliseo Imul.

Others

• Pomona Impact: Latin American impact investor and accelerator supporting agricultural and rural enterprises — directly connected to Filantropis as a strategic partner and co-organizer of the Filantropis Bootcamp, and comparable in supporting early-stage rural entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjnYAOQGXWbkZiw_9kG46Eg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filantropis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Filantropis