This study reflects an example of how rural territories are facing socioeconomic and environmental challenges. The bioeconomy has increasingly become a focal point in global policy dialogues, reflecting its potential to drive sustainable solutions across various sectors. The Urban Forest Innovation Lab Cuenca (UFIL Cuenca) has been a project in which actors from different areas have been working to develop entrepreneurship and innovation based on forest resources of a given territory (Cuenca). Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, findings related to age, gender, geographical and educational background have been obtained. Young university graduates aged between 25 to 34, with a higher ratio of male participants compared to females have been the main features of this program. UFIL Cuenca has experienced an overall success rate of 35%, with variations across different cohorts. Challenges related to gender equity and participant retention have been identified. Similar entrepreneurship programs could benefit from focusing on younger demographics and enhancing support mechanisms to improve gender equity and reduce dropout rates.