MYPE Asesor IA

SABY: The SIYB AI Buddy & Coach

MAIA presents SABY – The SIYB AI Buddy & Coach

SABY is a WhatsApp-based AI assistant that helps graduates of the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme apply what they learned in real life. SABY gives SIYB entrepreneurs quick, practical guidance whenever they need it – directly on WhatsApp. SABY benefits from the learning and tools built for MAIA, Latin America’s largest AI business-coaching tool for micro and small enterprises, and is designed from the ground up to complement SIYB training and provide follow-up support to SIYB trainees.

 

What is SABY?

SABY is an AI-based SIYB support tool, developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) and the SIYB programme. It is delivered as a functional digital assistant accessible to SIYB trainees via WhatsApp, capable of providing accurate, SIYB-based guidance on demand.

With SABY, SIYB graduates can:

  • Ask questions about how to start, improve, or grow their micro or small business.
  • Get reminders and explanations of key SIYB tools (e.g. cashflow, costing, marketing, record-keeping).
  • Receive step-by-step, practical suggestions on how to apply SIYB concepts in their own context.
  • Access support at any time of day, without needing to book a coaching session. 

SABY is built on one of the world’s largest entrepreneurship training programmes, the Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme, which has been used in over 100 countries through a cascade system of Trainers, Master Trainers and local partner organizations.

Despite this strong structure, SIYB trainers face growing demands for post-training support that cannot be fully met. SABY was created to help address this gap by giving SIYB graduates continuous, on-demand support between and after training sessions.

 
Built on top of MAIA’s proven AI engine

SABY is an adaptation (a “fork”) of MAIA – MYPE AsesorIA, already used by thousands of micro-entrepreneurs to earn more, spend less, and grow their businesses. But SABY is not MAIA. From the ground up, SABY is configured as a SIYB specialist: its prompts, knowledge base, examples, and coaching style are all steeped in official SIYB materials and tools. SABY focuses its help on applying SIYB concepts in practice – from market research and costing to record-keeping and productivity – so that trainees experience the chatbot as a digital SIYB coach, fully aligned with what they learned in the classroom.

 
How SABY supports SIYB graduates

SABY is designed specifically for SIYB trainees and graduates. Depending on the country and pilot design, SABY can:

Help newly trained entrepreneurs translate class concepts into action in their own shops, farms, and workshops.
Provide quick answers to typical questions after training (for instance, “How do I calculate my break-even point again?” or “How should I adjust my prices?”).
Offer practical examples and suggestions adapted to the user’s sector and context.
Reinforce key SIYB messages so that the learning sticks over time.
SABY does not replace trainers; it supports them by handling everyday questions and reinforcing content, freeing human trainers to focus on more complex cases.

 
Pilot phase and availability

At this stage, SABY is being developed deployed and tested as a pilot, and access to SABY is invitation only. Trainers and partner institutions in participating countries will explain to their SIYB graduates how to connect with SABY on WhatsApp.

 
About Hacer Perú and MAIA

MAIA has already helped entrepreneurs in Latin America improve product display, reduce waste, organize finances, and test new ideas through low-cost, AI-powered coaching. With SABY, Hacer Perú and MAIA are partnering with ITCILO and the SIYB programme to bring this proven AI technology to one of the world’s largest entrepreneurship training ecosystems – giving SIYB trainees a dedicated SIYB AI Buddy they can rely on every day.