The District Administration, in partnership with Ruta N, is supporting Medellín entrepreneurs to expand their businesses internationally. In March, ten Medellín ventures participated in StartCo 2023, the region’s largest startup platform, aiming for over a million dollars in projected sales.
At StartCo, entrepreneurs networked, sought partnerships, and received insights from experts to improve their business projections. Through investor feedback, they identified opportunities to enhance performance indicators and drive growth.
One venture, Ecosistema Jaguar, develops projects with positive impacts on rural areas and the agro-food chain in Latin America. During StartCo, they reconnected with past clients, generating sales expectations close to 400 million pesos.
“StartCo’s most important outcome is that entrepreneurs connected with new clients and received investor feedback at their stands. This event is crucial to linking our companies and supporting their growth within the ecosystem,” said Johanna Guzmán, Ruta N’s Financial Portfolio Coordinator.
In March, the In Country Event of the LIF program featured nine Colombian initiatives, eight of which originated in Medellín. Selected participants received 32 hours of intensive business training, attended presentations from 12 speakers, and proposed three innovative solutions in an agriculture challenge.
Colombian LIF participants continue their training and will conclude with an immersion experience in London to explore the UK’s innovation ecosystem and discover business opportunities.
Since 2015, the LIF program has been supported by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK Embassy in Colombia, and Ruta N. This international acceleration initiative aims to develop the entrepreneurial capacity of researchers and engineers with scalable, market-ready solutions that impact one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address social and economic issues.
“At LIF, we’ve had access to top mentors, training, and connections with other innovative entrepreneurs. We look forward to the UK In Country Event, where we’ll interact with ecosystem players, investors, impact funds, and other global entrepreneurs who will help us scale our ventures to the next level,” explained Federico Pérez, CEO and founder of Platinum Capital.
With StartCo and LIF, two Ruta N-supported events, the organization remains committed to its mission of improving the quality of life for Medellín residents through science, technology, and innovation.
