Companies
who aren't satisfied
You need to know how you stack up against your industry to keep growing: here, you'll find out based on data, not intuition.
.svg "Image (Pulso CTi — Science, Technology, and Innovation in Medellín)")
Ruta N and the Medellín Mayor's Office are looking for the people who make it come alive.
Take the pulse of your organization and position yourself at the top. Pulso CTi Medellín lets you see how you stack up against your competition, access anonymized data from your industry, and join the ranks of innovation leaders recognized by the official Ruta N ranking and the Medellín Mayor’s Office.
Exclusive to Forbes
Pulso CTI Medellín is the measurement tool for the Special District of Science, Technology, and Innovation, led by Ruta N, that takes the ecosystem’s vital signs across three dimensions: investment and business, talent, and innovation. Based on information reported by companies, universities, startups, research centers, hospitals, and public entities, it measures how much capital the city mobilizes, what talent it develops, and how it turns knowledge into innovation. This data is used to build the Official Innovation Ranking of the District and to guide investment and public policy decisions.
Participating Sectors
Every sector innovates in its own way. What’s yours?
If you’re part of the District’s quadruple helix, this ranking is for you:
Academy
those who bring science out of the lab
Your scientific research deserves to leave the lab and transform the industry.
Healthcare Sector
those who innovate to save lives
Every improvement you make can save a life. It's time to make sure it's recorded, too.
Public Sector
those who govern with an eye toward the future
Good governance starts with making decisions based on accurate data. Here's yours.
THE FIRST SNAPSHOT OF THE CTI DISTRICT
THE STRENGTHS THAT GIVE MEDELLÍN A COMPETITIVE EDGE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE
Being a CTI District is one of Medellín’s greatest assets
Ruta N’s CTI Pulse measures three key capabilities of Medellín’s ecosystem for the first time: investment, talent, and innovation. A look at how to turn knowledge into economic and social development.
WHAT DOES THIS STATUS ENABLE?
Public-private partnerships, the promotion of industries and technology ecosystems, digital transformation, and resources to fund the District’s CTI Policy. For decades, Medellín has been connecting the capabilities of academia, business, and the government to build a knowledge-based city.
It is a city-wide network designed to translate S&T&I into economic and social development for Medellín and opportunities for its people.
2021
Legislative Act 01
Congress granted Medellín the status of Special District of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
2023
Law 2286
It fosters this condition and provides skills, tools, and resources to promote holistic development.
Ecosystem Data
Investment and Business
Capital is finding a robust ecosystem with high growth potential.
USD +20 million in venture capital raised; 2027 projection: USD 40 million.
+350 new investors trained; projection for 2027: 1,000.
7 investment vehicles with a local impact; projection for 2027: 15.
Bancóldex's USD 2.1 million investment unlocked a USD 16 million fund of funds, and it is expected to unlock USD 40 million through four new funds in the country—20 times the initial amount.
106 startups in Medellín generate more than 1 million USD in annual revenue.
Medellín climbed from 205th to 130th place in the StartupBlink ranking.
2. STI Ecosystem among cities with fewer than 10 million residents.
The second-most active ecosystem and the best city for doing business.
10.9 startups per 100,000 residents, surpassing capital cities such as Bogotá (7.3), Santiago (6.3), São Paulo (6.1), and Buenos Aires (2.5).
USD +20 million in venture capital raised; 2027 projection: USD 40 million.
+350 new investors trained; projection for 2027: 1,000.
7 investment vehicles with a local impact; projection for 2027: 15.
Bancóldex's USD 2.1 million investment unlocked a USD 16 million fund of funds, and it is expected to unlock USD 40 million through four new funds in the country—20 times the initial amount.
106 startups in Medellín generate more than 1 million USD in annual revenue.
Medellín climbed from 205th to 130th place in the StartupBlink ranking.
2. STI Ecosystem among cities with fewer than 10 million residents.
The second-most active ecosystem and the best city for doing business.
10.9 startups per 100,000 residents, surpassing capital cities such as Bogotá (7.3), Santiago (6.3), São Paulo (6.1), and Buenos Aires (2.5).
Innovation
The challenge of turning knowledge into value.
FUTUMED
Medellín as an Open-Air Laboratory
Winners of the 2026 Smart City Innovator Award, presented by CINTEL and ESRI, in the Smart Cities and Territories category—an award recognizing initiatives with a real impact on the community—presented at ANDICOM, the most important business and technology conference in Colombia and Latin America.
"A city that uses science, technology, and innovation to solve its own challenges and turn them into opportunities for its people."
Scientific and Technological Output
| Indicator | Medellín | Bogotá |
|---|---|---|
| Outputs per year per researcher | 0.70 | 0.72 |
| Science and Technology | 47.7% | 46.0% |
| Interdisciplinarity | 34.0% | 32.9% |
| Project Continuity | 5.47 | 5.39 |
| Level of collaboration | 40.7 | 48.7 |
-
Science and Technology
Nearly 1 in 2 researchers in Medellín produces both a scientific output (publication) and a technological output (patent, software, or prototype).
-
Interdisciplinarity
Local capacity to combine academic disciplines.
-
Project Continuity
Research agendas in the city do not come to a halt halfway through.
-
Level of Collaboration
The opportunity lies in institutions conducting research more frequently.
Ecosystem
Talent
That is cultivated throughout one's life.
+7.700
+7.700
children trained in STEAM skills from public and private schools.
+600
+600
teachers trained.
+200
+200
primary and secondary educational institutions.
+85.000
+85.000
students enrolled in university STEM/CTI programs.
+13.000
+13.000
graduates expanding the pool of specialized talent.
+320
+320
new PhD graduates.
+2.999
+2.999
active researchers sustaining Medellín’s scientific capacity.
Data Intelligence
Impact Indicators
Real-time visualization of the growth and performance of the CTi ecosystem.
Business innovation
Medellín accelerates its digital entrepreneurship
The number of digital ventures grew steadily across the last three available years.
753
digital ventures in 2025
588 in 2024
▲ 28.1% year-over-year change
Source: MinTIC, processed source. Calculations by the SCORE Center for Regional Competitiveness Studies at Universidad del Rosario.
Recent trend
Number of ventures
Talent and capabilities
More than 85,000 people are enrolled in STEM and CTI fields
Enrollment in programs related to science, technology, and innovation grew again in 2025.
85,193
people enrolled in 2025
83,957 in 2024
▲ 1.5% year-over-year change
Source: Ministry of National Education, SNIES. Calculations by the SCORE Center for Regional Competitiveness Studies at Universidad del Rosario.
STEM and CTI enrollment
People enrolled
Scientific output
Scientific output from Medellín is expanding its international reach
The share of bibliographic output published outside Colombia reached its highest level in the available series.
42.1%
of scientific output in 2024
38.1% in 2023
▲ 4.0 pp year-over-year change
Source: Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, ScienTI, and CvLAC. Calculations by the SCORE Center for Regional Competitiveness Studies at Universidad del Rosario.
International reach
Percentage share
Ecosystem Engine
Capabilities that the district has built
to energize its ecosystem
%20(1).svg "Image (Pulso CTi — Science, Technology, and Innovation in Medellín) (1)")
Track the pulse
of your organization.
We’re looking for those who keep Medellín’s heart beating through science, technology, and innovation. Do you meet the criteria to be included in the Official Ranking?
A ROUTE N PROGRAM · MEDELLÍN 2026