Medellin, an ecosystem beyond the mountains

A common factor among Paisas is their strong sense of belonging and pride in what we call “push or berraquera paisa”. And this is not surprising, because due to the difficult geography, migrations, adverse situations and other factors in Antioch a sustainable culture and extraordinary entrepreneurshipwhich is narrated in the books as “Schumpeter passing through Titiribi” and this is clearly visible in the current business structure with outstanding entrepreneurs and companies that have crowded the geography of Colombia.

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However, at the level of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, many conversations and opportunities remain conventional in the Abura Valley, limiting their potential. It comes from this point of view my invitation to “look over the mountains”. This does not mean that Medellin as an ecosystem is not on the world map or that we do not collaborate internationally, as participants such as Ruta N, ACI, Innpulsa, CUEE, initiatives such as Antioquia Emergente, GTMC – Georgia Tech Innovation and the Entrepreneurship Center In Medellin, local companies and universities have opened the door to the world for new opportunities for the city.

We have to start by understanding that no matter how powerful and strong an urban ecosystem is, it is part of wider ecosystems and therefore beyond comparing ecosystems or strengthening local with foreign links, we must continue to connect to grow.

To do this, in addition to an entrepreneurial mindset, we must cultivate a global thinking in the city. Understanding that any young person from Medellín can study anywhere in the world.\ that digital nomads must be integrated into local economic development, but also recognize the large number of Colombians living outside the country who want to connect and contribute to Colombia from afar. Understand that innovation and entrepreneurship have no geographical limitations, but rather mental ones.as a local entrepreneur can have its team abroad, have foreign investment and develop technology to solve global problems.

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I’ll share a couple of examples of this global thinking from my experience as an ecosystem connector.

• All over the world, Colombians are doing incredible things and in Agcenter – Hub Agrifoodtech and GTMC, I always found and looked for compatriots with the desire to collaborate, such as Catalina Valencia from KM ZERO (Food Innovation Center in Spain) and Beatriz Rodríguez from Georgia Tech.
• More and more talent, work and investment are coming to Medellin, with people who see potential and can change the course of an enterprise with a short conversation. Some examples: Andrew Ng (co-founder of Coursera) with several of his businesses in the city; Tim Ferriss (an investor and well-known author), who travels a lot; and ongoing visits from Georgia Tech experts, investors and entrepreneurs from Atlanta to strengthen the local ecosystem.

The possibilities are available at the click of a mouse, but we will be able to activate most of them if we master the English language, without waiting for subtitles or dubbing, but with a collective global mindset that elevates the ecosystem.

Finally, in keeping with this theme, I recommend an animated series: The reign of the scavengerswhich, with great storytelling and graphic art, shows how interconnected the ecosystem is, that we are always smaller than we think, and that there is much to explore and study outside our city or our planet!