Carlos Montoya’s life can be summed up in two words: tenacity and discipline. This paisa from Amagá went from working in the coal mines in his hometown to becoming passionate about technology and from there to becoming an entrepreneur operating in the United States and Colombia with his company +Credimás.
This company is dedicated to credit repair for people, mostly Latinos in the United States, who want to access credit but for various reasons have negative marks or a low score with banks or lenders in that country, so that they can build a new history by increasing their credit score through customized strategies.
All this requires technology, passion and a lot of talent, so Carlos and his two sons Sebastian and Jovan decided to install the main operation in Medellin where they attend all calls from customers in the United States who seek in this company the solution to their credit problems and thus be able to grow in this country and have a better life.
Manpower Group and ACI Medellin publish this joint report with all the advantages offered by the district of Medellin to attract BPO companies to the territory. The high availability of qualified, young and bilingual talent, low operating costs, and a favorable environment for the establishment, scalability and operations of the outsourcing business are some of the factors that help the settlement of world-class companies in the city.
In the report you will find the essential definitions to understand this sector, along with statistics on talent in all regions of the department, salary ranges and other key data for decision making for companies that are thinking of setting up in this region.
24 women and 4 men graduated from the program “From Zero to Hero: introduction to software development” where the American company Gorilla Logic, in alliance with the prestigious network Women Who Code Medellín carried out during 6 months.
The program was aimed primarily at women who are passionate about technology and want to orient their professional life towards this discipline even without previous experience. The application process to join the “From Zero to Hero” program in Medellin began in early February 2023, in which only 28 students were selected from among 100 applicants and at the end of August they graduated after completing the entire course that included face-to-face and virtual lectures and personalized support.
We share a video where we were able to capture the emotion of the moments lived in the graduation ceremony of the program.
ABOUT GORILLA LOGIC
Founded in 2002, Gorilla Logic provides Agile teams to Fortune 500 and SMB companies, bringing unmatched expertise in delivering mobile, web and cloud applications at enterprise scale. It has corporate headquarters in Colorado and more than 700 employees in four different locations: United States, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico. It is the first premier nearshore software development consultancy in LATAM.
ABOUT WOMEN WHO CODE
Women Who Code is a non-profit organization with a suite of programs for engineering professionals focused on developing their careers. Local chapters around the world organize technical, professional, educational and networking events, providing free tickets and scholarship opportunities for members through the weekly CODE Review newsletter, which also features career success stories of women in the industry.
Free Trade Zones in Antioquia, are a fundamental part of the public and private gear to attract Foreign Direct Investment because their location, benefits, infrastructure and ease in costs have made these spaces, an engine for the development of local and regional economy.
Today we share a report prepared by ACI Medellin, in collaboration with the Free Trade Zone of Urabá, Rionegro and Zofiva, to better understand the benefits of the free trade regime in our country offering competitive costs for the arrival of foreign investment.
In the coming weeks we will be sharing some explanatory videos that will be hosted on the website and YouTube account of the ACI Medellin with the spokespersons of each of the Free Trade Zones of Antioquia.
77 foreign companies in technology, life sciences, manufacturing and commerce, among others, have arrived in Medellín between 2020 and 2023, creating close to 13,000 quality jobs for people from all over the territory, representing $836 million in foreign investment. These companies arrived thanks to competitive costs, tax benefits, human talent and the quality of life offered by the District.
Companies such as Life Factors, N-iX, Sana Commerce, Concentrix, Genius Sports came to Medellin to contribute to the development of the Software Valley. Most of the installed companies come from the United States, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Argentina.
“In the entity we intensify our international relations so that foreigners who come to the city bring development, knowledge and employment that dignify our talents and improve the quality of life of the people of Medellin. The positive balance in attracting foreign investment has required years of effort by ACI Medellin, with key support from entities such as ProColombia and Ruta N, with which we have exposed potential investors from around the world because Medellin is a great opportunity for their businesses to prosper,” said the executive director of ACI Medellin, Juan Camilo Mergesh.
Many executives from the companies’ countries of origin chose to stay in the city and in many cases brought their families with them, which in turn creates dynamism in the economy and favors interculturality.
“We came to Medellin attracted by the quality of Colombian engineers. Personally, I came to live in Medellin 10 years ago, working in other software companies where I met the quality, knowledge and desire to learn from the engineers here. I have been very happy because the people and the environment are unique. For the moment, the company seeks to continue growing and generating jobs and development for this city that has welcomed us with open arms,” said Håkan Ahlstedt, director of Nexer in Colombia, a Swedish technology company that arrived in the District in 2022.
This foreign investment is complemented by the positive figures that the city had with the arrival of international tourists. In the first half of this year, 674,493 were registered, that is, 13% more than in the same period of 2022, when there were 593,648, and 56% more if compared to the same period of 2019, making Medellín positioned in the world as a District open to the arrival of people from other countries who want to work and live in the city.
In international cooperation, the city has received 27 million dollars for the fulfillment of projects in education, culture, sports, health and social inclusion.
This recognition of the District at the global level meant that between 2020 and so far in 2023, 1.813 high-level international validators, including ambassadors, mayors, executives of large companies, ministers and senior government advisors, as well as 200 international journalists from media such as América Economía, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Telemundo and Univision, among others, who came to learn about projects such as the C4TA, the Software Valley Centers, the escalators in Commune 13, the metro system, cultural programs such as the Music Schools Network and the Buen Comienzo Gardens.
“I love Medellín for its climate; the people are also very friendly, the public spaces are clean and the people here have a great sense of belonging to the city. In addition, it is a very innovative city, very internationalized, although it retains its own flavor. Finally, I love that here there is a balance between green and natural, along with an organization around business and investment,” he said.
On October 5, the event Medellín and its International Allies will be held at Ruta N, where the most outstanding achievements of Medellín will be socialized before key members of the international community such as ambassadors, consuls, mayors, ministers and entrepreneurs, as was done in 2021, when projects such as the 80 Metro, Software Valley Centers and C4TA were presented to friends from all over the world.
We share a report of the Ukrainian company N-iX, installed in our city, where they talk about the competitive advantages of the most important countries in the region such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia. Additionally, they focus on the city of Medellin which is valued very positively as an attractive city for investment due to its costs, quality of life and human talent.
N-iX, a global software solutions and engineering services company, has published an in-depth report examining the tech landscape of Latin American countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Chile, and others.
Latin America has a tech talent pool of almost 2 million professionals. As a result, the region’s growing tech industry and talent pool make software development outsourcing an attractive option for businesses looking to tap into the region’s potential. The comprehensive report analysis aims to assist senior executives, tech and business leaders seeking software development partners, strategic sourcing destinations, and development centre locations.
As N-iX has an R&D center in Medellin, Colombia, the first part of the report is dedicated to Colombia.
In 2021, Colombia ranked third in the region after Mexico and Brazil in terms of IT market size, with $10.2B.
By 2025, Fedesoft, the Colombian Federation of IT and Software Industries, wants software to account for 5% of Colombia’s GDP. Since the ICT industry in the country has begun to diversify, the sector is expected to grow in the coming years. Along with telecommunications, Colombian and Colombian-based companies are engaging in software development and AI-aided consulting.
The country ranks 13th on the Global Services Location Index. Colombia marked the strongest advance of any country in the 2016 GSLI, moving up 23 spots to 20. This was driven by a combination of improvements across the board in financial attractiveness, largely fueled by depreciation of the peso, and solid gains in IT and BPO experience.
The constant innovation and dynamic development of Colombia’s technology sector attracts companies looking to partner with Latin American software developers. Between 2015 and 2019, IT services exports increased by an average of 3%, reaching $229.1M. As a result, the country is now a gateway to international markets, including the United States (33%), Ecuador (14.1%), and Mexico (8.3%).
To access the full report, please, visit N-iX website.
Today there are 75 engineers working in the company, and the promise is to reach up to 100 jobs that improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Medellín. Accelirate operates in different sectors such as banking and financial services, accounting, insurance, healthcare, hospitality, industry, retail, oil and education. It offers technology and digital transformation solutions to all of its clients in these sectors.
This company is a leader in robotic processes and artificial intelligence products and services in the US. It has presence in Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates. Now it is coming to Colombia.
For the president of ProColombia, Carmen Caballero, “the arrival of companies like Accelirate contributes to the purpose outlined by the National Government for the promotion of technology transfer, incorporation of technical progress and development of human capacity. Together with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, we continue working to promote the competitive advantages of the country and our talent so that more global companies choose Colombia as a business location with productive bets and the creation of qualified jobs”.
Accelirate’s vision is to offer robotic process automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services, and cutting-edge digital transformation solutions in various industries. “Our services include deployment of RPA platforms, management and monitoring of robotic software operations for our clients, and business consulting focused on identifying and mapping key business processes for automation and AI opportunities,” explained CEO Ahmed Zaidi.
That’s not all. The company has inclusive and innovative workspaces where employees can be very creative and come up with the best ideas. This, in the words of Accelirate members, is a sign that the company values and attends to the needs of its employees. In addition to the workspaces, Accelirate is committed to training its employees in technical and social skills in order to offer the best to its clients. The idea is that they can grow, learn and solidify their knowledge as they advance in the company.
Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellín, said: “Our city has become a center of development and innovation recognized by governments and companies from all over the world that come to see and copy our development model. Like Accelirate, today many companies come to improve the labor landscape by offering quality employment and providing quality of life to people and their environment. Our job as part of the District’s public conglomerate is to continue supporting these companies so that their growth is continuous”.
And the key question: Why did they come to Medellín? From Accelirate they told us that the city offers them quality talent of development engineers and knowledge in automation technologies, which greatly differentiate them from those in other regions.
They also added that Medellin is a strategic point for their development plans and that the stable financial market in the region was one of the reasons why they landed in the city. At this point they recognized that Medellin is recognized as a Software Valley worldwide, so it is a strategic point in its evolution.
To achieve this they need their company to be recognized as an American company that offers comprehensive digital solutions, which go far beyond optimizing a process such as buying new software or eliminating paper from organizations. “It requires having a comprehensive vision of how your organization manages resources, this is the cutting edge and we are number 1 in the subject,” concluded Zaidi.
The arrival of this and other companies to the CTI ecosystem of the District of Medellin reinforces the commitment of the Ruta N Corporation to improve the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants with jobs and well-paid job opportunities that can project their professional careers. [more info]
This business process outsourcing company, born in Calcutta, India, currently has a presence in 14 countries on all continents, working for 250 clients from all sectors of the economy and in all languages. In 2021 they arrived in Medellín with the objective of establishing an operations center that today has 100 employees and expects to reach 500 in total by the end of 2023.
One of its added values is the diversity and adaptation of its labor policies to its employees. They accept older adults over 55 years of age as well as young people who speak a second or more languages; they promote study and entrepreneurship, so it is normal to find people who are studying an undergraduate degree or working on their ventures, which requires the company to be flexible with the schedule.
Raymond Moreno, HR Global Executive, affirms that “Medellin has the characteristics they need to grow the business and continue operating with clients from all over the world. The city has bilingual talent and within the senior segment we find adults who apart from mastering a second language are responsible, disciplined and organized to fulfill their duties.”
With more than 30 years of history in the industry, Fusion has developed a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, finance, telecommunications and other verticals.
Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellín, assures that “foreign investment coming to Medellín seeks to generate social transformation beyond profitability. For this reason, companies like Fusion BPO, today come to promote employment in people over 55 years of age who have the profile and skills of a second language to serve customers around the world. We seek that every investor who comes to our district is willing to become an agent of change at all levels and thus make Medellin a model city in the region.
For those interested in accessing job offers from the company can check the Instagram account where they post vacancies. [ here ]
This European company arrives to Medellín to offer software development services company focused on expanding companies’ engineering capabilities and developing products in software engineering, cloud services, data analytics, embedded software, IoT, machine learning and other technology domains.
During 2023, it expects to hire around 60 Colombian specialists, who will join its team of more than two thousand talents.
“N-iX’s expansion to Colombia gives us access to a highly skilled and fast-growing pool of IT talent that can benefit from the multiple possibilities and challenges we offer thanks to our broad client portfolio and our solid experience in software engineering solutions.
N-iX serves a number of global enterprises and Fortune 500 leaders, many of which are based in the U.S. “The presence in Colombia will allow the company to add even more value to new and existing partners”, says Erika Gutierrez, Head of N-iX Colombia. Also, we will create new opportunities for local talent by investing in local communities and bringing our global expertise to the region.”
Founded in 2002 in Ukraine, N-iX has formed strategic partnerships with a variety of global industry leaders and Fortune 500 companies, including Gogo, Fluke Corporation, Office Depot, Seeking Alpha, Saks Fifth Avenue, TuneIn, among others.
“We celebrate the arrival of N-iX in Colombia, which contributes to the objective outlined by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism to attract investment that fosters technology transfer and the development of human capabilities. Having global players such as N-iX is key to the consolidation of our country as one of the best environments in the region for technology-based services operations,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia.
“Human talent in technology is becoming the most valuable asset that our city has to attract technology companies that want to settle and expand their operations throughout the region. For this reason, today we celebrate the arrival of N-iX, a company that also saw in our territory the proximity to its key markets and a place with competitive costs that allow them to establish themselves and continue growing in the long term,” said Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellin.
For N-iX, Colombia is fast becoming one of the outstanding outsourcing hubs that combines maturity of business practices, cost-effectiveness, a large talent pool and geographic proximity to the US.
“Medellín and its inhabitants have a great opportunity for companies like N-iX to have local talent to link to their processes and the Ruta N team aims to help both the company and the young people of the city to connect so that, in this way, we allow the CTI ecosystem to grow and make Medellín a more competitive territory,” said Jorge Mario Calvo, executive director of Corporación Ruta N.
In the coming years, N-iX plans to scale its Latin American division within the 30% annual growth rate that the company has been demonstrating in recent years.
Solutions with artificial intelligence and research. These are some of the software and IT developments that the Swedish multinational Nexer, which decided to settle in Colombia because of the talent and quality of the work of Colombian engineers and developers, will carry out in the country.
The Swedish company, which has more than 2,800 experts in 15 countries in Europe and North America, settled in Medellin, from where it will support global customers with new technologies to offer next-generation IT solutions. “Being in Medellin is a natural step for us to fulfill our vision of a ‘promising future’ and make our customers more successful. This operation allows us to provide a customer-centric delivery model globally,” said Lars Kry, CEO of Nexer Group.
The provision of technological solutions through the implementation of artificial intelligence are part of the knowledge-based activities that the multinational Nexer will do from Colombia, which decided to settle in the country motivated by the talent and quality of work of Colombian engineers and developers. “The Colombian professional has a hallmark that characterizes him and differentiates him from any other in the world, and is that in addition to his training, he always has a willingness, proactivity, the desire to learn and advance, he is agile and passionate” defines Håkan Ahlstedt, Nexer’s manager for Colombia, the main reason that tipped the scales in favor of the country as the headquarters of operations in the region of the multinational.
The company has alliances with leading platform providers such as Microsoft, IBM and Stibo, and is part of the Danir Group, a Swedish firm with 12,000 employees in 18 countries.
It is now looking to hire about 30 professionals in Colombia, according to the demand for talent in scrum master, Java and DevOps positions, among others.
“Its arrival in the country accounts for the solid and growing software and technology services industry that Colombia has, with experience in the development of specialized solutions in different areas. Some examples are fintech, health, agribusiness, energy, logistics, digital marketing, virtual and augmented reality, and big data, segments that have allowed the arrival of various multinationals in cities such as Medellin, Bogota, Cali and Barranquilla,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia, the entity that supported the multinational’s arrival.
For Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of the ACI Medellín, “our city is now consolidated as a Software Valley and as a district of Science, Technology and Innovation where tax benefits, qualified talent and guarantees for growth are offered to international companies that settle in the territory. Receiving a globally recognized company like Nexer makes us feel proud and committed so that they can grow their operations and have the necessary talent to serve their customers globally”.
Colombia has positioned itself as the third largest software market in the region, preceded only by Brazil and Mexico, according to the global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC). In fact, among the factors that have influenced the growth of the country’s IT segment is the boom in entrepreneurship and the arrival of new projects and foreign companies.
Between 2003 and 2022, foreign investment in the software and IT sector in Colombia has generated 299 projects, the creation of 259 companies, as well as the estimated creation of more than 24,200 jobs and capital flows of more than US$1,518 million. This is according to reports from FDI Markets. Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico, and Bogotá have concentrated the largest number of initiatives coming from the United States, Spain, Argentina, Mexico and other markets.
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between both cities in 2022, more than 20 delegates from Chongqing, China, visited Medellin for two days with the objective of meeting with businessmen, leaders of public and private entities to strengthen economic, social and cultural development.
The delegation was led by Zhang Yuanhong, Deputy Secretary of Yuzhong District, Chongqing and six other officials from this Asian district as well as businessmen, who participated in a meeting with local businessmen and leaders of our district such as the Secretary of Economic Development of Medellin, Mauricio Valencia; the executive director of ACI Medellín, Juan Camilo Mergesh; the regional director of ProColombia Antioquia, María Luisa Duque; the former Colombian ambassador to China, Luis Diego Monsalve; and local businessmen interested in strengthening ties with this city of 30 million inhabitants.
For Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellin, “Chongqing’s vast experience in various fields, its technological development and its entrepreneurial spirit inspire and motivate us to learn and grow together. We are committed to take this opportunity to build bridges and establish a mutually beneficial relationship, promoting economic and social development in both territories”.
A year ago, we celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two territories, an agreement that has provided us with a solid framework for strengthening our economic, cultural and commercial relations. The signing of this memorandum was a significant step towards fostering cooperation and the mutual exchange of knowledge and experiences towards a common future of social, technological, urban and cultural projection.
This programming academy founded in San Francisco, cradle of the most prestigious technology companies in the world such as Google, Facebook and Apple, arrived in Medellin in 2019 to train thousands of people as software developers.
Their calls for new talents who want to join their training programs, are open 3 times a year and apply to all types of people who have a certain level of English and who want to dedicate themselves to technology as a new professional vocation.
We share a video about Christian Martinez, a citizen who found in this academy his working life option.
We also invite you to listen to this podcast in Spanish with Christian Martinez, participant of Holberton Colombia and Paula Forero, marketing coordinator of the company.
If you want more information about the training programs you can access the following [ here ]
