In its 21 years of operation in Colombia, Mercado Libre continues to strengthen its commitment to the country, now with the opening of its second Technology, Innovation and Product Center, which will be located in Medellín, a city chosen by the company since it is a world benchmark in innovation and where more than 500 jobs will be generated.
The leading e-commerce company in the region opens its second Technology, Innovation and Product Center in Colombia, after it developed this infrastructure in Bogotá in 2020.
This new strategy is the result of the organization’s plans to continue expanding its technological capacity and maximize the user experience throughout Latin America, based, on this occasion, on the support that the capital of Antioquia will provide. From there, regional impact products will be developed for all Mercado Libre business units, comprising solutions in electronic commerce and financial services that transform the lives of millions of people.
The investment made in the organization’s expansion in the country during the last two years has generated more than 1,500 jobs, a figure that is expected to increase throughout 2021.
For the start-up of the new IT Center, plazas will be opened, filled by local experts and talents in skills such as backend and frontend software, mobile development, IT security, business intelligence, machine learning, data science, application infrastructure, user experience , among other. All those interested in consulting vacancies can access the following platform: [ here ] or on the Mercado Libre Colombia website, in the section Work with us.
“We are convinced to continue expanding our IT team in Colombia and after a 2020 of exceptional growth, we decided to redouble this effort in Antioquia. We are sure that the ecosystem of digital entrepreneurship and the innovative approach that positions Medellín as the city of the fourth industrial revolution is the right place for this second center. ”, Says Jaime Ramírez, director of the Andean region of Mercado Libre.
The IT Center opened last year in Bogotá had quick growth, the product of an exceptional human team, which opened the eyes of the organization to establish new points in the country that will accompany the challenge of continuing to grow exponentially. With the opening of this infrastructure in Medellín, both centers will work hand in hand and will also be “owners” and responsible for a large part of the products generated for the entire region.
This is how Colombia joins Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico, in the list of countries that have two centers of this type for the entire Mercado Libre operation.
The Free Market Technology, Innovation and Product area in Latin America is made up of more than 5,000 people, the majority being in Argentina but with a growing tendency to diversify that presence in other markets on the continent. Between 2019 and 2020, more than 2,500 people have been linked at the regional level and with the opening of the IT Center in Medellín, plus other expansion plans of the company, the team is expected to grow by more than 40%, a figure that is relevant in the midst of the impact that the pandemic generated in the different industries.
“Medellín is taking certain steps to become the city where entrepreneurship and innovation are a public good, a fundamental right that anyone can access. Along this path, it is necessary to create supply and demand for talent. On one end, we articulate the local ecosystem so that we have more people trained in the skills of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. At the same time, we work to promote our Software Valley, so that companies that are world and regional benchmarks in technology can settle down and create jobs. Under this premise Mercado Libre arrives in Medellín, to create opportunities for growth and job development ”, said Javier Darío Fernández Ledesma, executive director of de Ruta N.
Eleonora Betancur, executive director of ACI Medellín, highlights that “The city is experiencing one of the most important moments in its history with the transformation of its productive vocation towards technology. For this reason, we are committed to companies such as Mercado Libre not only arriving and settling in, but that each day they can grow in their capacities in such a way that they bring more social and economic development to the territory. In Medellín, the work coordinated between the public, private and academic sectors works and for this reason Mercado Libre can be sure that we will do everything possible so that their needs are always solved in the most appropriate way “.
“We celebrate Mercado Libre’s new investment in Colombia, which reflects the investor confidence and commitment of this great multinational for local talent. This achievement confirms the potential of our territory as an investment destination and for the growth of exports of IT solutions. In addition to providing technology, employment and new opportunities for greater competitiveness in the country” , said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.
This infrastructure is in addition to the two large investments made by Mercado Libre in Colombia in 2020: the IT Center in Bogotá, which currently has 400 people and plans to close the year with double this number, and the Distribution Center, located in Funza, with which the company generated more than 1,500 jobs this year, a figure that will increase in 2021.
About MercadoLibre:
Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre is the leading e-commerce technology company in Latin America. Through its platforms MercadoLibre.com and MercadoPago.com, it offers solutions for individuals and companies to buy, sell, advertise and pay for goods and services online.
MercadoLibre.com provides services to millions of users and creates an online market for the negotiation of a wide variety of goods and services in an easy, safe and efficient way. The site is among the 50 most visited sites in the world in terms of page views and is the mass consumption platform with the highest number of unique visitors in the most important countries where it operates, according to metrics provided by ComScore Networks. The Company has traded its shares on the Nasdaq (NASDAQ: MELI) since its initial public offering in 2007.
About Ruta N:
Rut N is the business and innovation center of Medellín. Its purpose is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants of the city through Science, Technology and innovation. To achieve this, it has three strategic priorities: attracting talent, capital and global companies to the city; develop and strengthen the innovative and entrepreneurial business fabric; and generate CTi solutions for city challenges.
About ACI Medellín:
The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, has established itself as a key factor in the internationalization process for the development of the territory through the construction of strategic international relations, facilitating access to the city and the region of international cooperation resources and the arrival of national and foreign investment.