Medellin continues to attract more and more investment and one of the bets of the Route N Corporation is that the capital of antioch consolidates itself as a great hub of innovation, science and technology.
Iván Castaño Pérez, director of Ruta Nspoke about the results they have generated and the new project they have in their sights.
What are the relevant figures presented by Ruta N?
It must be remembered that Ruta N is an entity that in 2023 will celebrate 14 years of history and that throughout all this time it has been working to strengthen the entrepreneurial fabric of Medellín. This is how we have been able to accompany approximately 3,700 enterprises over these years and precisely with this exercise we seek to improve the quality of life of citizens, all through science, technology and innovation. We do a double task, on the one hand we attract companies to Medellín, here I highlight that we have attracted more than 460 companies, from more than 50 countries, in order to have their operations here and generate employment. On the other hand, in these last 13 years, we have created more than 22,500 jobs.
(Logistics network in the regions, a goal of Mercado Libre).
How many companies arrived in 2022?
Last year we managed to attract 61 companies and we are resuming pre-pandemic values. It is noteworthy that the highest figure recorded in a year has been 70 companies, so we are already reaching those maximum values. The companies that arrive offer technological solutions to different sectors such as the financial sector, the health sector and the energy sector.
How many jobs were created in the last year and what is the projection for 2023?
Last year we generated 4,126 jobs. We are not budgeting for accelerated job growth, in fact we want to maintain that growth rate, since we must also recognize the current situation that technology companies are going through.
(Nissan renews the success of the Versa model in the country).
What are the most searched profiles?
Many of the jobs that are being generated have to do with software development, mobile application development, project manager, designers, application architects, among other profiles.
What are the new technologies that the companies that arrive offer the most?
Without a doubt, everything related to artificial intelligence, which includes machine learning. Likewise, we have had an approach with companies that are interested in making developments based on blockchain. It should not be neglected that traditional technologies also play an important role in the offer. We want to close 2023 with nearly 4,000 jobs created, the goal is to continue contributing to the city and adding more jobs.
(‘Bancoomeva buys portfolio at 20% and lowers card rates’).
What are your plans for the coming months?
We have a fundamental priority and that is to continue with our operating indicators, which are basically: attraction of companies, support for ventures and job creation. In addition, we have a project that is very important for the corporation and it is the design of Ruta N II, a project that is being thought of as a technology park a few blocks from the Ruta N complex.
Currently, we have the lot, in addition to an initial budget of $12,000 million. The team is working on feasibility studies to review how we can, with the support of the National Government, create a hub of shared services in some technology that allows us to have a competitive advantage in the region.
On the other hand, from the Ruta N Corporation we would like to create an area within this technology park that is in charge of identifying three or four ideas from researchers that have a lot of market potential in order to promote them.
Will this park have spaces to house ventures and to experiment with technologies?
Currently, at the Ruta N facilities we have a great infrastructure, coworking spaces and laboratories equipped to house entrepreneurs. Now, the technology park is in that design stage and the goal is to raise the level of services we have through shared services. For example, the park can focus on 3D printing and precisely when talking about shared services, different companies will be able to use that service. But what if it’s not 3D printing, but rather building an immersive room to start working in the metaverse, all industries can still use it. The goal is for this space to be used by different actors in the ecosystem.
(A sector that promotes quality and care for the planet).
How have you been helping entrepreneurs taking into account market conditions?
We have a particularity that favors us a lot and that is that the ventures that we accompany have an impact and their main focus is to be profitable and generate income. And we are seeing that the large capital funds are looking for this type of venture.
JOHANA LORDUY
Journalist Portfolio
