The cities of Medellin (Colombia) and Recife (Brazil) are among the six most prominent cities for information technology (IT) in the world, according to a study by Rest of World.
Recife and Medellín were the only Latin American cities distinguished by the platform, alongside Lagos (Nigeria), Bangalore (India), Shenzhen (China) and Tel Aviv (Israel).
Medellín receives this recognition after becoming the first Science, Technology and Innovation District in the country just a few days ago, in line with the distinction of being the headquarters, from 2019, of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the country and Latin America, which also includes San Francisco (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Beijing (China) and Mumbai (India).
Being a Special District allows Medellin to consolidate the construction of the Software Valley, a proposal of the current mayor Daniel Quintero; the intelligent territory, the attraction of companies and foreign investment to the city and the creation of an ecosystem of greater competitiveness to enhance the capabilities of different economic sectors and the opening of new opportunities for the city.
“Medellin’s goal is to leverage the talent developed by foreign companies in an endogenous and thriving ecosystem supported through government-funded incubators and technical education programs (…) With the pandemic decentralizing the technology industry and the nature of work, Medellin’s goal of becoming an international hub are only accelerating,” describes Rest of World.
The study also highlights the 379 technology and innovation companies that have come to the city in the last six years, creating more than 11,000 jobs, according to the Ruta N innovation center.
” Medellín’s most valuable tech companies are all international, including AI Fund and New York-based Skillshare, which has raised more than $110 million in funding and has an engineering office in this city,” adds Rest of World.
