Congresses & Conferences

Colombiamoda 2016 Exceeds Expectations, Deals Hit US$399 Million

Medellin Herald July 29, 2016

Textile and clothing trade group Inexmoda announced July 28 that the just-concluded Colombiamoda 2016 fashion-and-trade show in Medellin generated some US$399 million in new business deals, up 17% from last year’s edition. The jump in business deals is explained by a 21% year-on-year growth in

Opportunities

High-Tech ‘Startup-Expo’ Trade-Show, Investor Series Launches August 20

Medellin Herald July 26, 2016

High-tech product inventors, computer applications developers, pioneering investors and technophiles will get an opportunity to meet face-to-face August 20 in the first of a series of “Startup Expo” mini-trade-shows organized by local networking group “Aburra Valley,” which describes itself as a “Silicon Valley Paisa.” In a July 26 interview with Medellin Herald at the

Companies

PharmaCielo Buys Marijuana Farm, Nursery in Rionegro

Medellin Herald July 25, 2016

Toronto, Canada-based PharmaCielo announced July 25 that it paid US$5 million plus 1.7 million in equity shares for a 27-hectares farm and greenhouse-nursery facility in Rionegro, Antioquia, for development of a medical-marijuana cultivation and processing plant. “The 30-year-old turnkey facility houses an office building and more than 12 hectares of open-air greenhouses,

Culture

‘Silleteros’ Reveal Spectacular Gardens in Santa Elena Traditional-Flower Contest

Medellin Herald July 22, 2016

Medellin’s 59th annual Desfile de Silleteros (Flower-Carriers Parade) this year is expected to draw more than 800,000 in-person visitors — plus hundreds of thousands of TV viewers — for an event that provokes amazement, tears, elation and pride. But behind this spectacle — this year on Sunday, August 7 — are the gardens cultivated by […]

Colombian economy

Truckers, Colombia Government Settle National Strike

Medellin Herald July 22, 2016

Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and Transport Minister Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo announced July 22 that a 45-days-long national truckers’ strike – aggravated by acts of violence and vandalism against non-strikers — has finally been settled, much to the relief of freight shippers and receivers. According to the settlement agreement, the

Professional services

Interview: Ruta N a High-Tech Investment Opportunity, but don’t Call it a ‘Silicon Valley;’ Part 1

Medellin Herald July 16, 2016

Medellin’s novel “Ruta N” high-tech development center next to Universidad de Antioquia now boasts that it’s hosting some 135-odd companies from 22 countries (see  http://distritomedellin.org/hacer-parte/) that have chosen to locate inside Ruta N itself or nearby. As part of what the city government calls its “Innovation District,” the seven-year-old Ruta N not only serves

Professional services

Interview: Ruta N a High-Tech Investment Opportunity, Part 2

Medellin Herald July 16, 2016

Medellin’s novel “Ruta N” high-tech development center next to Universidad de Antioquia now boasts that it’s hosting some 135-odd companies from 22 countries (see http://distritomedellin.org/hacer-parte/) that have chosen to locate inside Ruta N itself or nearby. In an exclusive interview with Medellin Herald, Ruta N Executive Director Alejandro Franco and Ruta N

Congresses & Conferences

Colombiamoda 2016 Launches July 26-28; More than US$340 Million in Deals Seen

Medellin Herald July 8, 2016

The 27th annual edition of Colombiamoda comes to Medellin’s Plaza Mayor July 26 through 28 in what show organizer Inexmoda describes as the most important clothing-fashion business fair in Latin America. Some 1,700 international buyers from 50 countries will join some 11,560 Colombia-based buyers and 650 clothing, footwear, textile and accessories exhibitors, with more

Companies

More High-Tech Investment Seen Coming to Medellin from Uruguay, Brazil

Medellin Herald July 7, 2016

Medellin’s investment promotion agency –“Agencia de Cooperación e Inversión de Medellín y el Área Metropolitana” (ACI) –  announced July 6 that five Uruguay-based companies and two Brazil-based companies are eyeing new business launches or expansions here. According to ACI, these companies expressed interest in new Medellin investments during ACI-organized

Colombian economy

Foreign Direct Investment in Colombia up 64% in Sectors Other Than Petroleum, Mining

Medellin Herald July 5, 2016

The latest report from Banco de la Republica — Colombia’s national currency and banking regulator — shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Colombian business sectors other than petroleum and mining has jumped 64% this year, to US$2 billion. However, the global crash in oil and industrial metals prices has resulted in a 47% drop in FDI […]