ProColombia, MinTIC TO Hold “Colombia Bring IT On” Business Event in Toronto In October

ProColombia and the Colombian Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications will host the first technology focused Business Matchmaking forum to pair roughly 70 Colombian companies with an expected 150 to 200 Canadian and US buyers and investors October 28 and 29, 2015 in Toronto.

The invitation-only event, to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, will include the launching of “Colombia Bring IT On,” the country’s official campaign promoting Colombia’s ICT (Information, Communication, and Technology) sector that includes IT, Software and Digital Services companies. The campaign focuses on countries with high demand for services in these sectors such as the U.S., Canada, Spain, England and countries in Central and South America.

The Business Matchmaking Forum on Software, IT and Digital Media will take place in Toronto on October 28and 29, 2015 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

Since 2012, almost 1,000 Colombian companies in the software and digital content sectors have exported over US$166 million in services to 60 countries. Between 2012 and 2014, the main destinations for Colombian software services were South America and the U.S.; Canada was among the top buyers of digital services in that same period, along with the U.S., Ecuador, France and Spain.

According to IDC, Colombia is the third largest provider of IT services in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico, with total sales calculated at US$2.5 billion. Apps account for about 40% of software development in Colombia, while outsourcing makes up about 40% of all IT services sold.

Success Stories

• Hi Mom, an app developing company based in Medellin, Colombia, created the Typic mobile app for editing photos, which has been downloaded more than 3 million times on iOS devices and won an Apple award for best in its category in 2014. The company launched Typic Kids, too, and expects to continue developing new products for markets in North America, Asia and Europe.
• Adsmovil, based in Bogota, Colombia, supports mobile marketing campaigns targeting Hispanic audiences from the U.S. to Central and South America.
• Below the Game, the result of a student project at a university in Bucaramanga, Colombia, is now a provider of videogames for the U.S. market. BTG is currently part of the Sony Playstation incubation program.
• Grupo Jad, based in Pereira, Colombia, has developed a successful mobile platform for Android for data-capturing and processing, tailored specifically to the agricultural sector. Most of its users are based in Australia and The Netherlands.
• Heinsohn Business Technologies is based in Bogota and develops software for Silicon Valley. Its services are sought after by companies like Tibco, a provider of brands including Delta Airlines, Citibank Asia and Fedex. Heinsohn’s operations are ISO 9001:2000 and SEI-CMMI Level 5 compliant.

“Colombia Bring IT On”

The first day will consist of training sessions for Colombian companies featuring speakers such as Hussam Ayyad of Communitech; Brendan Dellandrea and Andrew Jenkins of The Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University; Peter Liber of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure; and Peter Carayiannis of Conduit Law, among others.

Participants will then visit key technology and innovation centers in and around the GTA. Sites include MaRS Discovery District, DMZ, OCADU and the IBM Canada Lab. Dr. Sean Wise, an experienced venture capitalist and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University, will coach a select group of Colombian entrepreneurs looking to pitch their ideas to North American investors.

Day Two will feature an all-day conference including opening remarks by a high representative from Toronto City Hall; keynote speeches and panel discussion with Colombia’s Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, Mr. David Luna; a business round of one-on-one meetings between visiting Colombian companies and their Canadian and American counterparts; and a “Demo Day” in which a limited group of Colombian companies will be allowed 10-minute slots for pitching their ideas to a group of potential angel investors. An event officially launching the Colombia Bring IT On campaign in Canada will follow.