In terms of technology, one of the sectors that has been gaining strength in the country is software, also becoming a key industry in the export of services and a magnet for attracting foreign investment. And it is that according to figures from the Quarterly Sample of Foreign Trade of Dane and calculations by ProColombia, the growth of software exports in Colombia has had an average increase of 4.7% in recent years, reaching US$299 in 2021 millions.
(Medellín broke world record for face-to-face software class).
In addition to this momentum, Fedesoft states that in the last four years more than 3,800 business meetings have been held, with the participation of 210 international buyers and 425 national companies from the IT industry, which has led to registering sales of US$6.5 million and more than US$97 million in expected sales.
“The software industry shows that it offers great opportunities for our country, and our job at Fedesoft is to continue extolling it so that it can strengthen other industries, help in the competitiveness of other sectors and also have the opportunity to reach other markets by supplying needs. international”, comments Ximena Duque, executive president of Fedesoft.
Likewise, with regard to foreign investment, FDI Markets reports indicate that between 2003 and March 2022 in Colombia, 299 projects have been generated, 259 companies focused on software have been created, as well as the estimated creation of more than 24,200 jobs and capital flows for more than US$1,518 million. It is noteworthy that Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico, and Bogotá have concentrated the largest number of initiatives from the United States, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, and other markets.
(‘The goal is to create a company that generates an impact in the country’: Frubana).
Juliana Villegas, vice president of exports at ProColombia, explains that a good example of the growth that this sector has had in the main departments is that Valle del Cauca has five of the 10 most important software development companies in the country“which has promoted a very powerful digital ecosystem with startups that are accelerating”, adds Villegas.
An example of the impact that Colombia has had in the sector is that Colombian solutions have begun to echo throughout the region, and in fact the International Data Corporation (IDC) firm states that the country has positioned itself as the third market for largest software in the region, preceded by Brazil and Mexico. In addition, the firm confirms that among the factors that have affected this growth in the IT segment, the rise of local enterprises and the arrival of new projects and foreign companies stand out.
new investments
With a commitment to create 500 positions in the medium term for professionals such as engineers and software developers, the European firm Positive Thinking Company opened this week its first operation in Latin America in Bogotá.
With the opening of this center, the company expects to have capacity in areas such as web, mobile and backend engineering, specialties, UX/UI Design, delivery and product, with which it will support its North American operations and seek to open a commercial market in Latin America in 2023.
For its part, the Uruguayan technology company Moove It opened its second operation in Cali, in order to continue expanding throughout the country and reach 400 positions in the next two years. The company seeks to hire professionals in the area of systems, programming, design, quality and in general various specialties.
Finally, the Mexican company Softtek opened a new local office, from where the services that the company offers to its clients at a global level will be supported. The investment, which is part of the expansion plan, projects to generate nearly 2,000 total jobs by the end of 2023, of which around 50% have already been completed.
BRIEFCASE
