The Open Innovation & Investor Summit 2023 (OISummit 2023) took place in Bogota, Colombia, on November 1st and 2nd, 2023. The event was organised by Connect, one of Latin America’s most important innovation networks, and aimed to connect companies, entrepreneurs, investors and leading universities to foster a culture of innovation and find disruptive solutions to business challenges. During the gathering, members of the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator participated to present the project and the opportunities it offers to the Latin American innovation ecosystem.
OISummit 2023 aims to foster valuable relationships by bringing together the most innovative minds. Over 3,000 entrepreneurs, universities, and investors from 16 countries participated in this event to learn, share experiences and build connections. The event had 75 speakers from 9 countries, 50 talks (conferences and workshops). With this in mind, representatives from EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, Wayra Hispam and Tecnalia Colombia joined the summit to showcase the benefits that their project will bring to the attendees.
At the event, Sebastian Gonzalez, Director of Corporate Venturing & Partnerships at Wayra Hispam, along with Brigitte Mayorga, the General Director at Tecnalia Colombia and Alberto Menghini, the EU Head of Cooperation in Colombia, introduced the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. They encouraged the attendees to participate in this project, which is aimed at creating valuable connections between corporates and start-ups from Europe, Latin America and theCaribbean.
Alberto Menghini expressed: “The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator creates partnerships between European, Latin American and Caribbean corporates and technology start-ups to address productivity, sustainability and inclusion challenges. It promotes economic growth and contributes to our society’s well-being regarding the environment, education and health. I would like to express my gratitude to our partners, TECNALIA COLOMBIA, Wayra Hispam, and all the innovators who participated in the summit held in Bogota. Their stories have had a profound impact on me. As the European Union in Colombia, we are thrilled to see the Digital Alliance taking shape, and we are eager to see this initiative’s success. We welcome all interested companies to join this venture and become the next success story.”
Moreover, we had the chance to host the enriching panel discussion titled “Unlocking Open Innovation – Successful Cases in Linking startups and Corporates.” moderated by Brigitte Mayorga. In this stage, Agustín Rotondo (Managing Director at Wayra Hispam- Telefónica Movistar), Paola Rivero García (Latam Innovation and Digital strategy Head, AstraZeneca) and Jorge Ramirez (Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Epayco) shared their insights on the success stories and lessons learned from the collaboration between startups and corporates. They placed a very important emphasis on the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, which aims to connect the innovation ecosystem beyond the Latin American region by applying open innovation. Their perspectives were valuable in shedding light on our international initiative.
In addition to engaging panels, summit participants had the opportunity to visit the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator booth for more information on the project. Our team in Latin America was available to answer any questions and offer valuable insights to interested corporates and startups. The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator team found it highly rewarding to witness the significant interest generated by this initiative within the Colombian ecosystem. The exhibition stand attracted a steady stream of visits from managers and business leaders who understand the transformative power of open innovation in driving organisational competitiveness and development.
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