On Wednesday, December 3rd, the results of the 2024 ACTI Measurement were presented . This event, convened by the Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali, the Cali Chamber of Commerce, and Reddi Colombia, with the support of the Colombian Observatory of Science and Technology (OCyT), brought together businesses, academia, and institutions to learn about the progress, challenges, and opportunities of the Science, Technology, and Innovation ecosystem in Cali, a regional city.

Este miércoles 3 de diciembre se llevó a cabo la Socialización de Resultados de la Medición ACTI 2024, un espacio convocado por la Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali, la Cámara de Comercio de Cali y Reddi Colombia, con el apoyo del Observatorio Colombiano de Ciencia y Tecnología – OCyT.

Un encuentro que reunió a empresas, academia e instituciones para conocer los avances, retos y oportunidades del ecosistema de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Cali, Ciudad Región.

Efrén Romero, Director of the Colombian Observatory - OCyT

An event to recognize and project the future of innovation

For her part, Alejandra Ibarra, Head of Customer Knowledge at the Cali Chamber of Commerce, shared a key message about the relevance of the exercise:

“We deeply value the commitment of the participating companies. These results allow us to better understand the evolution of the business landscape and the opportunities to strengthen competitiveness.”

These voices were joined by Mónica Dueñas Gómez, Director of the Fusióni3 Valle Reddi Colombia Project, emphasizing the role of measurement as a tool to energize the ecosystem:

“This measurement is a fundamental input. The data shows us real capabilities and opportunities for connection between companies, institutions, and academia. Understanding them allows us to strengthen initiatives and forge alliances that accelerate innovation in the city-region.”

Por su parte, la Jefe de Conocimiento del Cliente, Alejandra Ibarra de la Cámara de Comercio de Cali compartió un mensaje clave sobre la relevancia del ejercicio:

“Valoramos profundamente el compromiso de las empresas que participaron. Estos resultados nos permiten comprender mejor la evolución del tejido empresarial y las oportunidades para fortalecer la competitividad.”

A estas voces se sumó Mónica Dueñas Gómez, Directora del Proyecto Fusióni3 Valle Reddi Colombia, enfatizando el rol de la medición como herramienta para dinamizar el ecosistema:

“Esta medición es un insumo fundamental. Los datos nos muestran capacidades reales y oportunidades de conexión entre empresas, instituciones y academia. Conocerlos nos permite potenciar iniciativas y tejer alianzas que aceleran la innovación en la ciudad-región.”

Presentation of results: what the data reveals

Efrén Romero, executive director of OCyT, and Zully Niño, leader of the statistical operation carried out, presented the key findings built from the participation of more than 140 companies of various sizes and sectors in the city.

The main results were:

Innovation attracts the largest share of business investment in the region.
Large companies lead the execution of Science, Technology and Innovation Activities (STI).
The main obstacles are associated with financial limitations.
Funding for STI is predominantly private.
Small and micro-enterprises allocate proportionally more staff to innovation, although with lower returns.
Female participation in STI activities increases as company size grows.
Innovation generates a higher proportion of sales in large and medium-sized companies.

These findings reaffirm a reality: innovation is the engine that drives new opportunities, competitiveness and business sophistication in the region.

Xpanz 2025: A meeting that articulated and accelerated the innovation ecosystem

Xpanz by 2025 took place on November 21st in the Ritz Ballroom of the Dann Carlton Hotel in Cali, with 220 participants including business leaders, university representatives, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem. The event was structured around three main segments designed to inspire, transform, and connect.

The day began with a welcome session and Networking Express, where leading regional entities that make up NIDO, such as the Valle del Cauca Governor’s Office, the Cali Mayor’s Office, and the Cali Chamber of Commerce, showcased their ability to collaborate to drive innovation and bring to fruition initiatives like the deeptech mapping project, ACTI, Valley Care, and the Agrifoodtech Challenge, demonstrating how Reddi transforms ideas into new businesses. This initial session concluded with a presentation of Reddi-led projects by Juan Manuel Chaves , Reddi’s General Manager, before moving on to the keynote address, “The Future of Innovation – Connections that Transform,” presented by Reddi Colombia, and the sharing of progress on the Mangle Agenda.

For her part, the project director, Mónica Dueñas Fusióni3 Valle , presented the results and key figures, highlighting the impact generated in the university-business articulation in Valle del Cauca, and the maturation of technological solutions.

Simultaneous presentations and impactful alliances

In the simultaneous presentations phase, made possible by the “Silent Room” technology, 20 pitches were executed in parallel, connecting the audience with the experiences of their presenters, thanks to this innovative conference methodology.

In the “Alliances that innovate” space, the 10 university-business alliances of Fusióni3 Valle presented the results obtained during the execution of their projects, showing concrete achievements, development of new products, processes and innovation capabilities.

Both colleagues and other attendees recognized their collaborative work achievements, the agile and engaging way in which they presented their projects, and their remarkable evolution throughout the project. An example of how innovation is strengthened.

“ Ten alliances that worked with universities managed to generate technological developments that will impact the ecosystem,” pointed out Víctor Rodríguez, Transfer Coordinator of the Javeriano Innovation Center.

Simultaneously, at the Demo Day Valley Care event, eight pitches from the open innovation initiative were presented, targeting the healthcare sector. These pitches focused on solutions addressing the four challenges proposed by the partner organizations: Fundación Valle del Lili, DIME Neurocardiovascular Clinic, Cali Ophthalmology Clinic, and Clínica Imbanaco. Also at this event, the two alliances receiving funding from the Agrifoodtech Challenge’s Maturation Fund shared their progress in joint corporate startup planning, initiatives that help to energize the ecosystem.

In the third part of the event, focused on connection, the Experience Day was held, an interactive space with 15 stands where attendees learned about the technologies up close, generated strategic conversations and gave feedback on the projects.

This event concluded with a toast and a final networking session led by Mangle.

During the event, the Aurora Innovation Awards were presented. Recognition was given to the 10 alliances benefiting from Fusióni3 Valle and all their participating companies, the 4 winners of Demo Day Valley Care, and the 2 outstanding alliances of the Agrifoodtech Challenge. Additionally, 10 companies with outstanding results were recognized among the more than 140 organizations that completed the Science, Technology, and Innovation Activities (ACTI) assessment.

A milestone that connects corporations with high-impact technologies

Finally, Xpanz 2025 was the setting for the official launch of the Impact Waves Colombia program, a strategic alliance between Reddi and Wayra Corporate Venture of Telefónica Movistar, with the participation of 20 corporations interested in promoting open innovation pilots and new opportunities for technological scaling.

Interview with Juan Manuel Chaves. The new era of collaboration: from dialogue to action.

Reddi Colombia has established itself as a strategic platform to transform knowledge generated in universities and startups into solutions that boost business competitiveness and sustainable development in the Pacific region.

From his role as a facilitator between researchers and entrepreneurs, it became clear how the connection flowed between those institutions that sought to develop projects to solve global problems such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, food insecurity, among others; that is, points of connection that further strengthened this collaborative work.

Under his leadership, Juan Manuel Chaves, an economist with a background in finance and innovation management, has strengthened Reddi’s role as a facilitator connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. This work has enabled the emergence of projects aimed at addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security.

“More and more universities and companies understand that social and environmental challenges not only demand solutions, but also open up opportunities to create value and compete globally. Integrating technical, scientific, and business knowledge has become key. At Reddi, we promote programs that make this connection possible and transform collaboration into strategic and sustainable alliances.”

Xpanz by Reddi: from collaborative work to visible impact

With this purpose in mind , Xpanz by Reddi was created , a space designed to inspire, connect, and transform. Its fifth edition will take place on November 21st at the Hotel Dann Carlton in Cali, solidifying its position as the leading platform for showcasing the results of projects developed collaboratively by industry and academia.

For Juan Manuel, this version stands out for presenting consolidated alliances in strategic sectors such as agribusiness, food, health and energy, where Valle del Cauca has demonstrated a clear competitive advantage .

“As a region, we have tangible results that demonstrate our leadership in the bioeconomy. Xpanz is that opportunity to see it to believe it : a stage where universities and companies shine with success stories that inspire and show how collaboration becomes an engine of transformation for the entire ecosystem,” he explained.

More than an event, Xpanz is a meeting point designed to generate conversation and facilitate real connections between the actors in the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.

“It’s time for conversations to evolve and transform into alliances that change realities. Trust isn’t decreed: it’s built with results, and that’s precisely what we’ll demonstrate this year.”

Juan Manuel Chaves will be leading "The Future of Innovation: Connections that Transform," one of the conferences at Xpanz by Reddi. Registration is now open.

November 21, 2025
Ritz Room, Dann Carlton Hotel, Santiago de Cali
8:30 am – 12:30 pm
FREE ENTRY

Reddi led the Experience Day at Qualinn 2025: innovation in health came to life

Reddi was present at #Qualinn2025 leading the Experience Day , a space designed to connect innovation, technology and talent in the health sector.

This leadership meant taking on the search and call for innovations in health at the national and international level, with the purpose of bringing together in one place the leading figures who are transforming the sector through science, technology and creativity.

Thanks to this process, we were able to bring together exhibitors from Chile, Peru, Mexico, Spain and Argentina , along with prominent representatives from Colombia, who shared technological solutions applied to health from different perspectives:

Argentina: Motivia , a digital health platform that supports people with chronic diseases or prevention programs.
Mexico: Unblind , developer of AI-based solutions for visual accessibility.
Peru: Xrai , a platform that integrates AI and data analysis to improve hospital management.
Spain: Zerintia HealthTech , specializing in remote assistance technologies and augmented reality for clinical environments.
Chile: Safe by CareYou , innovation focused on patient safety through digital monitoring.

Colombia: HEXAGON 3D Laboratories SAS, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana , UNIMINUTO, Custom Praxis, SalvaHealth, Fundación Valle del Lili , Wekall , among other institutions that promote the advancement of the national digital health ecosystem.

Each exhibitor had a stand in the experience zone , where attendees could interact directly with the technologies, and also presented their pitch on a stage open to the public , showing how their solutions contribute to the future of health.

In this space, technology came to life with demonstrations of medical simulators, artificial intelligence, digital tools and more , allowing visitors to experience firsthand how innovation is transforming healthcare and training.

At Reddi, we continue to promote the connection between knowledge, innovation and action , facilitating experiences where collaboration and technology become real impact.

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Xpanz 2025: Innovation connects companies, universities and startups in the Cauca Valley

Xpanz by Reddi returns this year with a new edition where the bioeconomy will take center stage. Experiences of collaboration between universities, businesses, and startups in health, food, and the environment will showcase the progress in collaboration and the strengthening of innovation in the Valle del Cauca region.

On November 21, 2025, in the Ritz Room of the Dann Carlton Hotel in Cali, the fifth edition of this free event, open to the public, will take place, in which initiatives such as Fusióni3 Valle, Agrifoodtech Challenge and Valley Care will present their results, proposals and journey.

Fusióni3 Valle: Results that inspire

The ten collaborative university-business alliances benefiting from the Fusióni3 Valle Maturation Fund will present their experiences and solutions, which include digital tools to improve healthcare and the training of health professionals, innovative and sustainable foods, and new technologies for measuring and using energy efficiently.

Agrifoodtech Challenge: Advances that feed the future

The winners of the first edition of the Agrifoodtech Challenge will share the progress of their initiatives in the face of challenges such as reducing food waste, promoting regenerative agriculture and developing smart foods for well-being.

Valley Care: Finalists and solutions in healthcare

The eight finalist proposals from Valley Care will present their pitches to a jury that will select the four winners. These will advance to the Maturation Fund in 2026, reaffirming the value of open innovation in building a more accessible, efficient, and humane healthcare system.

In addition, Xpanz by Reddi will be a space to connect with new allies, recognize the potential of working together, and project a future of transformation for the region and the country.

Xpanz by Reddi 2025

November 21, 2025
Ritz Ballroom, Dann Carlton Hotel,
Cra. 2 #1-60, COMUNA 3, Cali, Valle del Cauca
7:30 am – 12:30 pm

Nateco: a spin-off that grows with the impetus of science and innovation

At Reddi, we believe in the power of transforming scientific knowledge into solutions that generate real impact on society. That’s why we support technology-based companies like Nateco , a spin-off from the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO), founded by professor and researcher Luz Marina Flórez , who has successfully turned her academic experience into an opportunity for sustainable development.

Nateco has been recognized as one of the winners of the SciencePreneurs program scholarship, an initiative of the Deeptech Colombia ecosystem , of which Reddi is a part. This award highlights science entrepreneurs who lead high-impact projects based on knowledge and technology.

Luz Marina Flórez

Teacher and researcher

Autonomous University of the West

As part of our work mapping and raising the profile of technology-based companies , Reddi supported Nateco in its application to the Seed Capital program , a strategy promoted by the Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali , through the Secretariat of Economic Development and the 2025 Business Consortium . This initiative supports entrepreneurs, informal workers, and SMEs with training, technical assistance, and capitalization resources to strengthen their production units.

As a result of this process, Nateco was selected as a beneficiary of the Seed Capital fund , an achievement that represents a decisive step to consolidate its business model and continue developing technological solutions that promote environmental sustainability.

At Reddi, we celebrate this progress and reaffirm our commitment to technology transfer and strengthening the Deeptech ecosystem . Cases like Nateco are the best example of how, when research and innovation are connected with the right support, ideas can become true drivers of economic and social change.