UA Seeking Tech Ties with Colombia

Jeff Amerine, director of technology ventures at the University of Arkansas Technology Licensing Office, said the school is on the short list for a mentoring program with two universities in Colombia.

Innpulsa, a Colombian state agency charged with building a technology-based ecosystem, hosted a tech and entrepreneurship summit in the spring in Bogota. Amerine was there and forged warm ties with Colombian officials, and now, the university is likely to be selected by at least one of the schools to teach Colombian entrepreneurs how to convert academic research into commercially viable products.

Though Amerine would not divulge the identities of the schools, he did say they were two of the most prominent universities in the country. 

While Colombia is not as large as Brazil or as well known as Argentina, it has emerged as a player in the world economy and could serve as a “base camp” for business development in greater South America.

According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Colombia has the 29th largest population in the world, 45.7 million, and the 29th largest GDP in the world, $511 billion.

Considered an emerging market, Colombia is stepping out of the shadow of Pablo Escobar, the Medellin-based drug lord killed in 1993.

As a mentor, Amerine and his UA colleagues would teach Colombians the hallmarks of building a successful tech startup: programs, place-making, networking, events, talent development and capital formation.

“The time is right,” Amerine said, referring to the opportunities in Colombia.