Latin America’s startup ecosystem is looking beyond local markets for its next phase of growth. In November, Medellín will bring together more than 1,000 global leaders at the Horasis Global Summit 2026 to discuss the investment conditions, cross-border partnerships, and artificial intelligence developments that could shape the region’s next generation of companies.
The summit will take place from November 10 to 13 under the theme “Building Tomorrow.” Organized by Swiss think tank Horasis, with the City of Medellín as co-host, the event will bring together business executives, government representatives, investors, academics, and technology leaders to examine economic development and the role of innovation in a changing global economy.
For startups in Latin America, the gathering comes as founders look for ways to secure capital, build international partnerships, and expand beyond their home markets. The agenda includes sessions on investment in Colombia, entrepreneurial pathways across Latin America, fintech, and the conditions needed to build companies capable of competing internationally.
Investment and cross-border growth in Latin America
One of the summit’s sessions, “Colombia as a Long-Term Investment Horizon,” will examine the factors that influence investment decisions, including regulatory clarity, institutional strength, and sustainability. The discussion will bring together representatives from investment promotion, consulting, private equity, and investment firms.
Another session, “Building Entrepreneurial Pathways Across Latin America,” will focus on regional cooperation and the challenges startups face when scaling across borders. Expanding into new markets often requires more than a product that works in one country: companies must also navigate different regulations, build local partnerships, and secure access to customers and capital.
The agenda also includes a fintech discussion featuring companies such as Colombia’s Lineru, TuBanc, Finti, and Avanzo, alongside Venezuela’s Finity Tech. Their participation places financial services within a broader conversation about how technology companies can address regional needs and develop business models with room to grow.
Medellín has been strengthening its position as a startup and innovation hub. The Horasis summit offers another opportunity to connect local founders and institutions with international investors and business leaders.
AI, the future of work, and the next generation of companies
Artificial intelligence will also feature prominently in the summit’s agenda, with discussions examining its economic and social implications alongside its commercial applications.
One session, “Governing Artificial Intelligence,” will explore how ethical principles can be translated into practical rules. Another, “AI Cities: Connecting Ancestral & Artificial Intelligence,” will consider how local knowledge, social cohesion, and ecological awareness can shape the use of AI in urban environments.
The program also includes a discussion on mental health and AI chatbots, addressing the limitations of using automated systems for needs that require human judgment and clinical expertise. Together, these sessions place AI adoption within a wider debate about how technology should affect institutions, workers, and communities.
For startups, the implications extend beyond developing AI products. Companies must also determine how to incorporate the technology into their operations, build sustainable business models, and compete in markets where access to capital and skilled talent can shape their growth.
The summit will address these issues through a session on “Building Latin America’s New Architecture of Work,” which will examine distributed teams, AI-assisted workflows, and on-demand hiring. Executives from Salesforce Colombia, Globant, TP MAR, and XTrain are listed among its participants.
The event will also discuss how Latin America can strengthen its role in the global economy as technological change reshapes competition between countries and companies.
Horasis previously held its 2025 global summit in São Paulo, Brazil. The 2026 edition marks the first time the organization’s global summit will take place in Colombia, bringing its international network of business and political leaders to Medellín.
For the region’s startups, the opportunity will lie in turning the conversations into practical outcomes: investment relationships, commercial partnerships, and access to markets beyond Latin America. The summit will bring those stakeholders together, but its longer-term value will depend on whether the connections formed during the event translate into opportunities for companies to grow.
