Uventures Launches $12B Fund to Boost 300 University Startups in Medellín

Uventures marks a new milestone in Medellín’s innovation landscape. The city has launched a specialized fund focused on university-based entrepreneurship, with the ambitious goal of incubating 300 startups over the next five years. Backed by an initial investment of $12 billion COP, the initiative positions Medellín as a regional leader in connecting academia, business, and venture capital.

A Collaboration Between Academia and the Private Sector

The fund is driven by Universidad EAFIT, the Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia (EIA), and the Fundación Fraternidad Medellín, with support from private and industry partners. Its mission is to identify, finance, and scale projects led by students, professors, and university researchers, focusing on technological, scientific, and social innovations that address real market needs.

Uventures will operate under a hybrid model combining direct investment, specialized mentoring, access to investor networks, and connections with national and international accelerators. Selected projects will need to demonstrate technical viability, scalability potential, and value creation in key sectors such as digital health, agribusiness, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the creative economy.

Open Innovation and Knowledge Transfer

Beyond funding, the initiative includes the creation of an open innovation lab, designed to foster collaboration among universities, companies, and public entities. This space will allow teams to test their solutions in real-world settings, accelerate technological adoption, and generate valuable insights for future knowledge transfer strategies.

Building a Culture of Academic Entrepreneurship

With Uventures, Medellín strengthens its university entrepreneurship ecosystem, aiming to retain young talent and position the city as a reference for applied innovation in Latin America. Project representatives emphasized that the fund seeks not only economic outcomes but also the development of a long-term entrepreneurial culture that connects research with regional growth and social impact.