Antioquia
Colombia's innovation hub: Medellín recorded 21,480 new businesses in 2024 with 6.5% unemployment, Latin America's 3rd most innovative city.
In the 1960s, the Aburrá Valley held Colombia's largest textile companies—Coltejer, Fabricato, Tejicóndor—clustered around Itagüí and Medellín. That industrial base never disappeared; it evolved. Today the sector grows 2.4% annually, supporting 18,000 companies and 117,000 jobs. Medellín hosts Colombiamoda and Colombiatex, Latin America's premier fashion events. The Textile, Design & Fashion Cluster now develops technical textiles and cosmetic fabrics alongside traditional garments.
Medellín reinvented itself from cartel-dominated city to Latin America's third most innovative according to WIPO. In 2024, 21,480 new businesses were created despite national declines, bringing active companies to 118,441. The Aburrá Valley recorded Colombia's lowest unemployment at 6.5%. Concentrix and other tech firms chose Medellín specifically for its innovation ecosystem. New metro lines extend to Sabaneta; 50km of bike lanes arrive by 2025.
Antioquia also remains Colombia's second-largest coffee producer, supplying Arabica varietals to the specialty market. By 2026, the department will test whether its reinvention model—from textiles to tech, from violence to venture capital—can scale to the entire country, or whether Medellín's transformation remains an isolated miracle in the Aburrá mountains.