Argentina Makes Strides in Silicon Valley

Businesspeople from the tech sector, together with Provincial Government authorities, the Córdoba Cluster Technology and AmCham Argentina participated in a trade mission to Silicon Valley (locate near San Francisco, California), one of the most important technology and cybernetics research hub.

The goal was to get insider’s knowledge about the greatest tech ecosystem in the world. Participating businesses and authorities had the chance to learn firsthand about how international startups are run, and had the opportunity to establish connections with people and companies.

ProCórdoba Agency’s President Jorge Marcotegui shared his experience visiting different organizations, institutions and companies where proactive leadership is brought together with technology to improve government services, the community and the life of the city’s clients. In his words,

“It has been an enriching experience, where the public and private sectors interacted with one another, and which allowed as to look into the world of tomorrow. We have confirmed that our country has extraordinary human potential. We visited Argentine startups based in the Silicon Valley ecosystem. Besides, in all the American companies we visited, we were welcomed by Argentine executives who are very successful in their jobs. It was a journey into the near future, the ‘Mecca of Knowledge.’”

For his part, Santex’s General Manager Walter Abrigo noted,

“The mission to Silicon Valley was highly successful, because it allowed us to learn about the most innovative ecosystem in the world and about how its actors – the Government, entrepreneurs, businesses, and academia – establish and maintain effective relationships. Any businessperson who has the opportunity to visit this tech hub will see their mind structures change regarding how they must relate to their surroundings so that they can bring innovation to their industry and enhance their business’s life expectancy. On the other hand, these experiences give businesspeople and the public sector the chance to really learn about one another, thus allowing for networking with new opportunities. In particular, as a representative for Santex and Incutex, I got to confirm that, despite the long way there’s still to go, we are on the right track. We started working towards some agreements with some of the companies we visited and with local companies we traveled with.”

Enrear representative Diego Cotsifis also shared his views:

“The mission was a complete success. The delegation was a very interesting group; diversity was a key factor. We got to exchange thoughts and ideas, talk about problems, etc. As for the visits, they were valuable because they opened up our minds regarding new work methods, how to face challenges, etc. I came back with many new ideas to implement in our company and with an amazing group of colleagues. Our mission, now, will be to share with society what we learned back there. I want to thank AmCham and Córdoba Technology Cluster for organizing the mission, and Government authorities and ProCórdoba Agency for their innovative vision and the support provided to these initiatives.”

During the mission to the State of California, the delegation visited Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Department of Technology, Globant – an Argentine tech company which has secured a place in this research center –, and 500 Startups, one of the biggest venture capitals in the region (over 300 million dollars). The group also visited important companies such as Airbnb, Cisco, Tesla, and Autodesk, among others. A visit was also made to world-renowned Stanford University.

The delegation included the following Provincial Government authorities: Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining Roberto Avalle; Ministry of Science and Technology Walter Robledo; Agencia Córdoba Innovar y Emprender (Córdoba Innovate and Undertake Agency) President Mario César Cuneo, and ProCórdoba Agency’s President Jorge Marcotegui. 

ProCórdoba Agency provided support to the following companies and institutions: Umbrella S.A., Santex, Enrear, Machinalis, Translation Back Office S.A., Grupo Galmes SRL, RF Mega Service, Córdoba Cluster Technology and Universidad Blas Pascal (Blas Pascal University).