Colombia Now Has 2,295 Startups, and SaaS Just Passed Fintech

Colombia · Technology & Startups

Colombia’s startup scene used to be a fintech story. The newest map of the ecosystem tells a more layered one: more companies than ever, a new sector on top, and investors who have grown choosier about where the money goes. For a market that has quietly become one of Latin America’s most dynamic, 2026 is less about counting startups than about which ones can scale.

What did the Colombia tech report find?

The Rio Times, the Latin American financial news outlet, reports that the Colombia tech report from KPMG, now in its fifth edition and produced with 13 partners, mapped 2,295 active startups, a 9.3% rise over the prior year. The headline shift is at the top of the ranking, where software-as-a-service has taken the lead for the first time.

SaaS now accounts for 27% of the ecosystem with 610 startups, overtaking fintech, which sits second at 20% with 465 companies. The change reflects a broader move toward corporate-efficiency software and away from the consumer-finance focus that long defined Colombian tech.

Which sectors have the most momentum?

KPMG flags four. Fintech remains the anchor, with Colombia among the region’s most consolidated digital-finance markets. Climate tech is the differentiated bet, leaning on the country’s biodiversity, water and carbon-credit assets, while applied artificial intelligence is treated as a competitive edge for productivity and industry-specific solutions.

The fourth is govtech, technology for the public sector, tied to state modernization, digital trust and growing cybersecurity needs. Together, these verticals point to an ecosystem maturing beyond pure consumer apps toward infrastructure and enterprise tools.

Where does Colombia stand in the region?

Near the front of the pack. The Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026 placed Colombia 35th worldwide and ranked Bogota as Latin America’s third-strongest startup hub, trailing only Sao Paulo and Mexico City. In 2025, the country grew its mapped ecosystem at a pace well above the regional average.

Capital tells a similar story. Colombia drew $513 million across 104 formal deals in 2025, roughly 12% of all Latin American investment, ranking third behind Brazil and Mexico. Cundinamarca and Bogota together concentrate 46% of the country’s startups, underlining the capital region’s gravitational pull.

Why is 2026 the year of selectivity?

Because the money has grown harder to win. After a recovery in 2025, KPMG says capital concentrated in fewer companies, liquidity became more demanding, and the standard for growth rose. The challenge, in the report’s framing, has shifted from launching a startup to scaling one.

Funding now splits by stage. Local capital is decisive at the start, with Colombia-based funds committing about $38.5 million, roughly 10% of mapped investment, while international capital is the key to scaling. The result is an ecosystem that is broad at the base but increasingly selective at the top.

What should investors and analysts watch next?

• The SaaS-versus-fintech shift: whether software-as-a-service holds its new lead signals where Colombian tech is heading.
• AI adoption: KPMG calls AI a cross-cutting thesis, so its spread across verticals is a key growth indicator.
• International capital: the flow of foreign funding determines which startups can scale beyond the local market.
• Climate tech and carbon credits: Colombia’s biodiversity edge could turn into a distinctive export if the sector matures.
• Regional ranking: whether Bogota holds third place behind Sao Paulo and Mexico City reflects its competitive standing.

More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Colombia tech report?

It is KPMG’s annual mapping of Colombia’s startup ecosystem, now in its fifth edition and produced with 13 partners. The 2026 report counted 2,295 active startups, up 9.3% year on year, and tracks sectors, funding and regional standing for founders and investors.

Why did SaaS overtake fintech?

Software-as-a-service reached 27% of startups (610), overtaking fintech at 20% (465), as the ecosystem shifted toward corporate-efficiency tools. The move reflects maturation beyond consumer finance toward enterprise software, a more scalable model that needs less physical investment.

How much investment did Colombia attract?

In 2025, Colombia drew $513 million across 104 formal deals, about 12% of Latin American venture investment, ranking third behind Brazil and Mexico. Local funds committed about $38.5 million, roughly 10% of mapped capital, with international money key to scaling.

How does Bogota rank regionally?

The Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026 ranked Bogota as Latin America’s third-strongest startup hub, behind only Sao Paulo and Mexico City, and placed Colombia 35th worldwide. Cundinamarca and Bogota together hold 46% of the country’s startups.

What does “year of selectivity” mean?

KPMG uses it to describe 2026, when capital concentrated in fewer companies and the bar to grow rose. After a 2025 recovery, liquidity became more demanding and AI emerged as a cross-cutting investment thesis, shifting the challenge from launching startups to scaling them.

Connected Coverage

The fintech anchor of this ecosystem is detailed in our reporting on how Nubank became Colombia’s fifth-largest bank without a branch. The wider regional fintech build-out is covered in our piece on Brazil’s tightening fintech regulation, and the macro setting in our guide to Colombia’s economy in 2026.

Sources

Reported by Sofia Gabriela Martinez for The Rio Times — Latin American financial news. Filed May 20, 2026 — 17:30 BRT.

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