The Women Entrepreneurs of Medellín: A Group Moving Women, Ideas and Businesses

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Women Entrepreneurs Medellin

If there’s one thing that I’ve heard from all my expat friends is that they have a really hard time making friends in Medellín. Women, especially, have a hard time meeting other (specifically local) women in the city.

So, when I attended an expat women’s brunch a few months back, I was so relieved to see a room full of women ready to meet, share and think about how to work together. The event organizer caught on to the popularity of this event and moved forward.

There are so many women entrepreneurs in Medellín: from cafe and restaurant owners to women’s group leaders, to clothing brand founders and so much more.

Entrepreneurship in Medellín is hardly a taboo topic. Both locals and visitors, men and women in the city are constantly thinking up business ideas, making them into a reality.

Facebook: A place for Locals, Expats, and Businesses

You can see this boom of small businesses in the city in the many Facebook groups for expats and visitors of Medellín such as Doing Business and Living in Medellín, Medellin Entrepreneur Society, Digital Nomads Medellin, among others.

Members will frequently ask for recommendations and members will offer help or services, many times plugging their own businesses.

This is a great way for those who live in the city to not only communicate with others but share and receive ideas and create (arguably) effective business marketing.

However, if we really look at the gender diversity of the posts on these groups, we’ll notice that it pretty male-dominated. The reason behind this is unclear to me at this point, I can’t say that women are less participative or that there are fewer women expats in Medellín.

What I do know, however, is that all of the aforementioned groups were started by men, but when you look at a list of members, you quickly see the faces of local and foreign women right along those of men. In most groups, the membership seems to be almost even.

On the other hand,  I had to scroll down ten male posts to reach a female one, and most comments are from male expats or locals.

This is not to say that there is no use in being a part of these groups. Both men and women find a great deal of information, recommendations, items for sale, etc. via these Facebook communities. However, these communities are largely virtual and impersonal (or at times too personal for a public group) and this is how new groups form to accommodate the alternative needs of members.

Women Entrepreneurs Medellin Founder Eleni Cotsis
Women Entrepreneurs Medellin Founder Eleni Cotsis

Finding a Place for Women on Medellín Facebook Groups

I spoke to Eleni Cotsis about this, founder of the Women Entrepreneurs of Medellín group on Facebook. She said that during her time in Medellín she’s had experience organizing events for several types of groups.

She approached the Medellin Entrepreneur Society group to create events to bring people together, go from facebook to face-to-face, beyond a virtual community. It was then that she noticed the lack of female representation in these groups.

Apparently, MES would have occasional events in the past, but it had been some time. After not having much luck there, Eleni decided she could create a group of her own and fill two gaps at once: the lack of face-to-face gatherings and the missing representation of women, specifically women entrepreneurs.

Of course, the Women Entrepreneurs of Medellín group is not entirely unique. There is also Geek Girls Latam for Latin American women in tech, Expat Women in Medellín, among other women developer and empowerment groups. What makes this group unique is that there are both expat and Colombian women and that there are constantly opportunities to meet these women in person, making it more than a virtual community.

What makes this group unique is that there are both expat and Colombian women and that there are constantly opportunities to meet these women in person, making it more than a virtual community.

Women have day-to-day support in what they’re doing and can easily find other women to work, meet up, or even share a coffee with!

Women Entrepreneurs Medellín

It all started with one expat women’s brunch, which I actually pushed myself to attend. I walked into a room full of people I didn’t know and came out with a lot of new acquaintances, work contacts, and one really good friend! I was shocked that It really could be that easy.

Several events later, there are 418 members in the Women Entrepreneurs Medellín group and posts vary from links to investing articles, sharing of projects like Reiki, women’s groups, introductions, business plugs and messages of gratefulness.

Women Owned Businesses

Some of the businesses highlighted in these groups are:

Events

The group events vary from talks from local entrepreneurs to Friday drinks, get-togethers at local co-working spaces and in the future will probably expand to much bigger conferences and meetings as the group continues to grow.

These events take the group to another level, often forming bonds between members, introducing newcomers to Medellín, and even helping members land jobs and internships.

This year, they’ll also host a Start-up weekend and will continue to have monthly meetups, so join the group for the latest updates!

This group is making a real difference for local women in how they interact with other women in the city as well as how they share their projects and help other local businesses grow. I believe it is one more way to keep the entrepreneurial spirit in Medellin, and support and grow the local economy.

What groups improve your experience in Medellin? Tell us in the comments below!

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11 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you so much Ximena for being part of the community and writing this lovely article about the group! I hope it can reach those women thinking of coming to Medellin to join an awesome, growing group of professional ladies here in Medellin.

  2. I’m so excited to hear about this being a woman who’s moving to Medellin next week! I’m starting my own business and travel blog so I look forward to attending a meet up.

  3. It is so nice to see so many women empowering and helping. As a woman and a business owner, I know it has been really nice to talk with other women in there group, get their ideas, hear their struggles and help them when I can as they have also helped me. Thank you Ximena for being so amazing and bringing a larger spotlight to this group!

  4. The support and encouragement I’ve received from this group as an expat has been amazing! I’m so glad this community is growing and getting more attention.

  5. Aren’t we all sick beyond belief of identity politics from back in the US and Canada already? Why do we need to export this divisive leftist attitude to Colombia? Why not supporting all businesses and entrepreneurs, all of them? Why not supporting people based on their deeds, strictly on merit? Equality is unnatural and anti-evolutionary. Equity is outright unfair. Merit matters, nothing else.

  6. Awesome !!! The Des O’Connor’s women in business conference provides women with the dynamic opportunity to advance their career, grow their business, and help design their future by pursuing professional development within a welcoming environment of career-focused women leaders. Women can expect to gain a newfound inspiration, a sense of achievement, and an increased business network within the local community.

  7. EXPAT WOMEN in MEDELLIN Hola a todos, Thanks for this interesting and informative article. I am female , over 40, European, planning to move to Medellin within the next year. So far all I can find are articles/blogs/websites/forums by, for, and about, men only. Also mainly American expats, either older , retired men or younger digital nomad types. This is the first article I’ve found that alludes to the fact that there are a few female expats living in Medellin also.
    But what I want to ask is this : Are there really many/any independent, single, female expats in Medellin (not there with a spouse or family), or is it mainly men, as seems to be the case? Whilst I would fully intend to integrate into local society- I speak Spanish, and have lived in many different countries- I don’t relish the idea of living in a city where there are few female expats, and fewer European women. Can anyone please give a current update on the situation. In particular, if you are a female expat living and/or working in Medellin , I would love to hear your view of the city and life there. Muchas gracias, Ana

    • Hi Ana, I hope you’re able to make it to Medellin. And YES! There are a lot of expat women here in Medellin, both single and with partners. Like Alan mentioned, there are two groups on Facebook that can be extremely helpful in making new friends. The Women Entrepreneurs of Medellin groups is more of a mix between locals and expats, but we have events once a month where its encouraged to make new friends. The Expat Women in Medellin group can be very helpful for meeting new expat friends here and also to get help/questions answered (I find that group more helpful & welcoming than any of the other Medellin expat groups).

      If you join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenEntrepreneursMedellin/ find me (Eleni Cotsis), add me on Facebook, and send me a message. We can grab coffee once you’re in town and maybe I can help answer any questions you might have before you arrive 🙂