Distrito Lab, the public-private acceleration program of the District Secretariat of Economic Development of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá and Colombia Tech Week, opened its 2026 call for technological startups based in Bogotá DC. In this context, the initiative seeks to select 25 companies with validated traction that are ready to connect with regional and international investment.
Unlike traditional training programs, Distrito Lab operates as an investment funnel. That is, it selects startups with real metrics, then prepares them with mentors from the ecosystem and, finally, connects them directly with venture capital funds active in Latin America. Additionally, for this edition, the program will prioritize verticals with greater investment traction in the region, such as B2B applied AI, HealthTech, Fintech, ClimateTech/AgroTech, Logistics and Cybersecurity.
A program in three phases
On the one hand, Distrito Lab 2026 operates progressively: the 25 selected startups will receive training in fundraising, investor storytelling, unit economics and data room. Subsequently, the 10 with the greatest potential will delve into financial modeling, growth and simulated due diligence. Finally, the 5 finalists will access 1:1 mentoring with VCs, ex-founders and operators, with the goal of arriving at Demo Day ready to raise a round.
Regarding the requirements, startups must be legally incorporated in Colombia and have domicile in Bogotá. Likewise, they must have at least 12 months of formal operation, an MVP validated with real clients and, in addition, a minimum of two co-founders, one of them with a technical profile. On the contrary, startups in the idea stage, AI wrappers without their own data, or models without a technological component will not be considered.
A background that supports the bet
In its first edition in 2025, the program received 376 applications and, after the selection process, chose 20 startups. Then, he took 5 of them to Demo Day, where the participants raised approximately US$2.8 million in investment. Furthermore, the program closed that edition with an average NPS of 4.75 out of 5 among its participants.
Ultimately, Distrito Lab’s purpose is to position Bogotá as a strategic player within the startup investment ecosystem in Latin America. This occurs at a time when venture capital in the region is increasingly focused on startups with real metrics, solid teams and scalable models beyond their local market.
