Corporacion Interactuar

At Interactuar, we promote the social, economic, and environmental progress of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Colombia. For over 42 years, we have worked to create opportunities that empower people and strengthen communities. Our mission was born during the 1980s, When was Colombia facing a severe crisis of violence, compounding the effects of an ongoing civil war. The economic toll was significant, affecting productivity, competitiveness, and private investment. This, in turn, eroded human and social capital, putting the welfare and stability of families at serious risk.

In 1983, in the middle of this context, a group of private entrepreneurs founded the organization under the name Acción por Antioquia – ACTUAR. Their mission was to address high unemployment rates by promoting the development of “Famiempresas” small family-run businesses that lacked access to the formal financial system.

In 2008, the organization underwent a rebranding, evolving from ACTUAR to INTERACTUAR. While the name and corporate image changed, the mission and social purpose remained the same: to promote the social, economic, and environmental progress of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Colombia.

Today, INTERACTUAR fulfills this mission through a committed team of around 550 employees who believe in this purpose and work hard every day to achieve it.

Our Purpose and Causes

INTERACTUAR's work is centered around four core "Causes":

1. Generating Valuable Relationships: Building strong, ongoing relationships with key stakeholders through networking and collaboration.
2. Human and Entrepreneurial Development: Providing the tools, training, and guidance needed to overcome poverty, generate wealth, and create added value.
3. Labor Formalization: Creating conditions that enable the generation of dignified, sustainable employment.
4. Access to Financial Services: Offering productive credit to support social and economic progress.

We operate in both urban and rural areas, adapting our services to the diverse socioeconomic realities of each region. We pay special attention to women, youth, and people involved in agriculture, aiming to strengthen entire value chains.

In 2024, we launched our digital credit offering to expand access to underserved entrepreneurs and reach remote regions of Colombia.

A Human-Centered Model

INTERACTUAR’s business transformation model places the human being at its center. We aim to change mindsets, behaviors, and habits to help entrepreneurs grow, both personally and professionally. This transformation is supported through:

• Workshops
• Specialized programs
• One-on-one consulting
• Technical assistance
• Online courses and educational content
• Ongoing support from our consulting team

Our Business School embodies a philosophy of being, doing, and learning by doing. It offers an environment of learning and collaboration tailored to entrepreneurs’ stages of development. Specialized programs are available for agribusinesses, recognizing their unique production models and cost structures.

Our Reach and Impact

Since its founding, INTERACTUAR has supported over 450,000 entrepreneurs across more than 200 municipalities in Colombia. Services include:

• Business training and capacity-building
• Consulting and technical assistance
• Incubation and acceleration
• Design and brand development
• Business management models
• Certification and production chain support

To multiply our impact, we develop socioeconomic development projects in partnership with entities like Chambers of Commerce, producer associations, local governments, and international organizations. These partnerships help us reach entrepreneurs in vulnerable communities and enable them to fully exercise their economic rights.

To date, we’ve executed more than 300 high-impact projects with over 90 public and private allies, gaining recognition as a leading institution in business development.

In the last three years alone, INTERACTUAR has carried out 120 social projects in 18 departments, benefiting approximately 12,000 entrepreneurs and mobilizing over USD $12 million in project funding.

Entrepreneur Profile and Social Impact

Over 96% of the entrepreneurs we serve come from low-income brackets. More than 88% do not have university education, and many turned to entrepreneurship to survive and support their families.

Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Our work directly contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

1. No Poverty (SDG 1): By improving income through productive credit and business support, we enable access to better healthcare, food, education, and housing.
2. Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8): We provide affordable financing, promote entrepreneurship, and create productive, dignified jobs for vulnerable populations.
3. Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10): We ensure women, youth, and rural entrepreneurs have equal access to credit and training, reducing gaps in opportunity.
4. Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17): We build strategic alliances to scale our impact and foster a collaborative network of entrepreneurs, government, private sector, and international allies, all working toward shared global goals.