Washington, DC - Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State Ambassador David H. Thorne will lead the State Department’s “Innovation Roadshow” to Colombia and Mexico from July 18-22. This Roadshow is a next step in bolstering support for entrepreneurship and follows a March 1-11, 2016 delegation led by Ambassador Thorne to Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines as well as a separate March 14-18, 2016 Innovation Roadshow to four cities in India (New Delhi, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad) headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles H. Rivkin.

The delegation is made up of a diverse group that includes private companies, entrepreneurship non-profits, and financial investors. At each stop, the delegation will meet with government officials, business leaders, venture capitalists, students, and start-ups to discuss the challenges to entrepreneurship and the importance of supporting innovation.

On July 18, in Medellin, Colombia the delegation will hold a panel discussion at the Ruta N innovation center as well as meet with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and city officials. The Innovation Roadshow will move to Bogota on July 19 for a day of activities that includes a panel discussion at Universidad EAN.

In Mexico City on July 20-21, delegates will discuss entrepreneurship at the Escuela Bancaria y Comercial and meet with innovators at StartUp Mexico and MassChallenge Mexico in addition to discussions with businesses and government officials. The roadshow will wrap up on July 21-22 in Guadalajara, Mexico with a tour of the Eugenio Garza Laguera Entrepreneurship Institute at the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and meetings with decision-makers and entrepreneurs.

The Innovation Roadshow delegation includes IBM, GE, Endeavor, Coursera, Private Advising Group, Elevar Equity, and Agora Partnerships.