Expansion Management

San Francisco Targets Latin America for Investment

Sept. 12, 2014

The city's new initiative is to help established Latin American companies expand and assist startups to locate in San Francisco.

Adrienne Selko

At Silicon Valley Day in Mexico City, held Sept. 11, the City of San Francisco launched a new economic development initiative called LatinSF.

LatinSF was created as a public-private partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the San Francisco Center for Economic Development (SFCED), to create a help established Latin American companies expand and assist startups to locate in San Francisco.

LatinSF will also support San Francisco-based companies that are seeking to expand their businesses south.

LatinSF goals include:

Providing an end-to-end concierge service to Latin American businesses seeking to locate in San Francisco, including market intelligence, assistance with relevant city permitting, referrals to professional service providers and potential partners and assistance in identifying real estate opportunities
Promoting San Francisco as the U.S. capital of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the Latin American region
Partnering with existing Latin American businesses and government agencies to build a welcoming business ecosystem in San Francisco
Showcasing San Francisco businesses, products and services to the Latin American market
Facilitating trade missions to Latin America for government and business leaders

According to the Economic Development Blog, the Mayor is on an official trade mission to Latin America, and the visit has secured tangible results with the announcement of the first LatinSF partnership with Startup Mexico, a government-backed incubator and accelerator for tech firms in Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

LatinSF has secured sponsors including AeroMexico and the Mita Institute and Tech Accelerator, which is a business accelerator, tech forum and venture fund which is helping build the innovation economy in Mexico.

According to the Economic Development Blog:

The initiative aims to replicate the success of the China- San Francisco economic development initiative ChinaSF.

SFCED Executive Director Dennis Conaghan said the demand for assistance for Latin American companies has been steadily growing, and they believe the timing is perfect to reach out to the region.

“We can never take our economic recovery and expansion for granted,” said Mayor Lee, adding that LatinSF was another way to diversify the economy, attract new companies and jobs to the City and create opportunities around the world for businesses based in San Francisco.

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor

Focus: Workforce, Talent

Follow Me on Twitter: @ASelkoIW

Bio: Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with the publication and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics and EHS Today.

Editorial mission statement: Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I find manufacturing interesting: On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.