Encuentro seeks to generate networks, share knowledge and experiences, and promote technological adoption as an engine for building a more sustainable and innovative future.
On April 16 and 17, Puerto Varas will be the meeting point of business leaders, academics and actors of the technological ecosystem within the framework of TRANSFORMA 2026: Innovation & Technology Summit, a project supported by Corfo that seeks to position southern Chile as a strategic pole for innovation with purpose, digital transformation and sustainable development.
Under the slogan “Welcome to the future, welcome to the south that transforms”, this meeting hopes to bring together more than 800 attendees and more than 25 speakers and national and international panelists to reflect and co-create solutions to the current social, economic and environmental challenges.
The summit will be held in parallel in two recognized spaces in the commune: while the Wyndham Petra Hotel will be the epicenter of talks and panels, the Bellavista Hotel will be the stage of the Technology Fair and entrepreneurship.
With the aim of empowering and making the city visible as an innovation hub at Patagonia's doorstep, TRANSFORMA 2026 will convene experts who will address the digital future and integration between technology and humanity from different axes: Technological Trends, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency, Biotechnology, Academy & R & D and People & Culture (https://www.innovationandtechnologysummit.cl/).
The event, supported by the Viraliza de Corfo program and which includes among its collaborators the Regional Government of Los Lagos and the Municipality of Puerto Varas, already has the sponsorship of various organizations, such as the Innovation Center UC, Fundación País Digital, Club de Innovación AG, Centro de Estudios de Tecnologías de Información UC (CETIUC), Centro de Innovación Regional de Los Lagos, Club de Innovación Acuícola de Chile, Institutos of Directors of Chile, Plan Innova Puerto Montt, Universidad de Los Lagos, Universidad Católica, Universidad Austral de Chile, Universidad San Sebastián, Universidad UDD, Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), Inacap, Duoc UC, Visit Puerto Varas, PTI Sustainable Salmon Industry, Patagonia Biotech Hub, SalmonChile, Metaverso, Café Kahe, Sofofa HUB, APTA Hub and Emprendetube. Forbes Chile, El Heraldo Austral, Mundo Acuícola and Marka-E accompany the Summit as half partners.
The Lakes as a pole of technological development
The Governor Alejandro Santana comments that the Los Lagos Region is taking an important step towards projecting itself as a territory of innovation and technological development: “The TRANSFORMA 2026: Innovation & Technology Summit is an opportunity to bring together talent, knowledge and public-private collaboration around the challenges of the future. From the Regional Government we invite entrepreneurs, companies, academia and the entire ecosystem to be part of this meeting, which positions Puerto Varas and southern Chile as a space where sustainable solutions are built for the country and the world.”
Tor more Garate, mayor of Puerto Varas, ensures that “For the city it is a pride to host the Innovation & Technology Summit, a meeting that puts our commune at the center of the conversation about the future, innovation and sustainable development of southern Chile. This summit not only allows us to welcome national and international leaders of the technological and academic world, but also reaffirms the path we have decided to promote as a city.”
Garate adds that today Puerto Varas is undergoing a process of profound transformation: “With the recent approval of the Startup Lab Los Lagos by Corfo, which contemplates an investment of 4.3 million dollars, and with the consolidation of Patagonia Biotech Hub, we are making steady progress towards becoming a national biotechnology pole, diversifying our productive matrix beyond tourism and salmon farming.”
The mayor confirms that “to be home to this summit is consistent with that vision: we want Puerto Varas not only to be recognized for its natural beauty, but also for its ability to innovate, generate knowledge and build a development with purpose from the Patagonian gate to the world.”
By their part, Eduardo Arancibia, regional director of Corfo Los Lagos, highlights the strategic relevance of the meeting: “From Corfo we are strongly promoting the decentralization of technologically based innovation and productive transformation. This summit is a concrete sign that the Los Lagos Region has the talent, the public-private articulation and the vision to consolidate itself as a pole of technological and sustainable development. TRANSFORMA 2026 reflects the kind of initiatives we need to project south of Chile towards a more economic diversified, digital and with higher added value.”
The director of the summit, Rodrigo Rodríguez, emphasizes that “TRANSFORMA 2026 seeks to strengthen the ecosystem of innovation, technology, research and development, linking academia, companies, government, promoting sustainable development, digital transformation and also collaborative entrepreneurship. The event proposes a cross-cutting multi-industry approach to the role of technology in business transformation processes; it places special emphasis on human well-being, the sustainability and the integration of people and technology”.
Rodríguez explains that “the main objective of the summit is to articulate academia, the productive sector and the public sector, fostering a culture of innovation with purpose, from southern Chile to the world.”
Innovation referents
Among the speakers and panelists who will participate in the event are Fernando Sánchez, CEO of Digital Country; Orlando Riquelme, CEO of HPE; Facundo Jamardo, regional leader of Cybersecurity of EY; Luis Tobar, VP Digital & Tech of SQM; Alfredo González, Regional Head Sales Nokia Latam; Rocío Ortiz, Deputy Director of Industries of the Future of the Innovation Center UC Anacleto Angelini; Pía Salas, CEO of Fortinet; Andrés Klein, Director of Science and Innovation in Medicine UDD; Walter Montenegro, Regional Head of CISCO; Julio Brintrup Executive Director of the Los Lagos Regional Innovation Center; Adolfo Alvial, Executive Director of the Chilean Aquaculture Innovation Club; Patricia Barrientos, Director and founder of Red Mad; Ginés Guerrero, Director of the National Laboratory of High Performance Computing; Eduardo Wallach, CEO of Kura Biotech; Jimmy Stehberg, Pdh Biomedical Science of the UAB; Francisco Valenzuela, CEO of CETIUC; Carlos Aubert, Director of Duoc UC, among others.
