La incubación de empresas hi-tech en Argentina. CITES y los desafíos de adaptar el modelo israelí al ecosistema local

Abstract

Innovation, especially in the field of technology, is part of the pillars of a country's economic development. In the last decade, Argentina has witnessed the emergence of policies and programs, institutions and incubators that promote technological development, focused on the creation and generation of employment. The importance of creating start-ups is increasingly noticeable thanks to the different financing mechanisms, which, although they must mature, allow the promising projects of the entrepreneurs to be carried out. This need is observed in greater detail in the hi-tech sector. In this, the role of incubators, and especially the appearance of private capital, is essential for the success of the projects. Since there is no such thing as “an Argentine model” of incubation of hi-tech companies, it is the case of CITES (the first private incubator of companies of scientific and technological base in Latin America), and its adaptations to the Israeli model open a instance of debate. Finally and after analyzing the challenges faced by CITES, it becomes clear that their role as trainer, linker, business developer and company builder are important ingredients to start designing an Argentine model that seeks to contribute to strengthening and linking between the research, productive, business and social sectors in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem