Catalina Castaño

Catalina currently works as COO at Ruta N, the innovation and business center for the city of Medellin, Colombia. Previously at Ruta N, she worked facilitating access to smart capital for entrepreneurs. Catalina also teaches entrepreneurship, advises small businesses, and works with non profits as a growth consultant.

Before Ruta N, she served as the Regional Director of the Brooklyn Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in New York City, assisting hundreds of entrepreneurs in the creation, financing, and growth of sustainable small businesses. During her tenure, the Brooklyn SBDC won the U.S SBA award as the most innovative SBDC in Region II (NY, NJ, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands). Catalina worked with the small business community in New York City for more than 12 years before returning to her native country Colombia.

During her years in New York City, she also worked as a business advisor at the Pace University SBDC and developed the small business practice of a leading commercial bank.

In NYC she Founded the Organization of Latino Entrepreneurs (Ole) ,which became the state-wide Hispanic outreach initiative for the New York State SBDC.

Catalina regularly interviews for the media on small business development topics and facilitates workshops on any area related to her passion: Entrepreneurship.

Catalina holds an MBA from Pace University (USA) and a BBA from EAFIT University (Colombia).