Mr Sergio Sarmiento

Sergio holds a bachelor’s degree in International Trade (2008). In 2010, the Colombian Government granted a scholarship for Sergio to undertake a Master’s study in Australia, resulting in a master’s degree in Applied Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Adelaide (2012).

Since his Master’s studies, he worked in Colombia for about six years with the Innovation Agency (Innpulsa Colombia) as a senior specialist in innovation and entrepreneurship, developing an Innovation Voucher scheme in conjunction with The National Planning Department to promote technology transfer between the Colombian business community and various research institutions and universities. He was also instrumental in developing and implementing an Advanced Manufacturing Program to facilitate awareness, development, and adoption of Industry 4.0 advanced technologies in the Colombian manufacturing industry. In 2019, he joined the Colombian Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, which saw him contributing to the design of the National Entrepreneurship Policy and proposing an implemented project for the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Government to measure entrepreneurship activity in Colombia.

Thanks to his work in technologies and innovation in Colombia, Sergio has been granted a Distinguished Talent Visa to move to Australia in 2020. Sergio was competitively selected as a candidate for his current PhD studies at the University of South Australia. His topic, ‘The Influence of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem on High-growth Firms’ Financing Dynamics,’ aims to identify the relationship between high-growth firms, their sources of finance, and locational choice inferences.