The global organization dedicated to empowering high-impact entrepreneurs, Endeavor, published its 2026 edition of the Outliers, a ranking that each year distinguishes the top 10% of companies within its global network based on growth, scale, and sustained performance. There appear six Colombian companies that are positioned in what can be called the elite of the entrepreneurial world.
In other words, Colombia made it into that global top tier with six companies: Addi, Bold, Erco Energy, Habi, Rappi, and Siigo. To them is added Xertica, a Colombian-Peruvian firm that appears under Peru’s representation. But to be part of this select group, companies must have grown steadily for at least three consecutive years in adverse economic environments. It is not a simple popularity award.
More than 80% of the 238 Outliers 2026 operate beyond their home markets, and almost half have a presence in multiple regions. Half of the selected companies exceed US$100 million in annual revenue. The six Colombian companies that stood out are part of a Latin American cohort that has collectively raised more than US$20.2 billion in capital, which includes 22 unicorns, companies valued at more than US$1 billion, and four companies that are already publicly listed such as dLocal, Globant, MercadoLibre and VTEX.
Entrepreneurs build through uncertainty
Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, explaining why Colombia managed to place six companies in the Outliers 2026, stated that “instead of waiting for stability, entrepreneurs build through uncertainty. As we like to say, when economies slow down, entrepreneurs speed up.”
And Vincent Speranza, general director of Endeavor Mexico, said, for his part, that the companies best responding to the more challenging environment are focusing on strengthening their unit economics and cohort profitability, building more mature narratives with global relevance, and operating not only as builders but as strategic capital allocators.
“We are moving away from the narrative of growth at all costs to focus on scaling with greater discipline. Today, capital has not disappeared, but it is much more selective,” he added. “In the long term, [closer monitoring and a more selective deployment of capital] strengthens the ecosystem, raising the standard for both entrepreneurs and investors.”
The six Colombian companies distinguished by Endeavor are examples of tenacity, resilience, boldness, effort, imagination, and commitment, that is, the characteristics that successful startups must have.