What is Kadá?

Inspired by

The start-up you

The start-up you
Reid Hoffman

JUNTO group

JUNTO group
Benjamin Franklin

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen

TED

TED
Chris Anderson

Inspired by Reid Hoffman’s book The Start-Up You, Benjamin Franklin’s group JUNTO, Woody Allen’s movie “Midnight in Paris and TED, I co-founded a Mutual Improvement Movement with my wife Catalina and my good friend Mario Chamorro in 2012.

It took us a year to find whom among our friends, and among the friends of our friends, would fit within the parameters that we deemed incredibly valuable:

· Are they great at what they do, taking into account that success is not equal to net worth?

· Are they willing to share knowledge?

· Are they from different backgrounds?

· And most importantly, are they good human beings?

This group brings together creative men and women from Spanish-speaking countries (most of them are Colombian) who are entrepreneurs and/or work in various intellectual fields, and whose accomplishments are substantial either in Colombia or abroad.

There’s an imperative for us which is that the members of Kadá need to be amazing human beings who are open to the free exchange of knowledge, are willing to help each other succeed, and are interested in contributing to the building of trust and the harnessing of economic and social growth in our country through social, academic and entrepreneurial initiatives. KADÁ means to weave or community in the “Embera Chami” native-Colombian language.

Andrés Felipe Giraldo
Kadá Founder

Why do we exist?

Because we believe

Print our manifest Download

How does it work?

We are a group that operates by invitation only.
The main event is a 3-day meeting once per year and other informal
meetings during the year.

During these days we:

Exchange
knowledge

Every new member gives a 20-minute talk of something that they want to teach us. This could be related to their work, their passions, their hobbies, or the happy intersection of the three.

Invite
mentors

We find wiser, more experienced leaders of industry, authors, or generally interesting people who give a keynote speech to the group in full and who offer their perspective on the relevant topics of the day.

Help each
other

If anyone needs help with a particular situation, challenge, decision, we have a discussion where the group offers a multi-disciplinary perspective that might clear up a path forward.

Build
friendship

We find that old-fashion human interaction is all that many of us need. From these relationships, some one-on-one partnerships or mentorships have resulted, as well as good-old friendships.

Think of KADÁ as a well-curated group of amazing people that are doing amazing things and that are ready to help each other and help our country and the world in any way they can.

Editions

Every year we ask our members to share a new idea with the community, because this is one of our core principles:
To give and receive knowledge from our fellow Kadaqueños.

Have you ever asked your friends not only what they do, but how they do what they do? This is what we like to learn about. We want to know a little bit more about each of the fields represented in our roster, and we even open up the floor to discuss their new challenges or achievements in order to brainstorm or learn more as a community. We also invite one to three mentors every year and ask them to teach us something new in order to engage in great discussions and challenge our points of view.

2021 Reunion Edition edition

2021 Reunion Edition

After the physical distancing of the pandemic, in December 2021, we experienced an explosion of joy at being able to meet and hug each other. From the arrival at the country house with a rumbera ‘chiva’ (bus) to the depth of a constellation session, to the magic of biodance, and to the crazy party after a pizza dinner, Kadá 2021 will be remembered with tears of emotion in the eyes.

Juan Jose Lopera

Doctor Juan José Lopera is a doctor, surgeon, and specialist in neurolinguistic programming, although the first stage of his professional career was in music: he was one of the most important tenors of the world in the lyrical scene. Today he collects all his scientific, artistic, and emotional experience to help people, organizations, and society to grow in values.

DJ Pope

José David Rivera, better known as DJ Pope, is considered the great godfather of reggaeton, a musical genre born in Colombia and spread globally. J Balvin’s disc jockey for more than 15 years, Pope is involved in cultural entrepreneurship, with projects to support young talent in music and other artistic fields.

2020 Special Edition edition

2020 Special Edition

A special edition amid a pandemic, although for a much deeper reason than this. We celebrated it via videoconference during two intense December afternoons.

The first session triggered an unprecedented emotional explosion in Kadá because of the loss of Don Alfredo Hoyos, mentor of this marvelous project, owner of the country house where we meet each year, and father of Catalina Hoyos (co-founder of Kadá).

We pay an emotional tribute to him and his entire family.

This illustration, a work created by the ‘kadaqueño’ Simon Wilches, graphically illustrates the heartfelt and serene departure of our admired and beloved Alfredo.

During the second session, we addressed the superpowers that we have learned to develop during the pandemic. We strengthen ourselves thanks to the stories we discover, all loaded with overcoming, overcoming, and overcoming.

2019 edition

2019

Raghava K.K

Named by CNN as one of the 10 most remarkable people of 2010, is a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller whose work is shown in galleries and museums around the world.
Raghava TED Talk

Nihal Ahmed

Nihal is the founder of Limitless that helps unlock human potential in people and communities.

Giovanny Mesa

General Manager of Audifarma S.A.

Alvaro Rincon

Entrepreneur, Communications Professional & Smart Thinker.

 

2018 edition

2018

Brett Schilke

Brett is a researcher, author, and educator at the intersection of techno-optimism and reality, He is also the Director of Impact at future-focused Singularity University in Silicon Valley, where he leads partnerships and program development ranging from K-12 education to nuclear threat reduction.
LinkedIn Brett Schilke

Gonzalo Gallo

A former Catholic priest, Gonzalo left the church and dedicated his life to be a spiritual advisor, life coach and facilitator for people in transition to their final resting place. He has written 26 books and is a regular guest in Colombia’s morning television shows.

2017 edition

2017

Paul Zak

Paul is a very well known neuro-scientist, specializing in the field of TRUST. We will talk with him about the meaning of a word that is so important and that touches different aspects of our lives.
LinkedIn Paul Zak || TED Talk Paul Zak

Gonzalo Gallo

A former Catholic priest, Gonzalo left the church and dedicated his life to be a spiritual advisor, life coach and facilitator for people in transition to their final resting place. He has written 26 books and is a regular guest in Colombia’s morning television shows.

2016 edition

2016

Pablo Trujillo

Pablo is known as the father of the Fiduciary System in Colombia. He taught us about the principles of banking and laid down his view about its future challenges and possible developments. He currently owns one of the most prestigious Fiduciary organizations in the country.
Pablo Trujillo interview

Gustavo Bustos

Gustavo is a very succesful entrepreneur with a rich spiritual life. He is a life coach and a Vipassana Meditation practitioner and facilitator for more than 15 years. He lead us into an amazing meditation and performed a beautiful Tibetan Bowls concert.

Programa

2015 edition

2015

Andrea Ruiz and Francisco Forero

Andrea and Francisco are the two minds behind the most watched movie in Colombia: Colombia Magia Salvaje. The nature documentary focused on the diversity and incredible beauty of Colombia-s many habitats, and it enthralled more that 2 million viewers at movie screens all over the country. They moved from being mentors to now making part of the Kadá community.
LinkedIn Andrea Ruiz || LinkedIn Francisco Forero || “Colombia, magia salvaje” (Wikipedia)

2014 edition

2014

Camilo Gomez

Camilo was the former Peace Negotiator under president Andres Pastrana in the early 2000s. He gave us his first hand, and unbridled account of his attempt to negotiate peace with one of the most violent and old guerrilla groups in world’s history. We later had a deeper conversation about this important part of our history and he gave us his vision of where the country is headed.
LinkedIn Camilo Gómez  || Biography Camilo Gómez (Wikipedia)

2013 edition

2013

Liliana Restrepo and Alfredo Hoyos

This was our first year and we were thrilled to have Alfredo and Liliana, the founders of a very successful fried chicken restaurant chain in Colombia. More than that, they are amazing human beings that taught us about their experiences as entrepreneurs and innovators through the introduction of processes like Suani, Biodanza, and Trascendental Meditation into the company and the communtiy at large.
Frisby.com.co

Kadaqueños

Kadá family

Israel Bluman Levy

Israel Bluman Levy

CI IBLU SAS

Esteban Gast

Esteban Gast

Comediante

Linkedin
Delfina Garcia Pintos

Delfina Garcia Pintos

PHD en Ingenieria Quimica/Investigadora en Stanford.

Linkedin
Alfredo Hoyos

Alfredo Hoyos

Fundador Frisby S.A

Linkedin
Anamaría Guerra

Anamaría Guerra

Tiempo de Juego

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Andres Canela

Andres Canela

Yo Creo En colombia/Schrader Camargo

Linkedin
Andres F Giraldo

Andres F Giraldo

Emprendedor

Linkedin
Carlos David Castillo

Carlos David Castillo

Economista/Director Información y Medios Electrónicos Bolsa de Valores de Colombia

Linkedin
Catalina Hoyos

Catalina Hoyos

Film Director/writer/ Molecular Biologist

Linkedin
Diana Leyva

Diana Leyva

PhD en Psicologia, Davidson College, NC

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Edgar Velasco

Edgar Velasco

Publicista/ activista social/ Aqua Avenida

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Felipe Spath

Felipe Spath

TEDx organizer/La juanita/Think

Linkedin
Gabriel Jaime Vallejo

Gabriel Jaime Vallejo

Abogado

Laura Henao

Laura Henao

Abogada

John Alexis Guerra Gómez

John Alexis Guerra Gómez

DUTO/Yahoo/Information Visualization

Linkedin
Juan Andrés Ospina

Juan Andrés Ospina

Productor musical/compositor

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Sofia Ribeiro

Sofia Ribeiro

Cantante

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Juan Felipe Robledo

Juan Felipe Robledo

Trabajo con comunidades indigenas para preservar el conocimiento ancestral

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Deimar Sanchez

Deimar Sanchez

Terapeuta ocupacional / Profesora Biodanza

Juan Pablo Calderón

Juan Pablo Calderón

Bogohack / SOLE Colombia / th1nk

Linkedin
Leon Fabio Salcedo

Leon Fabio Salcedo

Guitarrista Clasico/ Carnegie mellon

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Liliana Restrepo

Liliana Restrepo

Fundadora Frisby/ Profesora Biodanza

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Maria Alexandra Artunduaga

Maria Alexandra Artunduaga

Médica-Investigadora-Innovadora/MPHc at UWashington

Linkedin
Maria Fernanda Zúñiga Zabala

Maria Fernanda Zúñiga Zabala

Emprendedora

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Mario Chamorro

Mario Chamorro

Make it Happy/Coursera

Linkedin
Mark Rausch

Mark Rausch

Chef

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Steven Sutton

Steven Sutton

Emprendedor/Cafe Devotion/ Cafe Devocion NY

Linkedin
Melissa  Amin

Melissa Amin

Trabaja en Infraestructura con su familia

Linkedin
Tammy Rozenboim

Tammy Rozenboim

Abogada

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Andrea  Ruiz

Andrea Ruiz

Ecoplanet/ Colombia magia Salvaje // Coach en marca personal / marketing personal.

Linkedin
Nancy Fernandez

Nancy Fernandez

Productora de Cine/Socia y Gerente de 64-A Films

Linkedin
Juan Pablo Gaviria

Juan Pablo Gaviria

Tv/Moto Dots/Huella Social

Linkedin
Carlos López

Carlos López

Magos sin fronteras

Linkedin
Ricardo Garcia

Ricardo Garcia

Cientifico en Audio/Base 10 Labs/Google

Linkedin
Mariana  Mesa

Mariana Mesa

Ex-tenista profesional

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Marie Claire Liechti Chamorro

Marie Claire Liechti Chamorro

Osteopata

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Yuldor  Gutierrez

Yuldor Gutierrez

Actor/Director/Productor

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Vicky Ricaurte

Vicky Ricaurte

Educacion, emprendedora

Linkedin
Marcelo Burbano

Marcelo Burbano

Emprendor

Linkedin
Simon Wilches

Simon Wilches

Linkedin
Núria Sala

Núria Sala

Emprendedora (Barcelona, Catalunya)

Linkedin
Eduardo Vargas

Eduardo Vargas

Musico

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Gil Tobon

Gil Tobon

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Angel Tijaro

Angel Tijaro

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Maria Lucia Díaz

Maria Lucia Díaz

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Joseph Bluman

Joseph Bluman

Emprendedor

Juan Martín  Cardona

Juan Martín Cardona

Linkedin
Sebastian  Echeverry

Sebastian Echeverry

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Diego Laserna

Diego Laserna

Linkedin
Daniel Castaño

Daniel Castaño

Investment Officer at IFC - International Finance Corporation

Linkedin
Brett Schilke

Brett Schilke

Global Impact & Future Learning

Linkedin
Carlos Bautista

Carlos Bautista

TED Resident - MineSafe Researcher

Linkedin
Claudia Aparicio

Claudia Aparicio

Directora Ejecutiva de Dividendo por Colombia

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Gonzalo Gallo

Gonzalo Gallo

Guía espiritual

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Juan Miguel Mora

Juan Miguel Mora

Project Manager Immunology and Immunotherapy Institute at UCLA Health

Linkedin
Nihal Ahmed

Nihal Ahmed

Founder of Limitless

Linkedin
Viviana Cadavid

Viviana Cadavid

Founder CadaVida Foundation in Colombia. Social Entrepreneur.

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Raghava K.K

Raghava K.K

Artist and Co-Founder at 64/1

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Daniel Gomez

Daniel Gomez

Fundador de la empresa SOLBEN

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Marcela Rueda

Marcela Rueda

Passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, networks and the power of culture!

Linkedin
Giovanny Mesa

Giovanny Mesa

General Manager of Audifarma S.A.

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Mauricio Salazar

Mauricio Salazar

De empresario a Ultraman

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Veronica Trujillo

Veronica Trujillo

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José Darío Perea

José Darío Perea

Postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Linkedin
Quyen Nguyen

Quyen Nguyen

Director of academics in Summit International Education

Linkedin
Memo Chávez

Memo Chávez

Industrial Real Estate & Special Economic Zones International Advisor, Mezcal & Data Science Entrepreneur

Linkedin
Manuel Esteban Acevedo

Manuel Esteban Acevedo

Presidente en ICETEX

Linkedin
Álvaro Rincón

Álvaro Rincón

Arquitecto

Carlos Andrés Perez

Carlos Andrés Perez

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Ilean Almaguer

Ilean Almaguer

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Lucas Velazquez

Lucas Velazquez

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Mauricio Osorio

Mauricio Osorio

Partner / Executive Producer at BlackVan Films

Linkedin
Gabriel Salvador Cruz

Gabriel Salvador Cruz

Mexican Artist

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Paola Tello

Paola Tello

Colombiana y bailarina de regueton

Karlo Valentín Rodríguez Rangel

Karlo Valentín Rodríguez Rangel

Hacker, maker and troublemaker

Emmanuel López Cruz

Emmanuel López Cruz

www.manololopez.com

Paola Velasco

Paola Velasco

IMB Proyectos de transformación

Octavio Galvis Villegas

Octavio Galvis Villegas

Periodista y escritor. The 3 Collective - Los Angeles

Linkedin
Daniel Velez

Daniel Velez

Industria Creativa

Carlos Hernando López Ramírez

Carlos Hernando López Ramírez

Emprendedor Social, Mago, Malabarista, Conferencista Internacional, Ingeniero en Innovación, Tech Lead

Linkedin
Laura Escobar

Laura Escobar

Program Manager for breakthrough projects

Linkedin
Paula Durán Arzayus

Paula Durán Arzayus

EMPRESS, #WeAllGrow Latina, IYO Collective, Kids of Immigrants

Laura Catalina Lara Hernández

Laura Catalina Lara Hernández

Consultorio Odontológico Laura Lara/ Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Catalina Hoyos Restrepo

Catalina Hoyos Restrepo

Frisby / Wala Wala Films

Linkedin
Germán Sarmiento Aparicio

Germán Sarmiento Aparicio

Apasionado por el desarrollo urbano

Linkedin
Juan José lopera Sánchez

Juan José lopera Sánchez

Sé que no soy quien creo ser, no el que tú crees que soy... ¡Libertad!

Daniela Carvajalino

Daniela Carvajalino

Empresaria, conferencista, autora y activista por la educación en América Latina

Linkedin
Francisco Forero

Francisco Forero

Ecoplanet/Google/ Colombia magia Salvaje

Linkedin
Antonio Copete

Antonio Copete

Astrofisico/Mision Swift NASA

Linkedin
Alejandro Perdomo

Alejandro Perdomo

NASA/Quantum computing

Linkedin