Chile celebrates its first InvestChile outpost abroad, opening U.S. office to promote foreign investment

Presence in San Francisco marks a key step in Chile’s bold strategy to serve ‘the world’s most sophisticated companies as their port of entry into Latin America’.

SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 5, 2017) — Chilean government officials were joined by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and more than 200 guests representing a variety of business sectors yesterday to celebrate the opening of InvestChile in San Francisco, the foreign investment promotion agency’s first overseas office.

InvestChile in San Francisco is the first of three global outposts announced by the Latin American economic powerhouse last year as part of its bold new strategy by to promote foreign direct investment. In addition to its San Francisco office targeting North American investment partners, InvestChile will in the coming months open an Asian office in Tokyo, and a European office in Frankfurt, Germany.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet cited innovation, entrepreneurship and technology among shared strengths that were instrumental in Chile’s decision to locate its first global InvestChile office in San Francisco, in her pre-recorded video message for yesterday’s celebration.

“Its selection for InvestChile’s first office reflects Chile’s intention of serving the world’s most sophisticated companies as their port of entry into Latin America, using the region’s leading country a hub,” Bachelet said. “Chile is a country of opportunities, and through InvestChile we can help you to take advantage of those opportunities, working with our global-minded and talented professionals, and enjoying the leading business environment in Latin America.”

Among the myriad business opportunities Chile offers for foreign direct investment, industry sectors emphasized by InvestChile include: global services and technology; food industry and agriculture; green energy; eco-tourism; mining technologies and services; and a vast mineral wealth comprising more than half the world’s lithium reserves and 29 percent of its copper resources.

“Historically, Chile has been an attractive country because of its natural resources, its solidity and stability,” said InvestChile Director Carlos Álvarez at yesterday’s event in San Francisco. “Ours is a reliable country, with excellent credit ratings and indices close to those of the developed countries. But we are not satisfied: our country has the opportunities and the talent to move on to a new phase, one that is in tune with the fourth industrial revolution.”