Colnodo

What Colnodo does

Asociación Colnodo is a Bogotá-based non-profit civil association (NIT 830.006.188-4), founded operationally in 1993 and legally constituted in 1994, that provides technology services to Colombian and Latin American civil society organizations, human rights defenders, community networks, and public institutions. Its core portfolio combines (i) infrastructure services — web hosting, VPS, server colocation, domain management, distribution lists — delivered from its own data center inside NAP Colombia on free/libre software, (ii) a Moodle-based virtual education platform offering with tiered annual plans for up to 10,000 students, (iii) web development, accessibility (WCAG 2.0/2.1, ICONTEC NTC 5854), and georeferencing services, and (iv) digital security training and help-desk support through the Escuela de Seguridad Digital using the SAFETAG methodology.

The organization's economic model mixes fee-based services (low-ticket subscriptions priced in Colombian pesos, with a 10% annual prepayment discount and 19% IVA) with grant-funded programs from the European Union, Global Affairs Canada, Open Society Foundations, Internet Society Foundation, Google, UNDP, LACNIC/FRIDA, and others. Customers are fragmented across 500+ NGOs, community networks (Tejiendo Paz, Esmeralda Semilla Digital, Frailejones, Huellas del Suncillas, Chicao Sin Fronteras, Nasa Piçkwe Ikh, Red INC, RedCoMani, Poliniza, Weinúcin Walapín), and human rights defenders, with programs like Areopagítica (2026) and the Escuela de Seguridad Digital delivering training at scale (1,359 defenders and 7,621 students). Colnodo also operates the LACIGF Secretariat (2023–2026 mandate), is an OEA-CITEL associate member, a member of APC and Internet Society, and led the Estrategia Nacional de Redes Comunitarias 2025-2027, positioning it as a hybrid technology provider and digital policy actor for the region.

Name

Colnodo

Legal name

Asociación Colnodo

Website

https://colnodo.apc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colnodo is a Bogotá-based non-profit civil association, founded 1993, that provides web hosting, virtual education platforms, and digital security training to 500+ Colombian and Latin American civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and rural community networks from its own NAP Colombia data center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Services for Civil Society Organizations

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Colocation & Remote Hands Services (HDABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carrier Hotels & Network-Dense Colocation (HDABACAE)

Keywords

• Web hosting services
• Community network development
• Digital security training
• Virtual education platforms
• Civil society internet services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Web Hosting Services: Annual and monthly hosting plans providing disk space, email accounts, SSL certificates, distribution lists, and technical support. Plans range from basic to advanced with pricing between $191,000 to $761,000 COP annually.
2. Virtual Private Server (VPS): Monthly hosting with implementation fees for virtual servers. Implementation $594,000 COP plus monthly hosting $111,000 COP with annual prepayment discount.
3. Housing/Colocation: Server colocation services at $350,000 monthly COP with 10% annual prepayment discount.
4. Virtual Education Platforms: Moodle hosting and course development services with annual plans (Plan 330: $1,473,000, Plan 325: $2,900,000, Plan 320: $4,200,000) and content adaptation services at $6,850,000 COP.
5. Web Development and Design: Custom website development, accessible design, online payments integration, and domain management services.
6. Digital Security Training: Security assessment, training workshops, and curriculum design services for civil society organizations and human rights defenders.
7. Distribution Lists: Mass email distribution services with plans from 100,001 to 1,500,000 sends at $590,000 to $1,705,000 COP.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colnodo provides web hosting, virtual private servers, and server colocation from its own Bogotá data center connected to NAP Colombia, complemented by custom web development, Moodle-based virtual education platforms, and digital security training through the Escuela de Seguridad Digital using the SAFETAG methodology. The organization also supports community internet network deployments in rural Colombia and operates the Areopagítica project for digital resilience of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society.

Product overview

Colnodo is a Colombian non-profit organization (founded 1993) offering a portfolio of technology services focused on strategic internet use for development. The core offerings include web hosting and colocation services with servers in Bogotá, programming and web design, digital security training through the Escuela de Seguridad Digital (ESD), and virtual education platforms based on Moodle. Additional services encompass web accessibility consulting, georeferencing with MapServer, domain management, and distribution lists for mass email. The organization also maintains educational podcasts (Escuela de Seguridad Digital, Dominemos la Tecnología, and Construyendo nuestras Redes Comunitarias) and manages the Areopagítica project for digital security and resilience. Services are delivered through various hosting plans (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Plan 330/325/320 for virtual education) and are supported by strategic partnerships with organizations like Internet Society, APC, and the European Union.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Escuela de Seguridad Digital: Digital security school offering training and assessment services for civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and social leaders.
• Areopagítica: Seguridad y Resiliencia Digital para la Democracia
• Boletín Colnodo
• CREAENTIC

Products and services

• Web Hosting Services Web hosting with servers located in Bogotá, Colombia, running free software. Includes Basic ($191,000 COP), Intermediate ($404,000 COP), and Advanced ($761,000 COP) annual plans with email accounts, distribution lists, SSL certificates, MySQL/MariaDB databases, and unlimited traffic. Targets civil society organizations and small-to-medium entities needing a reliable digital presence.
• Housing / Colocation Colocation service for hosting customers' own servers in a shared Bogotá data center, including 1 Mbps+ bandwidth, unlimited traffic, 1 GB network port, fixed IPs, UPS backup, 1U space, unlimited restarts, basic administration, and firewall at $350,000 COP monthly (10% annual prepayment discount).
• Virtual Private Server (VPS) Virtual private server hosting on Dell servers in Bogotá with 1:1 redundant 90Mb fiber optic bandwidth, daily incremental backups via Bacula, telephone technical support, free TLS/SSL certificates, $594,000 COP implementation and $111,000 COP monthly (10% annual prepayment discount at $1,204,000 COP).
• Programming and Web Design Custom website development, accessible and intuitive web design per usability and accessibility standards, content management systems, mobile versions, online payments integration, and website redesign for organizations.
• Escuela de Seguridad Digital (Digital Security School) Digital security training, audit, and diagnosis services for civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and social leaders. Uses SAFETAG methodology for organizational risk analysis, and offers workshops, curricula design, sensitization talks, and help desk support. CiviCERT member since July 2021.
• Virtual Education Platform (Moodle Hosting) Pedagogical advisory for creating virtual courses with hosting on Colnodo's own data center. Supports Moodle platform with capacity from hundreds to thousands of users, differentiated access, interactive activities, mobile support, and certificate generation. Annual plans Plan 330 ($1,473,000 COP, up to 3,400 students), Plan 325 ($2,900,000 COP, up to 6,800 students), Plan 320 ($4,200,000 COP, up to 10,000 students), and content adaptation at $6,850,000 COP per 40-hour course.
• Web Accessibility Consulting Web accessibility consulting conforming to Level AA per ICONTEC NTC 5854 and WCAG 2.0/2.1 guidelines. Includes accessibility reviews, transcription and subtitles, audio descriptions, document transcription, and training.
• Georeferencing Services (MapServer) Map server hosting for publishing geographic information online in Shape and Tiff formats, including information layers linked to content management systems, using Google Maps or OpenStreetMap.
• Domain Management Domain registration and renewal for generic (.com, .org, .info, .net) and Colombian (.co, .org.co, .edu.co, .com.co) TLDs, with free domain management included when hosting is maintained at Colnodo servers.
• Distribution Lists Email distribution list services for mass mailing, with plans covering 100,001 to 1,500,000 sends at $590,000 to $1,705,000 COP.
• Areopagítica: Digital Security and Resilience for Democracy Project providing digital security training, help desk support, and decentralized communication tools to organizations, journalists, human rights defenders, and women, including the FluffyChat community, Deflect DDoS protection, and capacity-building on secure communication practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained 1,359 human rights leaders and 7,621 students in digital security
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Foro de Gobernanza de Internet de América Latina y el Caribe (LACIGF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Colnodo serves as Secretariat of LACIGF since 2023 with a three-year mandate. LACIGF is a key regional forum for internet governance dialogue bringing together governments, private sector, technical community, academia, and civil society organizations.
• Asociación para el Progreso de las Comunicaciones (APC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1994, Colnodo has been a member of APC, a global network of civil society organizations empowering and supporting groups and individuals using ICT for peace, human rights, development, and environmental protection.
• Internet Society (ISOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo collaborates with ISOC through activities in the Latin America and Caribbean Networks Forum, and has received support for internet connection through training seminars and conferences since the early 1990s.
• GooglemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Google, Google.org and Colnodo has contributed to closing digital gaps in Colombia through training initiatives, community connectivity, women's empowerment, digital talent development, and internet governance advocacy.
• Facebook/MetamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo is the allied entity for Facebook's 'Ella Hace Historia' project strengthening skills of women entrepreneurs in using Facebook, and 'Impulsa con Facebook' initiative supporting entrepreneurs in various cities.
• EqualitiecoreTechnology or IntegrationEqualitie develops open and reusable systems focused on privacy, security, and information management. Collaboration includes Deflect service for website protection against DDoS attacks and Areopagítica project.
• PNUD - Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el DesarrollocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo is a founding member and technical operator of the Sustainable Development Network for Colombia, a UNDP initiative.
• MinTIC - Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las ComunicacionescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo collaborates with Colombia's Ministry of ICT through the Vive Digital program and community networks initiatives, developing projects to expand use and adoption of ICTs.
• LACNICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough FRIDA program, Colnodo has been beneficiary twice for strengthening community networks in Colombia. Colnodo also participated in LACNIC's Policy Shapers program.
• IntelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Appropriation of ICT program, Colnodo has operated Intel Colombia's pedagogical models including Intel Aprender, Tecnología y Comunidad, and Intel Easy Steps.
• Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWith ACNUR support, the Weinüin Walapüin Community Network was inaugurated in La Guajira, developed with Fundación Hermanos Sin Condiciones and Colnodo.
• Universidad Icesi (CITRADI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner2022 cooperation agreement to combine Icesi's research capacity with Colnodo's practical and community experience for joint research and projects on community networks.
• ISUR - Centro de Internet y Sociedad, Universidad del RosariomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration amplifies voices of underrepresented communities in digital policy debates and strengthens efforts for recognition and sustainability of community networks in Colombia.
• OEA - CITELmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince October 2023, Colnodo is a key associate member collaborating in telecommunications expansion and digital transformation in rural and marginalized zones of Colombia.
• Telecom Infra Project (TIP)majorTechnology or IntegrationTIP has donated equipment for implementing community networks, contributing to strengthening local initiatives promoting internet access in territories with limited connectivity.
• CiviCERTmajorTechnology or IntegrationColnodo's Digital Security School is a member since July 2021. This global network brings together emergency computer response teams supporting civil society in digital security incident prevention and response.
• COSIC LatinoaméricamajorTechnology or IntegrationLatin American and Caribbean network providing assistance and support in security and protection with emphasis on digital security to human rights organizations, journalists, and civil society.
• Mesa Colombiana de Gobernanza de InternetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder space where government, civil society, academia, and private sector collaborate to shape the evolution and use of internet in Colombia.
• Red Nacional de Telecentros en ColombiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo is part of this network integrating initiatives and organizations seeking development and strengthening of telecenters and their communities through productive use of ICT.
• Plataforma SurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccompanied creation and inauguration of Community Network Nasa Piçkwe Ikh in Huila with Plataforma Sur, strengthening indigenous community communication.
• UNU Global AI NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn August 2025, Colnodo joined UNU Global AI Network, a global platform to materialize the Global Digital Compact and strengthen multi-actor cooperation on AI for SDGs.
• MakaiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization that enhances capacities for social development through cooperation, technology, and innovation. Has worked with Colnodo on initiatives promoting strategic and social use of internet.
• Dominemos la TecnologíaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign during 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence (Nov 25 - Dec 10) emphasizing violence against women as human rights violation.
• Red de Desarrollo SosteniblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColnodo is founding member and technical operator of this Colombian sustainable development network, initiative of UNDP.
• Universidad del Cauca - Faculty of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on telecommunications engineering education and community network technical support.
• Universidad Distrital Francisco José de CaldasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic university collaboration on technology and community projects.
• Universidad de CundinamarcaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional university collaboration on technology projects.
• 48percentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on gender equality in technology.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Association for Progressive Communications (APC): Colnodo has been a member of APC since 1994. APC is a global network of civil society organizations using ICT for social justice, with very similar mission, membership structure, and focus on strategic internet use for development.
• Article 19: International human rights organization focused on freedom of expression and information, including digital rights. Operates in overlapping space with Colnodo's civil society security and internet governance work, serving similar target populations and policy forums.
• Altermundi: Argentine NGO promoting community wireless networks using LibreMesh and LibreRouter technologies in rural areas. Functions as direct peer in the Latin American community networks ecosystem and is a Colnodo technology partner.
• Tactical Tech: International NGO providing digital security training, capacity building, and privacy tools for civil society and human rights defenders. Operates in a directly comparable space to Colnodo's Digital Security School (ESD) with overlapping methodologies and target audiences.
• Rhizomatica: Direct community network peer operating in similar space: supporting indigenous and rural communities to build and operate their own telecommunications infrastructure. Listed as a Colnodo technology partner and operates in directly overlapping geographies.
• Greenhost: Dutch hosting provider with explicit social and environmental mission serving NGOs, activists, and civil society organizations. Closest direct business model peer to Colnodo's hosting services, combining infrastructure operations with social impact orientation.
• Karisma Foundation: Colombian foundation working on digital rights, internet freedom, and technology policy. Closest geographic peer operating in the same Colombian civil society and digital rights ecosystem with overlapping policy and capacity building focus.
• Access Now: International civil society organization defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk. Comparable in serving human rights defenders with digital security support and policy advocacy, operating globally including Latin America.
• eQualitie: Open-source technology partner that develops Deflect DDoS protection and Bitmask VPN. Co-leads the Areopagítica project with Colnodo, serving the same civil society digital security market with overlapping target customers and complementary technology stacks.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Society: Global non-profit organization promoting open internet development and Internet governance. Acts as both a Colnodo partner and broader incumbent in the internet governance space, with much larger scale and reach but overlapping mission around community connectivity and policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colnodo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Colnodo
• Facebookfacebook.com/Colnodo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colnodo
• Instagraminstagram.com/colnodo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colnodo