Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia

What Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia does

SoPhIC (Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia) is a Colombian non-profit professional guild association (asociación gremial, sin ánimo de lucro), legally registered under NIT 901.411.088-1 and headquartered in Bogotá. Founded in 2020 by a group of Colombian PhDs and doctoral candidates, the association represents and unites doctoral-level researchers (PhDs, doctoral candidates, master's degree holders, and active researchers) across all academic disciplines, both within Colombia and in the Colombian diaspora abroad. Its stated mission is to generate social, economic, and scientific impact for Colombia through science, technology, and innovation (CT+I), with an explicit policy advocacy and internationalization agenda.

The organization's core offerings are organized around an annual membership subscription and a portfolio of member-facing services. These include Editorial SoPhIC (a publishing platform for books, chapters, pamphlets, and proceedings), Academia SoPhIC (an online platform enabling members to create and monetize virtual courses), the Portafolio de Doctores e Investigadores (a specialized networking directory), and Ofertas Laborales (a national and international job board for active members). SoPhIC also runs a recurring calendar of international scientific events, including the annual Congreso Internacional (2021, 2023, 2025, 2026), a Simposio, and vertical-specific congresses (Congreso Ambiental 2024 and 2026, Congreso Química Medicinal 2024). Operationally, the association runs six departments: Scientific, Networking, Internationalization, Business Management (GYRE), Marketing, and Administrative, governed by a General Assembly and a four-year elected Board of Directors (currently the 2024-2026 board under President Diego Fernando Ramirez Guerrero).

The business model is community-led and self-serve. Acquisition occurs through the website (sophicol.org and a dedicated Tienda 2026 storefront) with no sales team. Revenue is generated primarily through three annual membership tiers — Doctores (COP 110,000/year), Investigadores (COP 80,000/year), and Instituciones (COP 2,200,000/year) — supplemented by event registration fees, editorial publishing services, and course revenue. Marketing relies on organic social media (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram), content marketing via the SoPhIC blog, WhatsApp outreach, and event-driven community engagement. SoPhIC is not a technology product company; it does not develop proprietary software, has no app, and runs on a standard web stack with Google and Microsoft OAuth for member login.

Name

Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia

Legal name

Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia

Website

https://sophicol.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SoPhIC is a Colombian non-profit professional association founded in 2020 that unites PhDs, doctoral candidates, and researchers nationally and internationally, offering tiered annual memberships, publishing, online courses, a job board, and recurring international scientific congresses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAE

Academic & Education Conference Organizers

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

SECONDARYTHAHAJAB

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Congresses

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Association, Government & Academic Congresses

SECONDARYEDAGAFAC

Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Scientific event organization
• Academic publishing platform
• Researcher networking services
• Membership community platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá D.C.

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual subscription-based membership fees from individual researchers (PhDs and doctoral candidates) and institutional members (universities, companies, startups, spin-offs). Two individual tiers at COP 110,000/year (Doctores) and COP 80,000/year (Investigadores), and one institutional tier at COP 2,200,000/year.
2. Scientific event registration: Revenue from registration fees for international congresses and symposia organized by SoPhIC, including discounted rates for associated members.
3. Editorial and academic platform services: Revenue-generating services through the Editorial SoPhIC (publishing books, chapters, proceedings) and Academia SoPhIC (online courses, free or paid).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SoPhIC is a Colombian non-profit professional association that sells annual memberships (Doctores at COP 110,000/year, Investigadores at COP 80,000/year, and Instituciones at COP 2,200,000/year) to PhD holders, doctoral candidates, master's degree holders, researchers, and institutional entities. Members receive access to editorial publishing (Editorial SoPhIC), online course hosting (Academia SoPhIC), a researcher portfolio network, a job board, and discounted registration for international scientific congresses and symposia organized by the association.

Product overview

SoPhIC (Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia) operates as a professional association platform rather than a traditional tech product company. The organization offers a portfolio of membership-based services organized around a core scientific community platform. The main offerings include Editorial SoPhIC for publishing, Academia SoPhIC for online courses, a Portafolio de Doctores e Investigadores for professional networking, and an Ofertas Laborales job board. The organization also organizes international scientific congresses and events. Members access these services through tiered membership plans (Doctores at COP 110,000/year, Investigadores at COP 80,000/year, and Instituciones at COP 2,200,000/year).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Editorial SoPhIC: Publishing platform for books, chapters, booklets, and scientific proceedings
• Academia SoPhIC
• GYRE

Products and services

• Membership - Doctores SoPhIC Annual membership plan for PhD holders and doctors, priced at COP 110,000 per year. Includes access to Editorial SoPhIC publishing, Academia SoPhIC online courses, the Portafolio de Doctores e Investigadores networking directory, Ofertas Laborales job board, and full voting rights in association governance.
• Membership - Investigadores SoPhIC Annual membership plan for doctoral students, master's degree holders, and researchers, priced at COP 80,000 per year. Includes the same core benefits as the Doctores tier (publishing, courses, networking, job board) with eligibility extended to candidates and non-doctoral researchers.
• Membership - Instituciones SoPhIC Annual institutional membership plan for universities, companies, organizations, startups, and spinoffs, priced at COP 2,200,000 per year. Provides institutional access to the SoPhIC researcher network, partnership opportunities, and visibility within the Colombian research community.
• Editorial SoPhIC Publishing platform offering book, book chapter, pamphlet, and research proceedings publication opportunities for SoPhIC members and the broader scientific community. Operates as a service available via membership benefits and direct publishing engagement.
• Academia SoPhIC Online learning platform that enables SoPhIC members to create and offer virtual courses, either free or paid, to monetize or share their knowledge with the broader community.
• Congreso Internacional SoPhIC 2026 International scientific congress organized by SoPhIC, featuring scientific presentations, networking opportunities, and knowledge transfer among researchers. Registration fee is COP 320,000 full price (currently discounted to COP 192,000) for non-associates and COP 160,000 for SoPhIC associated members, with an optional attendance certificate for COP 50,000.
• Congreso Internacional SoPhIC 2025 International congress event featuring scientific presentations, networking opportunities, and knowledge transfer among researchers, organized as part of SoPhIC's annual congress series.
• Congreso Ambiental SoPhIC Environmental science congress focusing on environmental research and sustainability topics, organized by SoPhIC as a thematic scientific event within its events portfolio.
• Congreso Química Medicinal SoPhIC Medicinal chemistry congress for pharmaceutical and chemical research dissemination, organized by SoPhIC as a thematic scientific event for the chemistry research community.
• Portafolio de Doctores e Investigadores SoPhIC Specialized contact and collaboration network connecting researchers and professionals across academic disciplines and knowledge areas, available as a member benefit for active SoPhIC members.
• Ofertas Laborales SoPhIC Job board service providing access to employment opportunities across diverse knowledge fields at national and international levels for active SoPhIC members.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Universidad LibertadoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. The nature and scope of the partnership is not detailed beyond the logo listing.
• The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. No further details on partnership terms or activities.
• TecnicafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC, alongside other allied organizations.
• Parent in ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. Parent in Science is an international initiative supporting researchers with families.
• RITAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. The acronym RITA and specific details of the partnership are not elaborated.
• IEEE EMCSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. IEEE EMCS refers to the IEEE Electromagnetics and Compatibility Society, suggesting a technical/scientific collaboration.
• Universidad de Los Andes (UD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC, indicating a collaborative relationship with one of Colombia's leading private universities.
• RIGESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an organizational ally of SoPhIC. RIGES appears to be a research or academic group/institution.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Researcher.com: Researcher.com provides a networking and discovery platform for academic researchers and a job board. Directly comparable to SoPhIC's Portafolio de Doctores e Investigadores networking layer and Ofertas Laborales job board, though with broader global coverage.
• Editage (Cactus Communications): Editage offers researcher-facing services including editing, publication support, and researcher training. Comparable to SoPhIC's Editorial and Academia SoPhIC offerings as a value-added service provider serving researchers globally with publishing and educational products.

Direct peers

• Red de Investigadores y Científicos Colombianos en el Exterior (RedColsi): RedColsi is a Colombian network of researchers abroad, providing connections and visibility for the Colombian scientific diaspora. Closely comparable to SoPhIC's Portafolio service and Internationalization department — both serve Colombian researchers and facilitate domestic–international collaboration.
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society: Sigma Xi is a US-based professional honor society for scientists and engineers that combines membership tiers, research grants, publications, and chapter-led events. Closely mirrors SoPhIC's model of paid individual membership, recognition, conferences, and publications serving doctoral researchers across disciplines.
• National Postdoctoral Association (NPA): NPA is a US-based professional association for postdoctoral scholars and early-career researchers, providing individual/institutional membership, advocacy, an annual conference, and career resources. Directly comparable to SoPhIC in target audience (early-career doctoral researchers), membership model, and event-driven engagement.
• Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (ACCEFYN): ACCEFYN is a long-established Colombian scientific academy that aggregates researchers and disseminates science nationally. Comparable to SoPhIC because both serve as umbrella bodies for Colombian scientists, run events, and provide publication and recognition platforms, though ACCEFYN focuses on exact/physical/natural sciences versus SoPhIC's interdisciplinary remit.
• European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Researchers (Eurodoc): Eurodoc is a European federation of national associations of PhD candidates and early-stage researchers, advocating for researcher rights and organizing cross-border events. Directly comparable to SoPhIC's mission of representing doctoral researchers at a national level and aggregating international opportunities.

Others

• Wiley: Wiley is a major academic publisher operating across journals, books, and professional societies. Comparable to SoPhIC through the Editorial SoPhIC publishing activity — Wiley represents both a competitive distribution channel for scholarly content and a potential partnership vector for SoPhIC's publishing arm.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): AAAS is the largest general scientific society globally, offering individual memberships, the Science journal, annual meetings, and policy advocacy. Comparable to SoPhIC because it pursues the same combination of membership, publishing, events, and S&T policy voice, but at vastly larger scale and as an established incumbent.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: RSC is a UK-based professional body for chemists offering individual membership, journals, conferences, and policy advocacy. Comparable to SoPhIC's Química Medicinal congress and membership model, but operating at vastly larger scale and with a chemistry-only remit versus SoPhIC's interdisciplinary scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/so_phic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQcm1h85PpBQSuu_EaKWf5w/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/SophiCol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sophicolombia
• Instagraminstagram.com/so_phicol

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sociedad de Doctores e Investigadores de Colombia