Our team — and startups — were busy bees last month

April is here and for some, it means warm weather and the blooming season; while for others it means winter is coming (got the GoT reference?). For us? It means we’re past Midpoint Evaluations and past the second half of our sixth generation! Talk about how time literally flies.

What can we say? The first 10 weeks have been quite a ride and we’re all in for witnessing these #P18Startups growth and the outcome of their 5-month-run with us. But before that, a couple of interesting things will be happening in the Puerto Rican ecosystem and parallel18. Curious? Keep reading!

Last month we launched the second call for applications for our pre-acceleration program, pre18, which is in search of a new generation of aspiring Puerto Rican companies with innovative businesses who are yet to reach the market. Our goal is to help them develop their MVPs so they can reach the market and be ready to apply to parallel18. Applications close on April 15th at 11:59 p.m., so SPREAD THE WORD!

Meanwhile, wondering what the P18 team has been up to? Well, we gathered up for a 2-day workshop with a group from Deloitte. The sessions were constructive and enlightening, and they helped us understand and start defining what are the next steps for our program. We thank the Deloitte team for guiding us through the process and for all their valuable insight.

So, what’s next? We’re beyond thrilled to announce our partnership with Facebook to create Startup Hub Caribbean, an acceleration program that supports post-revenue startups from the Caribbean islands that are solving the region’s most fundamental challenges. It combines the superpowers of Facebook’s range of products and expert support, with the know-how and structure of parallel18. Keep reading to find out what it’s all about.

Facebook will provide technical support, mentorship, training on the use of Facebook products and tools, free access to a suite of products and services, and access to dozens of experts within the company. Meanwhile, parallel18 will provide support from our network of mentors, a space for operations during the term, thematic workshops, access to top-tier experts, investors, and other perks.

We’re looking for startups that are a for-profit enterprise with an established base of operations in the Caribbean, less than 4 years since the date of incorporation, have a product/service generating revenue in the market, whose focus is on generating value for the Caribbean region, and are looking to expand internationally.

The product or service should also address one of the following social impact issue areas of importance to the Caribbean region: gender equality, decent work and economic opportunity, sustainable industry or infrastructure, climate change, and/or peace, justice, and strong institutions. Interested? Hit us up!

Startup highlights in a nutshell

• Gen.6 #P18Startup DataWifi is bringing connectivity to the Venezuelans who arrive at the Colombian border and wait in line to enter the country.
• Gen.6 #P18Startup Dokimi, Inc just landed its first deployment in Puerto Rico with Aventus .
• Gen.3 #P18Startup Quiena Inversiones just became Argentina’s first authorized global robo-advisor by obtaining the license of “Asesor Global de Inversiones” (AAGI).
• Gen.3 #P18Startup ZIPDatum was recently showcased as part of The Opportunity Project’s (TOP) Demo Day hosted by the U.S. Census Bureau at their offices in Maryland.
• Gen.5 #P18Startup, GUILTY partnered with L’Oreal Paris for the Color of the Month campaign, a monthly get-the-look guide featuring the startup’s outfits and L’Oreal’s makeup.

THAT’S IT! A lot has been happening, as usual, but this is about it, for now! If you’d like to keep up with us, remember to stay tuned to our social media for further updates as the month passes by or subscribe to our monthly Newsletter. We’ll see you soon! Stay awesome, folks. (: