#P18Startups keep stealing the show! Read our October news to find out how

It’s a wrap! Gen.8 kicked-off in May and wrapped up last October 2nd with our traditional DemoDay. This group of entrepreneurs, whom we met five months ago in the middle of an unprecedented global crisis, confirmed one of our core beliefs as an organization: that innovation is the way forward. During their acceleration process, Gen8ers showed up *virtually* every single day to learn how to grow, improve, and adapt their ventures to today’s context with a better tomorrow in mind. Their one goal? To impact the local economy in times when needed the most, to then go beyond and into the global scene.

Our entrepreneurs’ enthusiasm deeply inspires our team and continues to motivate us to keep working hard to provide entrepreneurs like them with even more connections, high-quality mentors, exposure to investment opportunities, and on-going support during and after their time in P18. With that same eagerness, we close our Gen.8 chapter, one filled with learnings, and many firsts, to embrace a new one. This chapter will surely bring new challenges and opportunities as we welcome pre18’s Gen.3 and launch new tools to help our startups make the right connections.

We look forward to this next month with the certainty that we’ll be working with and for the most trailblazing people we know. While that happens, scroll down to learn what encouraging news October has brought from some of our #P18Startups.

The P18 team keeps working remotely!

Friendly reminder that our coworking space remains closed until further notice. However, our team keeps working remotely from Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 6:00pm (AST/UTC-4). We’d be happy to connect virtually, so send an email to cobi@parallel18.com and we’ll make it happen. :)

More highlights in a nutshell

• It’s official! Our special Business Continuity Fund, announced in March, will benefit 39 #P18Alumni that span from our Gen.1 to our Gen.7 and come from 13 countries! Furthermore, Amasar, Fitco, Agtools MX, BoxPower, and The Live Green Company, are P18Ventures’ latest investees from our seventh cohort also benefited from this unique fund. Learn more about the encouraging news and meet the selection here.
• BARRAS Jabón Artesanal, Tasty Smart, and Dealer App Center won our traditional People’s Love Award at Gen.8’s P18 DemoDay! The event took place Friday, October 2nd, and celebrated all of our 13 Puerto Rican startups from our eighth cohort. If you’d like to catch up on the live event, see the recorded version on our Facebook or YouTube. If you tuned in and would like to connect with one of our #Gen8ers, click here to access this gen’s ebook.
• Gen.5’s Vozy just raised US $800K to expand voice AI services! Investors included Arkfund, 10X Capital Fund LLC, Magma Partners, SC Angeles, Wayra, Andeo Capital, and various angel investors, including Alexander Torrenegra. Learn more here. Big congrats to the team! Keep it up.
• #P18Founder and Gen.7’s The Live Green Co.’s founder Priyanka Srinivas was named one of the 100 Women Leaders in Chile 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has not been an obstacle for The Green Live Co, a startup that has tripled in growth during the last three months by raising US $1M in seed capital.
• Gen.7’s British startup Syrona Women has won two grants totaling US $640k from the UK Government as part of their Innovation Fund (SMART Grants) and their COVID-19 relief funds. The competitive process will allow the startup to continue clinical trials and develop their mobile app over the next 18 months.
• Puerto Rican Gen.2 P18Ventures investee Brands Of launched “Pueblos”, a tool that aims to enhance economic development in Puerto Rico’s municipalities by helping local SMEs adopt e-commerce practices. The tool will be accessible through a new section inside the Brands Of’s marketplace where each Puerto Rican city (starting with Caguas) will have a virtual store in which regional businesses will be able to commercialize their products.
• Using the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I from their partner — and parallel18’s parent organization — the Puerto Rico Science Technology & Research Trust, re:3D just released a case study on the opportunity to use 3D printing to impact Puerto Rico’s coffee farms positively. Access it here!
• Gen.6’s cybersecurity startup Hackmetrix added new strategic angel investors Joaquin Paredes from USA’s cybersecurity company Versprite Security and Alvaro Echevarría. Plus! The Chilean startup keeps growing in LATAM, opening new operations in Mexico and Colombia.
• Gen.3’s Trueface won first place in both the People’s Award and Judges’ Award during the World Aviation Festival Pitch Competition. The startup was competing against dozens of elite companies from well-established technology accelerators such as Jetblue Ventures, Lufthansa Innovation Hub, Founders Factory, and Starburst.
• The Fast Company reviewed Gen.3’s Cleancult’s newly scented non-toxic household cleaning products. Check out what else is new from the startup here.
• Gen.8’s Fitverz is growing strong! They integrate virtual fitness classes, whether recorded or live, to its application for mobile devices providing people with on-demand and tailored wellness options. El Nuevo Día picked up their story. Read it here!
• Soy Emprendedor’s included AbartysHealth in their list of startups disrupting during the COVID-19 pandemic. See the entire list here.

YOU’RE ALL SET! A lot has been happening, 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.

Catch up with us next month. Stay safe! :)