After putting several startups in a position to raise or be in pursuit of a combined US$35 million from investors, Tech Beach Retreat is accepting applications for the second cohort of its startup accelerator programme, TBR LAB.

The programme will take place from September 10 – November 5, 2021 and offers another group of Caribbean startups the opportunity to access global resources and receive guidance from international tech leaders. 

Executed in partnership with IDB Lab and the DMZ, the accelerator programme was designed to equip Caribbean founders with the tools and global resources required to successfully scale their companies in a digital world. 

Cohort 1 of TBR LAB ran from April to June 2021 and comprised 36 startups from 11 countries. Collectively, these companies have already raised US$25 million and altogether they are currently pursuing over US$10 million in raises from various investors. 

13 COMPANIES IN COHORT 1

Several startups are also in receipt of term sheets, signalling interest from investors coming out of the programme’s Demo Day, which presented startups with the opportunity to pitch to global firms managing over US$250 million in investment capital.

Thirteen Jamaican companies participated in Cohort 1 of TBR LAB, including telehealth platform, MDLink; financial services platform, Farm Credibly; car rental service, Rent Yuh Ride (soon to be rebranded as Veekle); and building automation service, SmartHubJA.

SmartHubJA Founder Sherman Anderson credits the programme with altering his approach to business for the better. Through various workshops on key topics ranging from Customer Journey Mapping to Ideation and Prioritisation, Anderson was able to gain critical insights and devise actionable steps to improve his operations. 

“The workshops I believe were most impactful,” Anderson said.

“Those eight weeks changed a lot in terms of our structure and planning. We learned to use important tools such as OKRs (objectives and key results) to help us set goals that could be achieved and this greatly impacted our approach to business.”

According to Anderson, TBR LAB provided much needed support to the regional tech landscape.

“The Caribbean needs this kind of programme. We got the chance to speak to industry leaders, interact with the programme coordinators and touch base with various mentors. I believe this type of exposure will greatly benefit the Caribbean economy and help startups capitalise on a potential post pandemic boom.”

Startups enrolled in Cohort 2 can look forward to an intense curriculum featuring strategic workshops, mentorship pairings, intimate sessions with successful entrepreneurs, as well as tailored guidance from Tech Beach’s Director of Accelerator Programs, Eric Sonnier. 

Sonnier, himself a co-founder and an alum of leading, global accelerator programmes, including Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator, is looking forward to working with a new group of entrepreneurs.

“Great startups can be built anywhere, and the Caribbean is no different,” said Sonnier. “The founders in our inaugural cohort were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential that exists throughout the region. And what’s even better is that the international community is taking notice, as was evidenced by the calibre of firms in attendance at our first Demo Day.”

According to Sonnier, “Nothing like this has ever happened in the Caribbean and we look forward to granting such a unique opportunity to yet another group of startups who are committed to leveraging technology to solve problems in the region.” 

In addition to new startups, TBR LAB will be welcoming a new partner. Massy Group will officially join the TBR LAB ecosystem in a bid to expand opportunities for entrepreneurs enrolled in Nudge Caribbean, a social enterprise co-founded by Massy’s Senior Vice President of People and Culture, Julie Avey, and fashion designer and entrepreneur, Anya Ayoung Chee. 

According to Avey, supporting entrepreneurs is important to Massy as global trends are disrupting the traditional employment models and corporations need to get on board.  

“TBR straddles the latest tech and innovation thinking with a deep knowledge of the culture and economies of the region. The accessibility of TBR LAB to best in class solutions…are creating opportunities for small companies to grow and for founders, private/public sector to work together like never before.  We have an opportunity to truly come together and rally for the next chapter in our region’s journey and Kirk and Kyle are providing a framework and community for more collaboration,” Avey said.

• Startups interested in applying to the TBR LAB Accelerator Program can visit https://techbeach.net/pages/tbr-lab to do so. 
• Successful applicants will access exclusive learning content and expert workshops facilitated by world-leading tech incubator, the DMZ, based at Ryerson University. They will also gain access to the DMZ’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programme, and its growing network of investors, tech startups, pilot opportunities and partnerships. Additionally, participating startups can tap into CAD$600,000 in perks and digital business solutions from platforms such as HubSpot and Amazon Web Services. The application process closes on August 11, 2021.