24 Puerto Rican startups join pre18 to scale their solutions
Pre18, parallel18’s local pre-acceleration program, will offer a $25,000 grant, business education and mentorship to its seventh cohort over 12 weeks.
Parallel18, an entrepreneurial program under the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, has announced the 24 local companies selected for its pre18 pre-acceleration curriculum, which will begin in mid-January.
Chosen from more than 200 applicants, the seventh edition’s cohort includes: AnaYAna, BookSell, Clear Health, ClubesPR, Cultimar Technologies, Hospitori, iTerra Solutions, Klotofy, LeadWire, Moneyball, Oasis Innova, Pausa App, ProRanked, Puny.bz, QTC, Quimba, Raya Power, EC-Safety, UnoSec, UProspect, Yestoday, Yosubi, ComfyBum, and GENOS LLC.
Each startup will receive a $25,000 equity-free grant, access to business connections and entrepreneurial education throughout the 12-week program.
The selected companies provide solutions across industries like artificial intelligence, health care, agriculture and entertainment. Entrepreneurs come from several municipalities, including Bayamón, Carolina, Guaynabo, Loíza, Manatí, Mayagüez, Ponce, Toa Baja and San Juan.
“At the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, we are proud of the impact pre18 continues to have on local entrepreneurship. To date, 183 startups have benefited from a curriculum that enables them to successfully launch in the market. We know that this seventh generation will make the most of the resources we offer, and we look forward to closely following their achievements,” said Lucy Crespo, CEO of the Science Trust.
Parallel18 is part of the Science Trust’s entrepreneurship pillar, alongside programs like Colmena66, Fase1 and BioLeap. Six of the selected startups are alumni of Fase1, which focuses on validating businesses, and BioLeap, which supports life sciences and science, technology, engineering and math projects.
“This Gen. 7 will include graduates from other PRSTRT programs, highlighting the importance of our support network. Additionally, all the chosen startups offer innovative and relevant solutions that contribute to Puerto Rico’s economy. The 12 weeks of the program will be filled with learning and sustainable growth,” said Héctor Jirau, executive director of parallel18.
Designed to help startups scale sustainably, pre18 provides strategic resources and tools to prepare businesses for growth. Upon completion, companies can apply for P18, parallel18’s international acceleration program.
To date, 56 companies have participated in the 20-week international program, including notable alumni such as Let’s Fuel, Cuela, IncentivesPro, Buzzzy, and My Cloud Menu.
