33 startups complete 9th generation of parallel18’s int’l acceleration program
P18, the international acceleration program of parallel18, culminated its ninth generation with the celebration of the achievements of 33 companies in its DemoDay event at the Raúl Juliá theater at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art.
Following more than 20 months of virtual events, the program from the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, and Research Trust gathered investors, mentors, and corporate partners to witness and learn about each of the companies’ products and services, as well as the results once the program finished.
The companies that presented during the event were PilotoMail, Awana, Piezas Rush, Seed, Pawls, Surgical Nutrition, Komercia, Glo3D, Maranta Power, Pryze, Queritel, Rum Ratings, Andeno, Tale+, Jetson, DeafTawk, EvoCare, Boon, CelerOps, RMZ Solutions, Don Rifa, Güeno, Kiwi, Privacy Wall, ZenTeam, VitaRx, Cuela, Wayru, Shalder, Cincel, terraFirma, Leadsales and Ensemble SpaceLabs.
Overall, 66% of the startups are Puerto Rico-based, while the rest come from Mexico, the US mainland, Colombia, Singapore, Jamaica, Argentina, and Canada.
“Our mission, as an organization and our P18 international program, is to support underrepresented founders and their innovative ventures while helping them scale globally,” said parallel18’s Executive Director Juan Carlos Hernández.
“This generation demonstrated that, amidst the pandemic, they worked hard and achieved great results. Puerto Rico offers a unique business ecosystem with quality mentors and high-level business education. This cohort got that experience first-hand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Science Trust CEO Lucy Crespo said, “After 20 intense weeks of work, in person and online, mentor sessions, business education, surpassing challenges, and obtaining major results, these 33 companies have been able to demonstrate their achievements and will impact the local and global economy along with their solutions.”
During the event, several awards were announced, including the GiveBack Award, given by two parallel18 alumni. StrainApp (Gen. 8) awarded a cash prize of $500 and six months of individualized mentorship to winning startups Queritel, organizers confirmed.
Another prize announced was the Oriental Award. The local financial institution selected two startups that, based on their criteria, contributed to Puerto Rico’s economy. The recipients for this award were Evocare and Piezas Rush, which received $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.
Lastly, the People’s Choice Award, selected by the event’s audience, awarded $1,500 to the first place and $1,000 to the second place. Both cash awards were sponsored by Plaza Provision and the P18 alumnus StrainApp. The awarded startups were BOON and Pryze.
Access the complete list of the companies presented in the e-book here.
