12 co.’s join Guayacán Venture Accelerator’s class of ’22
A diverse group of 12 companies from different industries have joined the class of 2022 of the Guayacán Venture Accelerator, a development and training program for the management teams of established businesses that have an opportunity for rapid growth.
The class is made up of well-known Puerto Rico-based companies from sectors such as social welfare, arts and entertainment, food, and professional services.
“This year’s class composition is one of many firsts. There are five women-led businesses participating in the program, the largest number in the program’s history,” said GVA Manager Natalia Arias.
“And, for the first time, we’re welcoming back a company that graduated from our EnterPRize business competition. Arnaldo Hernández and Naiomi Chardón were the winners of the competition’s first edition in 2005 with their company Rebexa, which offers management and compliance services for the healthcare industry,” she said.
Naíma Rodríguez will also participate in the group along with the team of Teatro Breve. In 2019, this entrepreneur won four special prizes in the EnterPRize competition with her culture-focused project: Pública. Meanwhile, the company Prime Air — whose owners Iris and Tom Vincent are alumni from the GVA class of 2013 — returns this year represented by the owners’ sons, Steven and Gabriel Vincent, who are getting ready to be the second generation to take over the family business.
As part of what the GVA offers, teams are paired with mentors that will support them in the development of their growth plans.
“I’m very excited to be able to lead them through such a wonderful experience, and I’m sure that this stage will take them even further,” said Aidita Oruña, who graduated from the 2019 GVA class with her company Tilde & Co.
She, along with president of Cobalto María Cristina Oruña from the class of 2016, are the first two mentors who are also alumni of the program.
The group of selected companies is:
- Freshmart: a supermarket chain that specializes in organic and natural products.
- Fusion Consulting Group: distributes and markets sports nutrition brands in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Gopanza: a business solutions provider for brick-and-mortar stores and supermarkets to sell their merchandise through e-commerce.
- Habitat for Humanity of Puerto Rico: a nonprofit entity that helps individuals and families achieve stability and self-sufficiency through affordable housing and development projects.
- Microjuris: a digital platform for law-related news, featuring a legal content search engine and more than 100 courses of continuing legal education.
- MINDS Grupo Publicitario: a communications agency that designs and executes brand integration through highly relevant storytelling and brand immersion.
- Prime Air Corp: provider of global warehouse, distribution, and logistics services and solutions.
- Pura Energía: offers alternatives to reduce energy costs for residences and solutions for businesses and industries to improve their efficiency and competitiveness.
- Rebexa Group: handles regulatory compliance issues for human, animal, and medical device companies in Latin American markets.
- SONS: a set of support tools for students, from preschool to high school, to help them learn to organize their studies and improve their performance.
- Teatro Breve: a cultural company built by actors to explore new forms of artistic creation and production.
- Virisa Group: specializes in building and remodeling industrial spaces, businesses, warehouses, and residences.
As part of the program’s growth and development, Grupo Guayacán is also introducing a case study that discusses the development of Wovenware, a company that graduated from the 2012 program. The case study will be presented May 13.
In this presentation, Robert “Bob” Dávila, program instructor and author of the case study, will explain how the founders of the software company learned to manage the challenges of a growing business and developed a financial model with a specific market and expansion strategies, all through business education.
