Grupo Guayacán opens call for business growth programs
The Guayacán Venture Accelerator and Scale Up Bootcamp target established businesses with plans for expansion.
Grupo Guayacán, a Puerto Rico nonprofit dedicated to entrepreneurship development, has launched its recruitment phase for 2025, focusing on entrepreneurs with established businesses looking to explore opportunities for accelerated growth. The organization continues to offer its flagship programs, the Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA) and the Scale Up Bootcamp, designed for experienced entrepreneurs.
“Guayacán has programs for every business development stage. In the case of the Guayacán Venture Accelerator and the Scale Up Bootcamp, we encourage entrepreneurs to step out of their comfort zone and think big, prioritizing decision-making and growth-plan execution to drive business evolution and achieve accelerated growth,” said Laura Cantero, Grupo Guayacán’s executive director.
The GVA, which will mark its 15th anniversary in 2025, is an intensive business development program. Since its inception, 148 companies have graduated from the program, including the 2024 class, which includes 11 businesses from industries such as food service, beauty, distribution services, technology and nonprofits.
Eligibility for the GVA program requires companies to have been in operation for more than three years and have annual sales exceeding $1 million.
The Scale Up Bootcamp, a collaborative program with Popular Inc., the financial institution, provides technical assistance to companies beyond the startup phase, helping them implement sustainable growth plans.
Participating companies must have been in operation for at least two years, have reached $500,000 in revenue in the current year and have specific plans for scaling their business.
“We’re grateful to Popular for being committed to helping us bridge this gap in the entrepreneurial education ecosystem for Puerto Rican companies at this level,” said Cantero.
The Scale Up Bootcamp also includes a seed capital competition. The 2024 winner, Pastelillos Lamboy, was selected from a cohort of 16 companies.
“Participating in Scale Up Bootcamp is a transformative experience for any entrepreneur. The program helps you focus, overcome growth fears and create actionable plans,” said José Lamboy, president of Pastelillos Lamboy and a third-generation member of the family-run business.
“Through the workshops and technical assistance, we received the boost to structure our ideas better and focus on clear growth goals. As a result, we are already developing a distribution center that will allow us to double our production and expand our presence at key points of sale,” he added.
Both programs provide advanced business education through workshops, mentoring and guidance from internationally renowned instructors and professionals. These experts bring academic and practical experience to deliver world-class insights to participants.
Grupo Guayacán will hold an orientation session for both programs at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Fundación Banco Popular in Hato Rey. Interested individuals can register for more information.
