Grupo Guayacán was founded in 1996 as a private-sector driven nonprofit organization. Our unique model combines private equity investment with several programs aimed at developing, strengthening, and advancing Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We envision a Puerto Rico with a sustainable economy where entrepreneurs can grow businesses that contribute to a thriving and vibrant community. Our programs promote and develop a business environment where world class entrepreneurship can grow robustly in Puerto Rico, supported by financial, strategic and business development tools and resources that our platform provides to such entrepreneurs. We support innovators and entrepreneurs at every stage of their progress—from idea development to executive advancement. I-Corps Puerto Rico is a customer discovery boot camp for entrepreneurs looking to build and develop scalable business models. The program is designed for small teams of entrepreneurs, ideally 2 to 4 people, including a mentor, to learn about the Customer Discovery method developed by Steve Blank, and the Business Model Canvas popularized by Alex Osterwalder. The program is a local version of the Startup Gauntlet offered by Georgia Tech, which is modeled after the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps). This program is free-of-cost for all participants. The EnterPRize Business Building Competition offers a robust curriculum of entrepreneurial education workshops to existing start-up ventures with early sales traction. Participants get the opportunity to pitch their ventures to a panel of local mentors to receive feedback and guidance throughout the competition. Finally, participating start-ups compete for cash prizes sponsored by Grupo Guayacán, as well as Special Track Prizes sponsored by our corporate partners. The program is free-of-cost for all participants. The Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA) is an executive development program that supports established companies in evaluating their business models and developing strategies for accelerating their growth. The program combines an advanced education curriculum, delivered by experts and world-class professors, with access to one-on-one coaching from successful entrepreneurs and top-level executives across diverse industries.
