U.S. Virgin Islands Research & Technology Park Announces Second Cohort of Accelerate VI
Eight technology emerging companies selected to participate in virtual startup accelerator and demo day
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands May 13, 2020 -The Research and Technology Park (RTPark) has selected eight startups to participate in Cohort 2 of its business accelerator and demo day. The program, originally slated to take place at RTPark’s new coworking space in downtown Christiansted has been converted to a virtual curriculum designed to offer mentorship, guidance, advisory support, access to capital and an assortment of startup perks for the budding enterprises.
The participants were selected from dozens of applicants from 4 different continents. Six of the eight founding teams are from, or based, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Cohort 2 of Accelerate VI represents some of the best and brightest emerging startups in the Territory, Caribbean and beyond,” shares RTPark Director of Business Attraction and Entrepreneurship Eric Sonnier. “We’re thrilled to provide these talented and diverse entrepreneurs with the resources and guidance needed to build sustainable companies and are excited about the positive impact their growth will have in our community.”
The selected startups include:
1. CareWindow - CareWindow provides reviews and comparison tools to consumers to help them make informed long term care decisions. The platform provides presence and reputation support to long term care providers to help them reach consumers with accurate information. CareWindow brings families and providers together offering private communication tools to facilitate a positive long-term care relationship.
2. Everyday Carnival - On any given day of the year there's a Caribbean Carnival going on. Everyday Carnival will keep you in the loop with social content, ticketing information, and everything in between to ensure your fete-ing experience is one you'll never forget. The app gives you needed information for you to "Follow the Fete".
3. Flyion - Flyion invents a new way to deal with flight delays in a very intuitive manner at affordable prices. Travelers are largely unhappy with the insurance claim process and lack trust in insurers. Flyion offers an end-to-end automated solution for clients to get paid in minutes, not weeks.
4. K-Mill 360 - The patented K-Mill 360 is a multi-directional treadmill. K-Mill 360 allows the user to move forward, backwards, sideways and on diagonal patterns, while facing the console. Unlike traditional treadmills, which only focus on forward motion, K-Mill 360 is designed to utilize 360 degrees of movement via the rotation mechanism of the platform.
5. Ocean Prospects - Ocean Prospects connects aspiring college athletes in the US Virgin Islands, and worldwide, with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coaches and recruiters in the US. It’s a one-stop shop where athletes can showcase their video reels, sporting highlights and athletic achievements.
6. Squeeze Cash - Squeeze Cash is the safest and easiest way to send and receive cash from friends and family in the Caribbean and Latin America; the app pays and tracks digital payments in real time.
7. The Virgin Islands Videogame Network - The Virgin Islands Videogame Network is a video game community in the Virgin Islands designed to grow the gaming community in the Caribbean. The streaming platform combined with hosted events gives Caribbean gamers a place to express themselves, create content and earn cash.
8. Virgin Islands Exchange (VIX) - A Virgin Islands stock exchange that takes advantage of the geographic location between traders in the United States and South America, and the underground cable infrastructure of St. Croix. The speed of trading from the USVI will create an attractive venue for firms globally.
Now in its 2nd year, Accelerate VI is the flagship startup incubator of the U.S. Virgin Islands. With a commitment to being a catalyst for inclusive innovation, the program seeks to inspire and empower entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and beyond. Past program participants have raised hundreds of thousands in investment capital, acquired new customers and experienced rapid growth.
“After witnessing the continued success and milestones hit by our first cohort, we are excited and proud to host yet another amazing group of tech talent from around the world,” adds RTPark Executive Director Peter Chapman. “With each cohort, we are not only building the diversified and resilient economy that the RTPark envisions for the USVI and the region, but also creating an ecosystem and culture of innovative entrepreneurship that we hope inspires the next generation of Virgin Islanders to be pioneers right here at home.”
The RTPark, which is an independent affiliate of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), was founded in 2002 as an economic development organization operating under a legislative mandate and policy guidance from UVI, the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Caribbean. Serving as the Territory’s center for technology and knowledge-based businesses, the RTPark empowers companies to integrate and contribute directly to local education, workforce development and skills enhancement. The 2019 launch of Accelerate VI is just one of the RTPark’s latest initiatives to attract and integrate new businesses into the fabric of the Territory.
To learn more about RTPark or Accelerate VI, please visit Uvirtpark.net and AccelerateVI.com and respectively.
For media and partnership inquiries or interview requests, please contact RTPark Business Intelligence & Marketing Manager Sydney Paul at Sydney.Paul@uvirtpark.net.