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“Our Institute assumed the technical responsibility of accompanying entrepreneurs and startups in the materialization of their ideas, offering infrastructure, accumulated knowledge and, above all, human commitment. As a result of this alliance, the Industrial Innovation Laboratory was created, and a first phase was developed that included sixteen intensive training sessions on topics such as business model, minimum viable product, finance, marketing, intellectual property and business formalization,” he said. From her side, the UNDP Resident Representative in the Dominican Republic, Ana María Díaz, congratulated the graduates and highlighted the importance of these initiatives. “From the perspective of human development of UNDP, development consists of expanding the richness of human life, not just the richness of the economy, and this is the true value of programs like this,” she indicated. “That your vision is not just to create companies or produce, but to expand people’s capabilities to decide, innovate and build sustainable livelihoods. Your projects demonstrate that it is possible to develop competitive business models by putting people, the territory and the planet at the center. Initiatives like this expand capabilities, reduce the risks of entrepreneurship, strengthen productivity and create real opportunities, especially for young people and for those who have historically had less access to these spaces,” he highlighted In that same order, the Resident Representative of JICA in the Dominican Republic, Kota Sakaguchi, valued the joint work between Japan and Proindustria for the construction of an ecosystem of industrial startups in the Dominican Republic, as well as the articulation with UNDP and IPL to promote innovation and the creation of new industries. When referring to the graduates, the JICA representative stated that “this innovation project is clearly aimed at creating new industry in the Dominican Republic. This is the engine for the creation of a new industry in the Dominican Republic. And we, JICA, have been working in cooperation for 62 years. We work in environment, education and health, but one of our most important activities is to increase the competitiveness of the Dominican Republic. This project, and you, are a new and real engine for industry creation,” emphasized Sakaguchi. The central words of the ceremony were delivered by the general director of Proindustria, Rafael Cruz Rodríguez, who maintained that this first acceleration program for Industrial Startups has a special value because “it was conceived in two fundamental industrial subsectors for the present and future of the Dominican Republic: the food industry, as a pillar of our food security and productive development, and the renewable energy sector, as a firm commitment to a sustainable, innovative and environmentally responsible growth model.” “Today, 27 entrepreneurs who decided to believe in their ideas and take on the challenge of turning them into viable, structured projects with a vision for growth are graduating. Each of you represents a story of effort, learning, and determination, but also a promise of transformation for our productive ecosystem,” he added. During the event, certificates were awarded to the 27 participants who successfully completed the acceleration process, representing 20 projects developed within the framework of the program, which impacted eight provinces of the country, including Gran Santo Domingo, Santiago, San Cristóbal, La Romana, Valverde (Mao) and San Pedro de Macorís, among others.Graduates
About the program
The Industrial Startups Acceleration Program was conceived as a strategic commitment by Proindustria to accelerate innovation in the Dominican industry, through the development of viable and validated solutions with the potential for productive scaling. Its origin dates back to an initiative driven by Albania Rodríguez, a collaborator of Proindustria, after her participation as a scholarship recipient in a JICA knowledge co-creation program, aimed at the development of new industries through innovation. Throughout the training process, participants worked under the Lean Startup methodology, addressing idea validation, business model design, Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development, financial plan elaboration, growth strategies, marketing, sales, and intellectual property, culminating in a Pitch Day where they presented their projects. Among the prototypes developed are initiatives such as Urban Wind Energy, Solar Thermal Energy, BIONIX, Misu Plus Global Services SRL, Ecotrayect Bio-oil and Kerymag, reflecting the program’s focus on solutions with productive, technological and environmental impact.
