Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) Invites Companies to Join Six-Month Accelerator Programme

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) is inviting companies to be part of its six-month accelerator programme.

Titled, ‘Launch it Green Tech’, the project aims to promote green technology, and mentor and guide start-up companies in the field.

Marketing Officer at the CCIC, Cashyaka McDonald, told JIS News that many start-ups tend to fail, because they do not have the kind of support system needed.

“We will help them to build their network,” she said.

The companies being targeted for the programme must be registered, owned and operated by Caribbean nationals, and cover any of the five key areas of energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, waste water management, and resource use efficiency.

Ms. McDonald said that companies which want to participate should be in the ‘proof of concept’ phase and the ‘seed’ phase of the innovation process.

She explained that the CCIC wants to take the companies through the various stages to the point of commercialization and developing a prototype.

The 10 companies selected to be a part of the programme will be given targets and will have access to US$6,000.00 in grant funding each, based on the achievement of these targets.

Application for the programme was opened to companies throughout the Caribbean in July and will close on September 9.

The Marketing Officer explained that participating companies need to have two employees dedicated to interfacing and liaising with the programme coordinators.

“The CCIC will accommodate idea-generation sessions with experts from across the region, as well as mentorship and training,” she said.

At the end of the accelerator programme, the CCIC will host ‘demo days’, when the organisations get the chance to pitch their ideas to investors and various government officials.

To register for the accelerator programme, persons may go to: www.caribbeancic.org/launchit.

The Accelerator Programme is one of the many activities that the CCIC undertakes in its bid to develop the clean technology ecosystem of the Caribbean.

Other activities include boot camps held across the Caribbean annually. The next one will be held in St. Lucia from August 22-24. The deadline for registration is August 18. Interested persons may visit the CCIC’s facebook page.

The CCIC is a consortium under the Scientific Research Council (SRC) and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) in Trinidad. It is funded by the World Bank.