IDB and Miami Dade College seek startups in Latin America, the Caribbean and South Florida
The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 14th at 11:59 p.m. (EDT)
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Miami Dade College (MDC) are launching an open call to select the most innovative startups in the creative and cultural industries – what the IDB refers to as the Orange Economy – from Latin America, the Caribbean and South Florida.
Demand Solutions Miami will take place at the Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, where the 12 best startups from Latin America and the Caribbean and the five most innovative startups from South Florida will be presented. Participating ventures need to have an innovative product or solution to improve lives in the following categories:
· DESIGN WITH SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: urban, interior and industrial design. Graphic arts, illustration and toys. Wearable technology, Accessibility and cultural identity expression. Co-creation between craftsmen and designers.
· SUSTAINABLE FASHION: intelligent clothes, organic clothes, accessories.
· MULTIMEDIA TO SAVE THE WORLD: videogames, support media for digital content, virtual reality, 3D printing and interactive audiovisual content.
· GASTRONOMY AS AN AGENT OF TRANSFORMATION: recovery of ancestral and native recipes. Fusion cuisine, environmentally minded restaurants and chefs.
· STEREOTYPE-FREE MUSIC: cultural and ancestral preservation. Music as an education and language preservation tool.
This open call will award prizes to startups that have an innovative product or solution (not just an idea) that has already been launched, or a minimum viable product (MVP) with existing users. Participating entrepreneurs must be over 18 years of age and be either founders or cofounders of startups with a minimum of one year and maximum of three years of operation and implementation/commercialization of their product or service.
One of the founders or cofounders of each of the selected startups will have the chance to present his or her solution before a jury of industry specialists and potential investors during the Demand Solutions Miami.
Winning startups from Latin America and the Caribbean will receive a subsidy covering their participation in Demand Solutions Miami 2017. As part of their award, winners will attend a series of invitation-only events, workshops and lectures, as well as have the chance to network with peers and experts from creative and cultural industries.
For questions or to become a partner of Demand Solutions, write to us at: demandsolutions@iadb.org
About Miami Dade College
With more than 165,000 enrolled students, Miami Dade College (MDC) is the largest institution of higher education in the United States. It is also the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to ethnic minorities than any other college or university in the country. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs including several baccalaureate degrees in Education, Public Safety Administration, Supervision and Management, Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Film, Engineering, Biological Sciences, and others. In fact, its academic and workforce training programs are national models of excellence. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair International, the Miami International Film Festival, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, a sculpture park, and a large art gallery and theater system.
MDC has served more than 2,000,000 students since it opened its doors in 1960. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.