With the objective of promoting the creation of a new high-value exportable offer for Costa Rica and fostering the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in the country, the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) launched Ramp Up, a new program that offers SMEs and technology startups, business training and competitions to identify their export potential.
Ramp Up brings together the regional Seedstars competitions (Huertar Norte, Caribe, Chorotega, Central Pacific and Brunca), the Seedstars award aimed at technology startups, the Grand Final of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) competition; as well as the opportunity to participate in the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), an initiative of the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates.
The Minister of Foreign Trade and President of PROCOMER, Duayner Salas, commented that “innovation is a central element to position Costa Rica in Industry 4.0 and increase productivity. For this reason, Ramp Up will provide a compendium of knowledge for more companies to conquer international markets, while contributing to the country’s business innovation policy ”.
“At INA we are motivated to be strategic partners of PROCOMER for the development of the Ramp-up & Seedstars Costa Rica 2020 program. This program is part of the institution’s commitment to support SMEs in Costa Rica from all productive sectors and territories of the country. We urge SMEs with export potential to participate and achieve, more than a prize, to stand out as a bidder in a highly competitive market”, said the Executive President of INA, Andrés Valenciano.
“As a public company, supportive and committed to the development of the country, it is also our duty to support and promote the progress of SMEs, because when we offer them collaboration, we not only promote their growth, but also that of their family, the people to whom they provide jobs, the community in general and with this, we contribute to reactivate the economy.
For this reason, promoting the Ramp Up Program is of vital importance, because it allows us, through our social function, to join forces to strengthen SMEs and support them until they achieve export ”, assured the executive president of INS, Róger Arias.
Ramp Up Stages
The process to participate in this new platform begins with the online application for the contest through the registration form available on the website and which is open. Subsequently, an online application evaluation will be carried out to select the companies to move on to the next phase.
Those who pass this first filter participate in a virtual training program on topics such as financial education, investment and sales pitch. Finally, the participants deliver their Pitch Deck, it is then determined if they pass to the semifinals and those who reach the Grand Final that will be on October 30th in virtual format is announced.
Ramp Up benefits
The ventures and startups that win a place in the Ramp Up Grand Final will have benefits such as:
a) Cash rewards
b) Hours of consulting on topics such as trademark processes, copyrights, patents, technology and privacy contracts or intellectual property contracts
c) Access to the network of national and international mentors and investors, networking opportunities and visibility.
Evaluation criteria
The participating companies will go through different filters throughout the program, including the selection of the companies that will participate in the second part of the training program, those that go to the semifinal and, later, to the Grand Final of the competition. A selection group, made up of representatives of PROCOMER and the program partners, will evaluate the companies under the following criteria: Value proposal, Business model, Market, Team Work and Investment.
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