Grupo Guayacán

What Grupo Guayacán does

Grupo Guayacán Inc. is a private nonprofit corporation incorporated in Puerto Rico and headquartered at 268 Luis Muñoz Rivera Avenue, San Juan. Founded in 1996/1997, the organization has spent more than two decades operating as a pioneer in Puerto Rico's entrepreneurship development ecosystem, with a mission to educate and develop local entrepreneurs in order to support the island's economic growth. Its activities span the full lifecycle of company building, from idea-stage validation through executive-level scale-up programs.

The organization's product portfolio comprises seven core programs: I-Corps Puerto Rico (a five-week business idea validation bootcamp developed with the National Science Foundation's I-Corps South Node), the EnterPRize Business Competition (a six-month competition offering workshops, mentoring, and seed capital), the Scale Up Bootcamp, the Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA, an executive development program for established companies), the IDEA Seed Fund, Desde La Raíz, and the annual Guayacán Giving Day fundraiser. Across its programs, Grupo Guayacán has supported over 470 companies and trained more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, awarding more than $3.1 million in equity-free seed capital over its history, and its alumni represent more than 5,000 jobs in the local economy.

Grupo Guayacán does not sell products or services; it operates as a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit funded through charitable donations, an endowment fund, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships from organizations including the MCS Foundation, Puerto Rico Builders Association, Bravo Family Foundation, National Science Foundation, Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company, Assurant, FirstBank, Grupo Ferré Rangel, Titín Foundation, and Fundación Ángel Ramos. Programs are delivered primarily in Puerto Rico, distributed through a self-serve online application portal plus direct partnerships with University of Puerto Rico campuses and corporate-sponsored fellowship seats. The core technology of the business is described as "not applicable," and core operations are run by a small internal team led by Executive Director Laura Cantero.

Name

Grupo Guayacán

Legal name

Grupo Guayacán Inc.

Website

https://guayacan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grupo Guayacán is a Puerto Rican nonprofit founded in 1997 that runs entrepreneurship development programs (I-Corps Puerto Rico, EnterPRize, Scale Up Bootcamp, and the Guayacán Venture Accelerator), supporting 470+ companies and 1,000+ entrepreneurs with seed capital, mentoring, and corporate-sponsored fellowships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Development Services

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship development programs
• Startup incubation services
• Venture acceleration programs
• Seed capital funding
• Business mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Guaynabo

HQ country

Puerto Rico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Endowment Fund: As a nonprofit organization, Grupo Guayacán operates primarily through donations, an endowment fund, and partnerships with sponsors and foundations. The organization does not generate revenue from products or services but relies on charitable contributions and fellowship program sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grupo Guayacán is a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization that operates entrepreneurship development programs supporting innovators and entrepreneurs from idea stage through executive advancement. Its portfolio includes I-Corps Puerto Rico (five-week business validation bootcamp), the EnterPRize Business Competition (six-month competition with equity-free seed capital), Scale Up Bootcamp, the Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA) for established companies, the IDEA Seed Fund for early-stage risk capital, and the Desde La Raíz program. The organization incubates, accelerates, mentors, and invests in local entrepreneurs to stimulate Puerto Rico's economy.

Product overview

Grupo Guayacán is a nonprofit organization that offers a comprehensive suite of entrepreneurship development programs. The portfolio consists of multiple programs spanning the entrepreneurial lifecycle: I-Corps Puerto Rico (five-week validation bootcamp), EnterPRize Business Competition (six-month business building competition), Scale Up Bootcamp (growth program for existing companies), Guayacán Venture Accelerator (executive development for established companies), IDEA Seed Fund (early-stage capital access), Desde La Raíz, and Guayacán Giving Day (annual giving initiative). Together these programs provide incubation, acceleration, mentorship, and investment support to Puerto Rican entrepreneurs from idea stage through executive advancement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EnterPRize: Six-month business building competition featuring workshops, mentoring and access to seed capital for startups in Puerto Rico.
• I-Corps Puerto Rico
• Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA)
• Scale Up Bootcamp
• IDEA Seed Fund
• Desde La Raíz
• Guayacán Giving Day

Products and services

• I-Corps Puerto Rico A five-week business idea validation bootcamp that teaches participants the methodology of customer discovery to identify potential markets and build a scalable business model. Targeted at students, professors, researchers, and aspiring entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico.
• EnterPRize Business Competition A six-month business building competition featuring workshops, mentoring, and access to equity-free seed capital for early-stage entrepreneurs and startups in Puerto Rico.
• Scale Up Bootcamp A program designed to help existing companies grow through intensive business development support.
• Guayacán Venture Accelerator (GVA) An executive education and development program for established companies (at least 3 years of operation) seeking new growth opportunities, consisting of educational workshops, mentoring, and coaching sessions.
• IDEA Seed Fund Provides access to early-stage risk capital to accelerate innovative businesses.
• Desde La Raíz An entrepreneurship development program under Grupo Guayacán's portfolio serving local Puerto Rican entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 470 companies supported over 20 years
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Puerto Rico (UPR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2019Collaboration with UPR's Center for Commercialization and Innovation Support (UPR i+c) to host the I-Corps Puerto Rico program at the Río Piedras Campus, recruiting students, professors, and researchers.
• Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Puerto Rico ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement to launch the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) in Puerto Rico and share resources, connections, and mentoring opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
• Keith McGreggor (Venture Lab, Georgia Tech)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead instructor for I-Corps Puerto Rico, bringing extensive experience as director of Venture Lab at Georgia Tech and veteran I-Corps instructor to the program.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kauffman Foundation: Major US philanthropic foundation focused on entrepreneurship and education. Overlaps in mission (fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems) and supports many of the same EDOs and accelerators that Grupo Guayacán services, but at national/foundation scale.
• Y Combinator: The largest global startup accelerator, offering seed capital and cohort-based programming to early-stage founders. Adjacent business model (cohort-based accelerator with seed funding), though for-profit and global rather than nonprofit/regional.

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Nonprofit venture firm running entrepreneur development programs and supporting early-stage impact-focused companies in the US and internationally. Comparable mission (entrepreneurship development via cohort programs), structure (nonprofit), and target founders (early-stage, often mission-driven).
• Parallel18: Puerto Rico–based global startup accelerator offering equity-free funding and intensive programs to early-stage companies. Operates in the same geographic market with overlapping entrepreneur target segments and similar nonprofit/institutional support structures.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit network identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs. Comparable mission (entrepreneurship as economic development lever) and nonprofit structure with fellow/ecosystem model, albeit at significantly larger scale.
• Echoing Green: Nonprofit providing fellowships, seed capital, and leadership development to social entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a fellowship-plus-capital model that supports founders across stages with structured programs.
• Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust: Public-private trust supporting science, technology, and entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico, including operating Parallel18 and other startup programs. Directly comparable as the principal competing entrepreneurship ecosystem builder in the same region.
• Agora Partnerships: Nonprofit supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs across Latin America through accelerator and fellowship programs. Closely comparable mission and geographic orientation (LatAm entrepreneurship) with a cohort-based accelerator model.
• ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs): Global network supporting organizations that grow small businesses and entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Highly comparable as a peer network of entrepreneurship development organizations (EDOs), many of which are nonprofit like Grupo Guayacán.

Others

• SOCAP: Nonprofit convening the social capital markets community to accelerate entrepreneurship and impact investment globally. Adjacent ecosystem-building role with comparable nonprofit structure serving entrepreneurs and the capital providers who fund them.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrupoGuayacan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtvV1Sx56t03XvUDNPCojgw
• Facebookfacebook.com/guayacanorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grupo-guayac-n
• Instagraminstagram.com/grupoguayacanpr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grupo Guayacán