Accelerate the creative economy in Central America and the Caribbean
Creative Tech Lab Context
The CTL has been piloted in Jamaica (2019) first then, in partnership with Banj, in Haiti (2020), and Trinidad and Tobago (2021). The CTL has been an effective mechanism for the matchmaking of technologists (in the local ecosystem and the diaspora) to creative entrepreneurs to address key challenges that affect their vulnerability. A key lesson learned from the pilot implementations is the need to support firms in moving from the ideation stage to the stage of getting their products in the market. Other needs that have been expressed include mentorship or financial support in testing and further developing prototypes and building a viable business model that can generate revenue.
Considering the relative success of the previous pilots, The IDB and Banj decided to work on an update of the CTL methodology to address these lessons learned as well as build the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean public and private institutions in order to expand its reach and impact by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship with more pilots including Honduras and Jamaica. Ultimately, the CTL aims to expand the use and adoption of digital technology by the creative industries in LAC by promoting profitable business models that utilize innovations and technologies that result in added value and increased competitiveness of creative entrepreneurs operating in the creative economy.
Creative Tech Lab Audience
All creatives and developers who are interested in leveraging technology to accelerate the creative economy in Central America and the Caribbean
Creative Tech Lab Methodology
The Creative Tech Lab Honduras and Jamaica will be held from September 1st, 2023 to October 20th, 2023. After being selected, each participant will be obliged to document themselves. A link leading to explicit documents and videos will be available to allow them to have what is strictly necessary for the future. This documentation phase aims to prepare each participant to better tackle this great adventure that awaits them. Then there will be the official launch with the creatives and developers. First, the developers and creatives and influencers will be in one room together, then distributed into rounds of Zoom Breakout Rooms with smaller numbers of people for more direct ways to connect and share.
After the networking day, a set of online live training sessions will be presented by selected experts to make sure every participant and the public is equipped with the right set of technical tools and knowledge to engage in building successful businesses in the creative world leveraging technology to accelerate the creative economy in Central America and the Caribbean.
Participation is based on interest but each participant is required to attend at least 4 workshops. After 2 days of online training, selected technologists will have 48 hours to submit their project ideas and team list with 3 people to continue engaging with the program. The 5 most endorsed teams will be selected for the build days (Prototype construction) in Mid October 2023. Then right after the pitching workshop there will be the market validation exercise from October 12th to October 19th, where each team should focus on testing product market fit, polishing the prototype and pitching training. and will end with a hybrid closing event in October 2023 during which the teams will share their prototypes with the public. These prototypes will then be made available on the CTL website.
Creative Tech Lab Application Deadline
The deadline for submitting applications and/or to fill the survey is 2023-12-14 02:00:00
Expected Outcomes
The Creative Tech Lab Honduras and Jamaica aims for collaboration, visibility and the creation of solutions that can accelerate the creative economy in Central America and the Caribbean. It will allow participants to :
Enrich the creative industry in Honduras and Jamaica, while exploring the application of new technologies;
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Leverage the workshops to gain in knowledge and advise to properly conceptualize and evaluate their creative ideas while gaining visibility on the local and international market;
2
Create relevant connections between creatives and developers with a common motivation to advance the creative sector.
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Creative Tech Lab Eligibility criteria
Creatives
You must fulfill the following eligibility criteria
Age or gender does not matter
Youths and women are encouraged to apply!
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a citizen of an IDB member country ( see https://www.iadb.org/en/about-us/who-we-are)
- Be available when needed during the program
- Must fill out the application form which requires:
- Online link(s) to your creations
- Online link to personal website or CV outlining your work
- Description of a project idea if implemented would contribute to solve the problem that this CLT is addressing
- Must have at least 1 year experience doing creative work
- Only individual creatives are eligible or one individual selected to represent a group
Developers
You must fulfill the following eligibility criteria
Age or gender does not matter
Youths and women are encouraged to apply!
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a citizen of an IDB member country ( see https://www.iadb.org/en/about-us/who-we-are)
- Be available when needed during the program
- Must be passionate in supporting creative artists in addressing their pain points
- Must fill out the application form which requires:
- Online link(s) to previous projects you created or worked on
- Online link to personal website or CV outlining your work
- Description of a project idea if implemented would contribute to solve the problem that this CLT is addressing
- Experience working with languages such as Java, PHP, Python, R or Ruby
- At least two years experience in software development
- Developers should apply as individuals (not in groups)
Creative Tech Lab Key Dates
Launching of applications
Period of application
Online Info sessions
Online Info sessions
Online Networking
Trainings
Trainings
Build Days
Build days
Market Validation Exercise
Pitching Workshop
Hybrid Closing Ceremony
Creative Tech Lab The organizers
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. Established in 1959, the IDB supports Latin American and Caribbean economic development, social development and regional integration by lending to governments and government agencies, including State corporations.
Banj is a coworking space, entrepreneurship hub and business accelerator powered by Google in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It's the go-to place for networking and growing tech startups. Banj strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the capital by connecting and offering modern workspaces capable of stimulating creativity and creating results-oriented conditions to entrepreneurs from all social backgrounds wishing to increase their visibility and take their entrepreneurial journey to the next level. Banj offers a set of quality events, acceleration and business innovation programs to accelerate learning and exchanges in Haiti and with the rest of the world through local and international partnerships.
Our Partners
Strong partnerships have been an important pillar for us to make this cohort happened. They enable us to provide better experience to our attendees.
