Ricardo Mora CEO, Technology Hub Jan 19, 2020
Your small business doesn’t need to open an expensive plant to get in on the $40-billion-a-year industry of cross-border manufacturing in the El Paso-Juárez borderplex.
That’s why Technology Hub in Juárez, with El Paso’s Pioneers 21 startup incubator and generous support from Microsoft TechSpark, Tecma Group, Transtelco, Hunt Family Foundation, Secretaria de Innovacion, CIDER, the city of El Paso and Desarrollo Economico created the Bridge Accelerator in 2019.
We encourage businesses that are looking for ways to grow and innovate in the Paso del Norte region to sign up for the second edition of this binational supplier development program.
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The Mexican state of Chihuahua supplies just 2% of the resources used in the $39 billion regional supply chain that serves the production process. That leaves plenty of room for innovative businesses to make a mark.
Businesses that have a relationship with manufacturing companies and maquiladoras and can attend program sessions on both sides of the border are encouraged to apply for the 12-week training program no later than this Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Innovative enterprises from the region are discovering there are plenty of entryways into the manufacturing industry up and down the supply chain.
Jose Ochoa, CEO of Global Containers and Custom Packaging, participated in the pilot program. The program helped him revitalize his 10-year-old operation, highlighting areas of improvement and inefficiency, transforming the business into a more viable option as a supplier.
Ochoa, and the other 10 innovative business leaders who participated, completed the program with a better understanding of the unique requirements of the manufacturing industry and binational business culture.
Global Containers and Custom Packaging also walked away with $25,000 in seed funding on Demo Day, when companies gave their sales pitch to manufacturing industry leaders seeking to invest in this growth economy.
The pilot year also helped businesses in the region attract $250,000 in venture capital opportunities, resulting in about $1.5 million in new purchase orders and more than 30 new jobs.
These opportunities are available again in 2020.
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On behalf of the Bridge Organizing Committee, I encourage local supply chain businesses to apply so we can top those numbers in 2020 and showcase again to the world what a truly innovative community of businesses thrive on the U.S.-Mexico border.
For more information and to apply, go online to www.tb-xl.com.