An agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce, the JBDC is Jamaica’s premier business development organisation working collaboratively with government, private sector, as well as, academic, research and international communities.
Programmes
Regardless of the stage of the entrepreneur’s development, there is a programme at JBDC which provides the critical intervention needed for growth. With the only incubation system of its kind in Jamaica, we are serious about taking our clients ‘From Concept to Market’.
Formalisation
The entrepreneurial mindset is a significant factor in business. Part of this mindset shift requires you to embrace formalisation. If you have a concept in mind, your business is informal or unregistered, let’s begin your journey to success here.
Nursery
This 12-month programme is designed for newly registered or existing businesses with minimal customer discovery and validation. Market Validation is a process of determining if there’s a need for your product in your target market, to ensure you are on the right path.
Incubator
This is a 12-month intervention aimed at Performance Improvement for the established business with strong business model but limited growth due to poor strategy and structure.
Accelerator Programme
This 6-month intensive programme is primarily aimed at Access to Finance. Entry requirements are as follows: Established businesses with revenues above J$5 million, growth rate of above 20%, significant market demand but limited financing to drive growth.
The Accelerator Programme was launched in 2017 and has seen significant growth in the number of persons it has been able to support and develop. Cohort 4 (2022) has more than doubled Cohort 3 (2021). Sixty (60) participants will benefit from the $60million initiative is being jointly funded by the JBDC and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ). Participants will also benefit from training, mentorship, networking, increased sales, business growth and financing opportunities.
Scale-up Community
This programme is for scalable businesses that are ready to deepen market penetration through the strengthening of their internationalisation strategies. The ultimate goal is to secure global contracts.
The GEMINI Grant Programme is designed to support the growth and development of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) who play a critical role in job creation, poverty reduction, and economic growth. This is in keeping with the Development Bank of Jamaica’s (DBJ) mission to provide opportunities to all Jamaicans to improve their quality of life through development financing and capacity building.
The Programme is a collaboration between the DBJ and the JBDC, two leading institutions in the country’s economic development landscape. Together they bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the initiative, ensuring that MSMEs receive the highest quality support and guidance. JBDC and the SBDC Network will partner with DBJ under GEMINI to support the handholding of 100 clients in the Nursery, Incubator, Accelerator and Scale-up Community Programmes.
These clients will be supported in areas such as strategy development, operational Improvement, marketing and finance based on gaps identified in their businesses. Some specific services include but not limited to business model development, pitch deck development, strategy and business planning. product development, branding, packaging, process improvement, market testing, audit and access, costing, pricing, budgeting, recordkeeping, reporting, analysis and valuation.
Along with assessment, counselling and handholding clients will get access to training and specialised events that facilitate thought leader discussions, networking, building buyer and supplier relations and access to finance. In addition, support will be provided by interns, advisors, mentors and/or consultants as required. The minimum length of a programme is one year and the client is required to share information to facilitate tracking of performance.
To apply, visit the GEMINI website.
We are serious about taking our clients ‘From Concept to Market’.
