InnovaRock and EY Chile announce new hardcore acceleration program

Contxto – Huge fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers here. Not only do I love rock, but by now it’s probably obvious that I’m also into startups, too.

For this reason, InnovaRock’s latest announcement really resonated with me. Last week, the InnovaRock Chilean program on Radio Futuro decided to launch a new acceleration program for startups.

Known as EY Rock-On Startups, the event will select up to 10 tech startups to participate. Throughout the process, not only will they receive top-notch mentorship but also learn to transform complex information into coherent messages.

This is not the first time InnovaRock launches such a program. In fact, they collaborate with multiple brands in order to create innovative, exciting content and events, on a frequent basis.

In Summary

In partnership with EY Chile, this event hopes to provide more tools and visibility to Latin American startups. You can imagine, this is a noble that cause we certainly back. Moreover, it strives to foster corporate-startup collaboration.

This acceleration program will also consist of three main stages: an application process, a workshop program and a final live pitch with the 10 finalists as extreme as a Black Sabbath concert.

“The alliance with EY Chile demonstrates the maturation of InnovaRock as a platform that inspires, visualizes and connects innovators from all over the world,” said Carolina Rossi, CEO and co-host of InnovaRock at Radio Futuro.

Participants can send their applications here, and enthusiasts can attend the event taking place August 28 at Santiago’s Hard Rock Cafe, which is an official partner of the event. The only requirement is to love both tech and rock music, a.k.a. just be Tony Stark.

“We want to promote the innovation that companies develop in connection with startups and that is born in Chile with the intention of growing over time and that this initiative is replicated in other countries where EY is present,” said Janice Stein, the leading partner of the Innovation Committee by EY Chile.

In-Depth

Whoever wins can expect great prizes from EY Chile. For instance, the network of the EY Chile ecosystem, mentoring form the multinational’s professionals, as well as a partnership from the brand’s innovation arm, Wevspace. Allegedly, the value of these intangible assets ranges between US$40 to US$50 thousand.

InnovaRock is the expert mastermind behind the whole workshop and selection process for the event. This makes sense if you consider the company’s track record in the tech ecosystem throughout the region. It also does an awesome job of putting up great content relevant for anyone interested in the ecosystem.

One of its many deeds is its ability to “translate” the tech industry to those with less knowledge. This way, it highlights important information from inside circles of tech geeks and venture lovers into the mainstream media. Hence, the concept of adding rock music into the mix. 

“Innovation and its actors are seen by those who are not involved with these issues as something distant, futuristic and often very technical, which generates a gap that hurts the economic and educational development of a country,” said Rossi. “What we do is connect these worlds effectively and formally from an internationally validated methodology.”

Believe me, I’ve seen this. Many of my good old friends aren’t really into tech and startups. Sometimes it seems like I’m speaking Chinese to them whenever I try to explain to them some article I wrote. Not to mention what I even do for a living. They still think I’m a bohemian science fiction writer.

-VC