RevUP Caribbean, the English-speaking Caribbean’s award-winning virtual business incubator, today announced the opening of applications for Cohort 8 of its flagship five-month incubation programme. Delivered in partnership with Bridge for Billions under the Conecta Caribbean initiative, FirstAngels Caribbean, Caribbean Development Bank, National Commercial Bank and others, Cohort 8 will run from July to December 2026. It is designed to equip 30 Founders of high-growth potential businesses with the skills, networks, and investor-readiness needed to raise capital and scale across the region and beyond.

“This is the most ambitious iteration of the RevUP programme to date,” Sandra Glasgow, RevUP Caribbean’s Managing Director explained. “For the first time, RevUP Caribbean’s intensive, investment-readiness methodology, which has trained over 180 startup Founders and catalysed more than US$3 million in angel investment through 26 deals across 14 Jamaican startups will be delivered as a blended programme. It will combine RevUP’s signature hands-on curriculum with the self-directed learning infrastructure of Bridge for Billions’ globally recognised digital platform,” she continued.

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According to Glasgow, “RevUP Caribbean was built five years ago on a singular conviction: that the Caribbean has an abundance of entrepreneurial talent that simply needs the right infrastructure, rigour, and investor connectivity to thrive. Cohort 8, delivered through the Conecta Caribbean programme and the Bridge for Billions platform, represents the next evolution of that vision. We are opening our programme to a broader regional community, and we are doing so with the same uncompromising commitment to Founder quality and investor readiness that has defined every cohort before this one,” she continued.

About the Programme

Cohort 8 is structured as a blended five-month experience, combining the rigour and community of RevUP Caribbean’s live, facilitated virtual sessions with the flexibility and depth of Bridge for Billions’ self-paced digital platform. Participants will benefit from:

Structured, milestone-driven learning, modelled on RevUP’s proven curriculum, which prepares Founders to pitch confidently to experienced angel investors.
Access to the Bridge for Billions platform offering curated content, mentor matching, and peer collaboration tools used by entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs) across more than 60 countries.
A direct pathway to FirstAngels Caribbean, the Region’s most active angel investor network, now with 27 members who have collectively deployed US$3 million into 14 Jamaican startups.
Expert mentorship and facilitation, drawing on RevUP’s and Bridge for Billions’ network of Caribbean and international business leaders, investors, and sector specialists.
A regional Community, connecting Founders across the Caribbean in a shared, structured growth journey.

Who Should Apply

Cohort 8 is open to Founders of early- to growth-stage businesses across all 14 CARICOM member states. Applications are encouraged from entrepreneurs operating across all sectors, with priority given to businesses that demonstrate:

Clear high-growth potential and a scalable business model
A credible path to revenue or demonstrable early traction
Interest in engaging with angel investors or other forms of growth capital
Commitment to the full five-month programme from July to December 2026

Only 30 places are available. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, and early submission is strongly encouraged.

A Track Record Built on Results

Since its founding in 2021, RevUP Caribbean has trained more than 180 Founders from across the Caribbean through seven cohorts of its five-month virtual incubation programme. The programme’s alumni have gone on to raise capital from FirstAngels Caribbean, the angel investor network co-founded by RevUP’s leadership, which has now completed 26 investment deals totalling US$3 million in 14 Jamaican startups.

RevUP Caribbean was conceived and is led by Sandra Glasgow, also founder of the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) at the University of Technology, Jamaica – the first technology business incubator in the English-speaking Caribbean. She is also a co-founder of FirstAngels Caribbean.

About the Partners

Bridge for Billions

Bridge for Billions is a global entrepreneurship platform that empowers ESOs, corporations, and development institutions to design and deliver structured incubation and mentoring programmes at scale. Operating globally in more than 60 countries, it provides the digital infrastructure for Cohort 8’s self-directed learning components.

Conecta Caribbean

Conecta Caribbean is a regional initiative that brings together entrepreneurship support organisations across the Caribbean under a shared platform, vision, and ecosystem framework, with a goal of building a vibrant, collaborative, and resilient Caribbean innovation ecosystem within the next decade.

FirstAngels Caribbean (FAC)

Co-founded by Joseph M. Matalon, Sandra Glasgow and J.J. Geewax in 2014, FirstAngels Caribbean is Jamaica’s first angel investor network. With 27 members and US$3 million deployed across 26 deals in 14 Jamaican startups, it provides the primary investment pathway for RevUP Caribbean alumni who are ready to raise capital.

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

The Caribbean Development Bank is the region’s premier development finance institution, dedicated to reducing poverty and promoting sustainable economic growth across its 19 borrowing member countries. CDB’s support for private sector development and entrepreneurship ecosystem building makes it a natural strategic partner for RevUP Caribbean’s mission to strengthen the region’s startup pipeline.