Global Trade & Logistics Accelerator

The Opportunity

In 2015, the Trade and Logistics Committee of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council agreed to support the creation of a trade and logistics accelerator to encourage innovation and job creation in the field. The Beacon Council tapped Megan to help spearhead the efforts of creating a concept clear enough to execute and add value in the industry. The goal was to devise a program that would encourage legacy companies to incorporate innovative solutions into their operations and business models, as well as create a platform where new concepts and products can be created to solve real industry problems and challenges.

The Solution

The GTLA we created will bring together some of the brightest minds in the trade and logistics industry. We brought in local experts to create a steering committee that would encompass various aspects of the industry: Ikone International, Diaz Trade Law, and Robertson Forwarding Company. The program we created will begin with a week-long industry primer and culminate with a Demo Day for companies, investors, and community stakeholders in the 12th week. Accelerator participants will spend the majority of their time building their companies and/or solutions, working closely with their mentors to ensure product-market fit.

Steering Committee Members

Months to Execute

Accelerator Programs

First-of-its-kind Program Tailored for Miami-Dade County

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Market Validation

As this is a new program, we had to devise a qualitative survey that allows us to gather anecdotal information from industry professionals.

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Built for two audiences

There are two key factors involved with this program: legacy professionals and innovative newcomers. We created a program that allows both to learn from each other while inspiring explosive industry growth.

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MVP First

What pieces of the accelerator can we already launch so as to begin to gather valuable feedback to prepare us for scale? We decided that a Miami-focused program would be best for the first iteration, so that we can measure impact and gather feedback to be able to grow the program significantly for the second cohort.

Full-time Team 35% 35%
Survey Responses 10% 10%
Fundraising 10% 10%
Community Support 95% 95%

Now the Real Work Begins

Now that the program “skeleton” has been created, the most difficult part–execution–occurs. The steering committee is currently seeking partner organizations that can handle execution of the accelerator. We are also raising funds to be able to cover operations for the first three years of the program. The Office of Economic Development and the Going Global program from Miami-Dade County are also providing support so as to help the graduating companies scale quickly into the rest of the world.

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