SamyRoad Creates A Space For Creative Minds To Follow And Inspire Each Other

With the rise of Social Media, there’s a great opportunity for the creative minds to grow. However, it can be extremely overwhelming to find a space to have their voices heard. SamyRoad was created to solve that problem. This real-time platform works around passion. In essence, it’s a marketplace to connect digital creators with brands to generate and distribute content.The users create a profile, search their passions and curate them for inspiration. They can also create their own content, earn money and shop items that are based on their taste. If there’s an event, those tickets can also be sold through the platform. The startup also provides content and other services for clients through Samy for Brands. SamyRoad was born 3 years ago in Madrid, Spain and later established a second office in New York City. They’re currently opening new markets from San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of Generation 1 in Parallel18. “We were looking to establish headquarters in Miami to reach the Latin American market, but we learned about Parallel and our plans changed,” Sergio Mave, VP of Business for SamyRoad explains. “Puerto Rico brings up geographic and legal advantages that make it easier for us to acquire new clients. Plus, we save a lot in basic development and spending. The project (Parallel18) is lovely and done in the right moment.” Being a startup about giving visibility to creatives, SamyRoad is right at home with their fellow participants from Parallel18. “ The best thing is to be with people from other startups and different dynamics…there’s an entrepreneurship environment,” says Sergio. “We form a professional and personal support group”. Oscar Gómez from Stellup (another P18 G1 startup) and Sergio Mave from SamyRoad living our #WorkHardPlayTropical mottoAccording to Sergio, Parallel18 takes its commitment very seriously, “ it’s not easy, because there’s a variety of startups in different stages. But the team goes above and beyond… from helping everybody settle in the island and recommending local spots to connecting us with key players, and guiding the entrepreneurs through several government programs that allow us to hire and mentor young Puerto Ricans.” Sergio also mentions how the weekly follow-up meetings with the Startup Executives are useful as they keep Parallel18’s management informed of each company’s progress and let them offer help when it’s needed without interfering with the development of the team. There’s a new round of applications for Summer 2016 and we asked Sergio to give some advice to those interested in joining Generation 2: “Be open to the coaching by the accelerator’s team and mentors, but also by your fellow participants. We are so inside our own project that this is hard sometimes, but if you have this chance, you should make good use of it.”