WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – A Jamaican company is the sole Caribbean entity selected from Latin America and the Caribbean to participate in an innovation and entrepreneurship event sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in October.

The IDB said that “Book Fusion” is among the 12 start-up companies that will participate in the 2016 edition of Demand Solutions on October 4 in Washington.

The other companies are from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.

“These 12 ventures stood out among the more than 500 entries we received from 20 countries,” said Trinidad Zaldivar, chief of the Culture, Creativity and Solidarity Affairs Division.

“They’re great examples of the raw talent and potential of our region in fields such as art, education, design, animation, and many others,” he added.

IDB said that Demand Solutions “brings together some of the most creative minds in the world to share ideas on how to tackle and solve development challenges by leveraging the power of art, culture and technology”.

It said during the conference, a founder from each of these start-ups will pitch their product or solution to a panel of judges, investors and business accelerators.

“Prior to and after the event, they will also participate in four days of activities, which include workshops delivered by renowned mentors, media representatives and entrepreneurs,” the IDB said, adding that the workshops will be run by You Noodle and Creative Startups, an accelerator established in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that focuses on start-ups in the creative and cultural industries.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley, joins the IDB as the main partner of Demand Solutions. Other partners include Microsoft, Tech Sampa, Banco Santander’s Red Emprendia, and the Global Good Fund.