RCG-Royal Caribbean Group has inaugurated its first business accelerator under the banner of its new “Port Partners” programme, choosing the coastal Alaskan town of Seward as the site of the pilot initiative. The offering comprises a ten-week curriculum, one-on-one mentorship, and a pitch competition with a US$20,000 grant at stake.
The Port Partners effort is intended to support economic development, community engagement, and environmental investments in the port towns visited by Royal Caribbean’s fleet. In Seward, local residents with business ideas—whether still formative or in early operation—are invited to apply; the deadline is December 15th, 2025, with selection notices in January 2026 and the programme commencing in February.
Instruction will be provided by an AVTEC educator, covering fundamentals of business formation and growth. Selected participants will be paired with seasoned local entrepreneurs for one-to-one mentoring. The University of Alaska system and AVTEC are working to recognize the course as a 3-credit offering. The programme will culminate in a panel pitch before Seward civic leaders, with one recipient awarded the grant to assist in launching or expanding their venture.
Royal Caribbean’s vice president of destination development described the programme as more than a simple accelerator, but rather a mechanism to translate local entrepreneurial ambitions into tangible ventures.
AVTEC’s director acknowledged that combining education, mentorship and on-the-ground support is vital for strengthening community opportunity in Seward and across Alaska.
This venture marks Royal Caribbean’s first known instance of embedding a capacity-building programme directly in a port community in this manner, signaling a strategic intertwining of cruise deployment with local economic cultivation.