How the Caribbean Can Get Innovation Right, Thanks to Covid 19

I wrote the original article “How the Caribbean Can Get Innovation Right” in August 2018. It flowed from having moderated the technology panel at the Clinton Global Initiative Action Network Post-Disaster Recovery Event in Miami. I had Javier Saade, Venture Partner at Fenway Summer Ventures and Bob Lord, Chief Digital Officer at IBM on my panel.

I ended a 30 min discussion with the question – “What is the one song that you would use to inspire and challenge this powerful and influential group of people here to take on the technology challenge in a way that really benefits the Caribbean.” Both panelists gave great answers that had the audience laughing and clapping loudly, then Bob Lord turned the tables and asked me the same question. I thought about it for a few seconds and said. My song is “Good 4 We” by British Group D-Influence. The words I zoned in on, were “we, we should find, we should find the time, to define, what is good for we.”  That line, is the essence of what I believe about how the Caribbean should leverage technology and innovation to develop Digital Caribbean.

That answer came easy for me, having spent the last 12 years in the trenches as a Caribbean tech startup ecosystem pioneer who founded SiliconCaribe the 15-year-old Caribbean Media and Events brand, that kickstarted the Jamaican Tech Startup Scene in 2007. It became a movement that directly impacted over 10,000 tech entrepreneurs through community events, competitions and training initiatives.  Added to that I’ve executive produced over 150 Caribbean Tech Events for entrepreneurs in the Caribbean, Diaspora USA and Commonwealth and have personally judged and listened to over 1,000 startup pitches.

That was then.

Now as I’m writing a refreshed version of that article, the world is experiencing a pandemic called Covid-19. A virus that has brought our world to its proverbial knees and has disrupted every damn thing- how we live, work, build and connect. It’s been scary and sobering.

While our hearts hurt, from mourning the stunning human loss and while we struggle to adapt to new daily rules in order save our lives, we are also witnessing in real-time – industries ravaged by closures, massive job losses, economies falling apart and governments rushing to create stimulus packages to stop or slow a potential freefall into a recession.

Additionally, as millions of people are forced to stay home to stem the spread- they’ve poured online to work from home, to run businesses, to keep educating their kids, as well as to collaborate to find medical supplies or to hack Covid19 solutions. The global digital economy is going an iteration like no other and we are being forever changed by the legacy of this pandemic as it unfolds.

This unprecedented season of disruption can also be seen as a tremendous season of opportunity, if you choose to look at things a little differently.

It was Winston Churchill that said you should “never waste a good crisis”. Then there is also this Chinese proverb, ironically, that says “In every crisis there is an opportunity.”

I believe this.

Here we all are, in the Caribbean with possibly the greatest chance to find, define, what is “good for we”. One of those rare, lifetime defining moments, where we can choose to reinvent and reposition ourselves for this Digital Age, but this time, beginning within.

You see, those song lyrics, “ we, we should find, we should find the time, to define, what is good for we.” is the essence of what I believe, should be the Caribbean’s fresh approach to innovation and its successful position in the Global Digital Economy.

Typically, the Caribbean’s Technology and Innovation agenda has always been heavily influenced by outside forces — by people who lend us money, who are always trying to sell us things. Those same people, who always insist on telling us what they think we’re good at and what they think is best for us.

Isn’t it time to flip that funnel, to be more mindful, confident and strategic in developing the Digital Caribbean created by us to the world, not fed to us, by the World.I am a big believer that we should seek to evolve our mindset, play to our strengths, and negotiate from that position of power.

“ When most organizations try to increase their innovation efforts, they always seem to start from the same assumption: “we need more ideas.” They’ll start talking about the need to “think outside the box” or “blue sky” thinking in order to find a few ideas that can turn into viable new products or systems. However, in most organizations, innovation isn’t hampered by a lack of ideas, but rather a lack of noticing the good ideas already there. It’s not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.” – David Burkus

“ Innovation – It’s not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.”

Our MindSet Is the Obstacle

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been asking this question for a while now -why aren’t we playing to our Strengths? I believe that each country and region in this world, has its own unique culture, processes of innovating, strengths, and talent that can breakthrough locally, regionally, and globally and be super successful. The Caribbean is no different, but do we believe it, and can we embody it?

I believe that each Caribbean Nation must sit with itself and acknowledge the things it does best in the world, then marry it to the existing and emerging technologies to further cement those strengths. Or create new technologies of its own.

Why aren’t we talking about how Jamaica can pair its music influence with Tech and create solutions that can serve the world? We aren’t we not moving to integrate all things Digital with Cannabis and our dominance in Track and Field Sports in such a way that by solving our problems, we can offer them solutions to the rest of the world too?

Once we boldly own what we truly have an unfair advantage in, then we can act on it unapologetically. Once we decide what our priorities are, then we can seek the right tech talent, funding, and smart partnerships and innovate from there.

Can Caribbean Nations be radically honest about their most pressing problems and have the courage to disrupt themselves from the inside out, with technology and innovative thinking that delivers economic and social impact for its people? These are the things I believe we must do to develop Digital Caribbean and thrive in the Global Digital Economy.

And these exercises can’t be driven by people who do stakeholder consultations before they sell us loans, their products, culture, and beliefs on who we need to be, in this new world emerging. That’s what’s always been done, Covid19 has presented us with another opportunity to cut what no longer works for us and do things very differently.

Having been in the Caribbean Tech Startup scene since the late 90s as an entrepreneur, angel investor, mentor, and pioneering tech community leader — I know this inside:out approach is already been happening. You only have to look at the startup scene in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, and Haiti.

Entrepreneurs and other digital early adopters have been creating products, startups that have begun to shift things in their countries from the late 90s – in everything from digital media, e-commerce, online gaming, online education, ehealth, and more. They have been creating work around products and services, especially for online payments and finding unconventional ways to get funding to scale their business. Go to SiliconCaribe and put startups in the search bar and see what’s been happening since we’ve been writing about them since 2005.

From what I’ve seen though, we need lots more of that fail-until-you-succeed mindset and supporting culture, changes to some laws, and a more collaborative entrepreneur community support. This startup Ecosystem development as its called in development circles has been happening for about 15 years now in a few Caribbean countries. Still, there is so much more to be done.

The Covid19 pandemic gives us a chance to speed things up, break some rules, leapfrog the usual bullshit, and redefine what is “good for we”. But, will we?

“If you want to win the future, you have to prepare to shape it — or someone else will.”