Tech News

Know More Now, About Who and What’s Shaping the Caribbean Digital Economy

Published

4 years ago

October 1, 2020

After being 8 months deep of this unprecedented season of disruption, which accelerated years-long digital trends, the world, the Caribbean has started to see the tremendous season of opportunity, as they look at things a little differently. 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. This is about moving us beyond the talk of pivots and digital transformation and giving soul and strategy to what comes next for us. Let me share with you what I mean by that.

The Caribbean Then and Next.

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

My position is that It’s time to flip that funnel, to be more mindful, confident, and strategic in developing our Caribbean Economies, which is really now the Digital Caribbean – created by us to the world, not fed to us, by the World. So, I’m a big believer that we should seek to evolve our mindset, play to our strengths, and negotiate from a position of power.

Hence, this is the essence of my Digital Caribbean Manifesto: I believe that each Caribbean Nation must sit with itself and acknowledge the things it does best in the world, the things it already has or can have an unfair advantage in. Then marry that to the existing and emerging technologies to further cement those strengths or create new technologies of its own. After 15 years entrenched in the Caribbean Tech and Startup Ecosystem, having a front-row seat to the data, the trends as well as the minds and movement of entrepreneurs – I believe this is our best way forward.

There is a New Caribbean emerging – that’s going digital, becoming more inclusive, embracing its fringes like Cannabis, and falling in love with itself again. So If we truly want to diversify our economies, we must set up our Caribbean people for success with digital skills, jobs, business opportunities across all industries.

It’s time to get off the plantation, of being that region in the world that is most dependent on tourism and move to create a fresh reality-driven by where we are, who we are -from the inside, out. On our newly negotiated terms.

And that’s what we want to do with our virtual event DigitalCaribbean- How To Use WHERE and WHO you are to INNOVATE is to discuss, distill, and demonstrate what can happen for us and what is already happening. It’s on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020 at 10:30 am CT | JA

The Intention Behind our Event.

This is an event for entrepreneurs, business executives, creatives, thinkers – anyone who wants useful information- stories and data, plus fresh connections with the people who are being inspired to and who are already executing on redefining the Caribbean’s Economy, and driving the rise of Caribbean’s Digital Economy.

So during our two-hour event, we’re asking and our speakers will be answering these and other questions

What is Digital Caribbean? How Do We Define it And Execute it?
How has the European Union’s Institutionalized Racism and Bullyism affected Caribbean Entrepreneurship and Innovation?
What kind of investor and investment does the Caribbean really need to spark Tech Entrepreneurship and Innovation?
What makes a successful entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. Where are we now?
How do Innovate and thrive during a crisis?