CARIBBEAN STARTUPS | Where Are Some of Them Now? 

CARIBBEAN STARTUPS | Where are They Now? 
( Done by Alphabetical Order)

The last time I did a Caribbean Startups to Watch List was In 2016. But 2015 was a bumper season. Between 2010-2015 was definitely the Second Wave of Startups in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Our Kingston Beta event series of startup pitches and community meetups was 7 years deep and already gone mainstream, to the Caribbean and into the Diaspora. Caribbean Beta the first Tech Entrepreneurship Conference in the Region happened in 2011 and 2012 between those events had over 70 startups pitching and attending and it helped spur a flurry of activity. At the time too, there were accelerators brewing in St Kitts, Dominica, Jamaica and there was a rash of Startup Pitch Competitions in the Region.

For the 2015 list, I had put out a Caribbean and Diaspora wide call for people to submit the names of Caribbean Startups To Watch in that year. I and a couple of other Startup Ecosystem Leaders curated the list of 25 below.

What I’ve done below is to give an update on their Current Status. Grab a glass of wine and have a read.

Agrocentral   | Jamaica  ( eAGriculture)

AgroCentral was Jamaica’s first digital agricultural clearing house utilizing Web to SMS/SMS to Web technology to connect small farmers and businesses. Businesses have the ability to source large amounts of crops directly from farmers and farmers are able to sell their available produce directly to businesses.

AgroCentral removes the middleman who drives up prices and cuts the suppliers out of their share of the profit. AgroCentral was a product of the first Startup Weekend Jamaica event in 2013. They have two co-founders and one of them is a woman.

They went on to win US$20,000 in the Pitch Contest at Aruba’s first Tech Conference Atech and won.

Current Status: agrocentral.com went into the deadpool. One of its co-founders Jermaine Henry went to found other startups such as FlowFacto a cloud-based financing platform for SME exporters, that allows them access to pre-shipment financing providing capital to purchase goods and raw materials, pay for warehousing and to arrange transportation. They got some consumer traction and also won a US$10,000 equity-free grant from Y Combinator’s Startup School after completing its 10-week online course on how to start a startup. FlowFact was Henry’s 3rd startup. Henry is now on to Norus Technologies startup.

Antullia | Jamaica ( Travel Search )
A travel search engine to make vacation experiences searchable in ways that match up to the imagination and sophistication of today’s travelers. The search criteria include the purpose of the trip, special interests, and budget. The search results are visual and in the context of the purpose of trip. They cut through all the clutter by summarising content while surfacing the relevant information that helps you make a decision. They are currently in the coworking office at the Government-led accelerator StartUp Jamaica.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.

Auto Data  | Jamaica + Belize ( Auto Data)
Auto Data was the Caribbean’s first online vehicle history and valuation service. The car history provides a cost-effective solution to determining the fitness and all-round state of any motor vehicle. It is Jamaica’s equivalent to the American online vehicle history service, known as CARFAX. The eHistory compiles its data from the consolidated databases of Jamaica’s leading motor valuators, assessors, and vehicle mechanics. Its platform can boast of having access to over one million records covering up to 90 percent of the vehicles in Jamaica, including those imported from the United States. It is based in Jamaica and Belize.

Current Status:  Folded into its parent company McKay and Associates- a loss adjuster brand that’s been in that industry for over 10 years.

CaribWatch  | Jamaica ( Mobile)
Want to monitor disasters in the Caribbean? There’s an app for that. CaribWatch is a Caribbean emergency alert and disaster monitoring app. It is a system for sharing crisis information in the Caribbean via a free smartphone application and the supporting use of social media. Its purpose is to enable people throughout the Caribbean & its Diaspora, to help each other in times of crisis, by providing a hub for information and a focal point for relief efforts. It’s founded and run by a Jamaican woman.

Current Status: In the deadpool. Its founder Heather Pinnock is now General Manager of Urban Development Corporation in Kingston, Jamaica.

CamsFormer | Jamaica + USA ( Camera Device)
CamsFormer, just made high-speed photography easy and wireless! CamsFormer technology is the world’s first to combine many different technologies into a single easy to use the device, that is controlled wirelessly using a smart phone, tablet, or computer. CamsFormers technology helps photographers be more creative, by using its internal sensors to trigger an everyday camera to take great pictures that are almost impossible using normal human reflexes.
The hardware itself uses an embedded Linux operating system, with the camera application running on the hardware. It generates its own wireless WiFi network (like a wireless router) so that the iPhone and iPad can connect to it to control the camera through it and the USB port. This Startup with a Jamaican co-founding team is based in USA and just raised 600% over its funding goal on kickstarter.com

Current Status: In the Deadpool

CrimeBot | Jamaica ( Mobile)
CrimeBot is a mobile app focused on crime-fighting. It was developed to involve the public in alerting incidences of crime and identifying crime hotspot areas. CrimeBot focuses on anonymous reporting along with user confirmation feedback to verify incoming reports. In so doing, it maps crime hotspots around any specific community or country. With this information, users can view crime directly around them as well as report crimes and search other locations for crimes.  The application won top app among 160 entries from the region at the Digital Jam 3.0 event. Crimebot has 4 Co-founders on their team.

Current Status: In the deadpool.

CropGuard | Barbados ( Mobile)
CropGuard is an agriculture app that seeks to enhance food security by helping farmers to protect their crops through pest diagnosis, monitoring, and control. They won 2nd prize in the Agrigack Talent Caribbean competition and they are now seeking to launch shortly.

Current Status: In the dead pool.

ComeSeeTV | Dominica ( Online Media)
ComeSeeTV is the Caribbean’s largest portal for streaming original content. Over 11 million people annually access content created by churches, carnivals, governments, and entrepreneurs. Clients can create free content, On-Demand, or Live Stream Pay Per View events.

Current Status: Still going.

Edufocal | Jamaica  (eLearning)
EduFocal is an innovative social learning platform that combines study with play. It’s the first tool of its kind created for students at the primary and secondary level in the Caribbean. The mission is to challenge the status quo; changing the way students interact with students and the way students interact with teachers. Initially, the platform has focused on students taking the Caribbean CXC & GSAT examinations but is also expanding to SATs. It is a friendly online community where students have fun while learning. It is interactive, user-friendly, and students can earn rewards. The founder is a 24-year-old entrepreneur and it was both bootstrapped and Angel funded.

Current Status: Alive and growing. Took on investors from Mayberry Investment firm. Been regularly announcing collaborations with corporate partners Founder, Gordon Swaby has led the company to evolve ….

EZLearner | Barbados ( eLearning)
EZLearner is an online learning platform that helps students to become confident learners, achieve better grades, and avoid unforgiving learning pitfalls. The platform focuses on helping students to improve literacy, reading, creative writing, and problem-solving. They are currently expanding their team and moving into regional market expansion. It was one of the early pioneers in Caribbean edTEch founded in 2010 by Barbadian Entrepreneur Troy Weeks.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.

eVisa (MOVA) | Montserrat ( Web App)
eVisa (MOVA) is an electronic visa application system that provides approval on requests within 24 hours. It also allows the government to collect revenue directly via credit card payments and eliminates the current practices of using consulates in various parts of the world which can take weeks and also does not provide local income. This product is from Lavabits a software development firm based in Montserrat.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.
F1RST.com  | Trinidad, and Tobago ( Online Media)
F1RST.com  is an online media startup with a web and mobile app that connects you to Caribbean experiences you LOVE and NEED – from Caribbean Food, Shopping & Nightlife, to big Deals & Discounts. It helps people navigate the Caribbean. So if you want to get information about any place, business, a doubles vendor in Trinidad to a pan chicken vendor in Jamaica, from a nearby gas station to your favourite local restaurant, you can use the app for that.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.
grik.ly | Jamaica  ( Mobile/Web App for Events)
Grikly is an event planning, management, and analytics service that used Bluetooth Smart and iBeacons at its core to enable booth holders to gauge foot traffic, give deals to attendees, frictionlessly collect details of attendees, and the ability to store collected details in their CRM of choice. Event attendees can also network, frictionlessly, with fellow attendees, booth holders and add context to each individual and company they interact with. Grikly is the first product from the Startup Xormis. They have two co-founders and are based in Jamaica. Dwayne Samuels and Shawn McClean.

Current Status: Grikly pivoted to SameLogic which is focused on Agile Experiments for SaaS Products. The Startup took on investments from a Black-owned Venture Capital Firm in the United States and is setting itself up to scale.

Jungle Escape | Jamaica ( Mobile Gaming)
Jungle Escape is a mobile gaming app for Windows Phone. The free app has been downloaded over 200,000 downloads since its launch. It was started by two university students who built the app between school and work. This gaming app was rolled out as a minimum viable product for first-time users, similar to a demo product. The was designed by software developer Nicolas Brown.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.
M-Survey  | Barbados + Kenya ( Mobile Survey)
mSurvey, a Kenyan SaaS Mobile Consumer Feedback Company and raise a VC  round of US$3.5m, also went to Jamaica and raised six figures from the Alpha Angel investors.  MSurvey has 3 co-founders and is lead by an entrepreneur of Caribbean descent(Barbados) and is based in Nairobi, Kenya as well as Trinidad and Tobago. The  Caribbean-led Startup M-Survey has scored funding with a seed round from CrossCulture Venture firm. Led by Co-founder and CEO Kenfield Griffith, a Caribbean Native of Bajan/Montserratian descent and MIT Graduate.

Current Status: M-Survey has pivoted and rebranded as Ajua, Africa’s first Integrated Customer Experience Company and growing fast in new markets like Nigeria.

Medirevu | Barbados ( eHealth)
MediRevu is a healthcare technology company focused on improving healthcare through closer doctor-patient relationships. The MediRevu mobile health app empowers doctors and caretakers to easily manage patients between visits by tracking compliance with doctor instructions regarding diet, exercise, and medication instructions. Patients use the free mobile app to access the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment instructions as well as automatic reminders that help them stay on track. The founder is Barbadian and they just got secured their seed funding from Jordan based accelerator, Oasis 500.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.
Node420 | Jamaica ( Internet of Things)
Node420 is an Internet of Things solution for the Agricultural sector. It is a network of ‘Nodes’ which provide real-time updates to farmers on the status of their crops.  This system, as a result, can provide real-time weather to other farmers in the area and predictive weather analysis for more accurate weather forecasts. Node420s system also provides recommendations per crop as to its optimal growing conditions and can be used to detect pests and diseases (excess water saturation may be indicative of root rot). The startup also recently won the first Agrihack Talent Caribbean competition.

Current Status: Founder Jason Scott is now Head of Digital Transformation at GK General Insurance Company Limited.
On the Ground News Report | Jamaica ( Online Media)
OGNR was the Caribbean’s largest citizen-powered news aggregator and citizen reporting website. It is currently reinventing its new site since the servers crashed via the coverage of the Kartel Trial Case. The startup has had a healthy social media following on Facebook and Twitter, it had 5 co-founders.

Current Status: In the Deadpool.

SmartPassant™ (EPsp) | Jamaica + USA ( Internet of Things)
SmartPassant™, an RFID hardware solution capable of relaying information about assets within a shared space. This information is processed to identify and track assets as they pass through supply chains. Using this information, along with several ancillary sources (e.g., historical information), SmartPassant can actively make recommendations as businesses seek to increase efficiencies in their operations. SmartPassant is the first product from EnPassant™, an Internet of Things (IoT) technology company based in Jamaica and the USA. They build the devices that collate information about the environment in which they are placed while providing the facility to control them remotely. With a compelling and working prototype, the product (including software) is expected to be in the market by the end of 2015.

Current Status: In the deadpool.

StartupRobot |  Jamaica ( Company Registration)
StartUpRobot is a platform that makes it easier for business people to incorporate companies. They use shorter, simpler forms and do the runaround making it easy for you to incorporate a business in Jamaica. Company registration is a major pain point in Jamaica and the Caribbean and in many cases, online registration does not exist. StartUpRobot has a team of four co-founders and was got seed funding from Jamaican and American Angel investors.

Current Status: The Founders Pivoted to  Hacker Hostel Training Software Engineers across the Caribbean, for remote work in more developed job markets.

TheVineList | Jamaica ( Social Shopping)
The VineList is a Social Shopping App – a service that brings the merchants/stores to you instead of having you search around for the things you want to buy. Simply post to the #thevinelist the products you want to purchase and we will handle the rest to let you know the various stores around you that sell your product. VineList is currently part of the Government-led Startup Jamaica Accelerator.

Current Status: In the deadpool. The Founder Manning Marsh works for a software development shop and is also pursuing a career in music.

NotesMaster | Jamaica and UK  ( eLearning)
Notesmaster is an e-learning platform that enables students and educators, from different countries, to learn and share materials, using familiar syllabus frameworks that reflect their own curriculum. Notesmaster operates in the Caribbean and African markets. The founder is Jamaican.NotesMaster founded n 2010 by Jamaican Dean Dundas

Current Status: Alive and Well Still online and servicing the Caribbean and a couple of African countries such as Namibia and Botswana.

myCarnivalBands | Trinidad and Tobago ( eCommerce)
myCarnivalBands.com is where you can access and buy the hottest premium Carnival Bands and accessories to make your experience an unforgettable one, in whichever Carnival you choose – Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Miami, Toronto, Notting Hill, Brazil, and a host of other places are available for you to enjoy this incredible celebration in all its different forms.

Current Status: In the deadpool.
Talypso | Montserrat ( Voting Software)
Talypso is a voting software that cuts the wait time for results at cultural competitions such as calypso, soca, and pageants. It gives real-time information on a leader board as the show progresses and results can be announced within 20 minutes of the competitions ending. The team has also developed a Government document system that allows various departments to work on the same project and share documents while maintaining security. Talypso is a product of a Software startup Rovika, ran by two young men.

Current Status: Talypso the product is In the Deadpool. But Rovika Inc, the tech startup run by Dennison Daley and Manish Valechha recently signed an agreement with the Government of the British Virgin Islands to use ExcoTrack, a document management software designed for senior cabinet officials.

10PoundPledge | Jamaica ( Online Fitness)
What is 10 Pound Pledge? It’s an online in-home workout & nutrition programme if you want to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks with a fitness coach and sports nutritionist Kamila McDonald. The Online fitness Startup has 3 co-founders.

Current Status: In the deadpool. The founder  Marc Gayle has found success with another startup The Creative People, tcptings.com product line is designed by Jamaicans for Jamaicans and anyone who loves Jamaica.  All of their greeting cards, gift tags, planners, stationery, and tote bags are proudly printed in Jamaica.

This was the lead of my weekly SIliconCaribe Insider newsletter which is published every Tuesday.  Subscribe and get it fresh and before anywhere else.