The Origins, the Place, and the Mission behind the Term Silicon Caribe.
I started the blog CaribbeanTechNews.com in 2005 to hold all the news that was coming to me and to put it all in a central place so we could see what others were doing in the Caribbean. I also wanted others around the world to see what was happening in our Region.
Then I changed the name to SiliconCaribe.com in 2007, when I decided to get more serious about it. It was also at that time the world was breaking out into Silicon everything. SiliconValley was pretty established in San Francisco, and there was Silicon Alley ( New York) Silicon Roundabout ( London) Silicon Savannah ( Kenya), etc. For me, SiliconCaribe’s mission was about letting the world know that great people, ideas, and tech startups resided in the Caribbean too. That there is a Caribbean, Beyond the Beach. That yes, we innovate where you vacation.
That was the mission, so where exactly is SiliconCaribe?
SiliconCaribe is the Caribbean tech startup scene that I started chronicling and connecting since 2005 – our entrepreneurs, digital creatives, forward-thinking executives who were experimenting and doing interesting and innovative things online.
SiliconCaribe is the English, Spanish, Dutch and French Speaking Caribbean, the 28 Countries and Territories, all 44 million people, 60% of whom are internet users and with most nations having over 90% mobile penetration. It also includes the Caribbean Diaspora in the United States, Europe, and Canada.
We’re talking over 100 million people.
SiliconCaribe = Future of Tech in Caribbean Business and Culture.
A “small” market for some, a very significant market for many.
Over these last 14 years, we’ve written articles, done audio and video podcast interviews, and produced over 300 events across 10 Caribbean countries and the US Diaspora chronicling, amplifying, educating, connecting The Caribbean startups, the digital creatives, digital businesses, investors, initiative and policymakers that is our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
SiliconCaribe the media brand, that became the accidental Tech Startup movement maker, is growing further into a full-on media and events brand and community focused on how Caribbean people are leveraging technology to change the face and culture of Caribbean business and impact the World. We’re focused on the Future of Technology in Caribbean Business, this beautiful and unapologetic rise of Digital Caribbean.
Cheers to the next 14yrs ahead.