Happy Sweet 16 to the iconic Kingston Beta Tech Event Series and Community!

Happy Sweet 16 to Kingston BETA, the Caribbean’s first and longest-running technology event series and startup community. The now iconic hub of Jamaica’s Tech Scene!

Our technology event and community brand was launched on February 28th, 2007 by its founders Ingrid Riley and Susan LeeQuee the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel for current and aspiring entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and investors working in the Tech industry and its many sectors. That first event had 90 attendees from 4 Caribbean countries and 4 speakers.

The Intention

Ingrid and Susan had the intention to connect Jamaican and Caribbean people to the opportunities of this Digital Age and to help them take full advantage of it so they can launch a business, get great jobs in tech, and have a great network of like-minded people to connect with and generate wealth from this Digital Age. To help reposition the Jamaica and Caribbean as a place where entrepreneurship, innovation, and excellence lives, Beyond the Beach.”

What We Believe

Kingston BETA has always operated under the belief that “we live in the age of unprecedented economic opportunity because of technology. Anyone anywhere in the world, using technologies like the Internet, their mind, and time, can create something that fundamentally changes the way we live, work, and play.

Technology levels the playing field here in Jamaica and the Caribbean and presents a fantastic opportunity for stunning innovations and wealth we can create when paired with what we do best in the world. It can create significant and lasting success in individual Caribbean countries and our Region and position us better in the Global Digital Economy.”

How We Measure Our Success.

To have more Caribbean Startup Success Stories -profitable, market impact, create jobs, create wealth.

To have more Caribbean Tech Workers with digital skills that benefit them personally as well as the industries and economies they are in.

To have a powerful local network connected to the diaspora and the world that’s focused on helping each other leverage this Digital Economy for business, digital skills, and wealth building.

To inspire and support the next generation of digital business builders.

Sixteen years later here are Kingston BETA’s impact and numbers:

Our Impact and Numbers

• Produced over 300 events ( meetups, startup pitch competitions, hackathons, conferences, bootcamps, startup weekends) across 10 Caribbean countries and Diaspora US, UK, and Canada.
• Kingston BETA spinoffs: Caribbean BETA- the first tech entrepreneurship conference in the Caribbean, Digital JAM 2.0, Caribbean Bloggers Week.  3 Caribbean Hackathons, a few Mobile App Competitions, and Startup Weekend Jamaica as well as Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurship content programming for SXSW, AgriHack Caribbean, and Black Tech Week ( Miami and New York).

• Kingston BETA has directly inspired and facilitated over 100,000 Caribbean and Diaspora entrepreneurs.
• Kingston BETA went on Sabbatical on its 11th anniversary in June 2018.
• Returned May 2022, post-pandemic being curated by Norus Tech, led by CEO Jermaine Henry, a member of the Community.
• We’ve been sponsored by and collaborated with VMinvestments, the Development Bank of Jamaica, National Commercial Bank, Edufocal, GiftMe, Miami Hack Week, SXSW, Black Tech Week, World Bank, IDB, Microsoft, Jamaica Tourist Board, Start Social, M1 Productions.
• We’ve taken Caribbean Startups to Miami, Kenya, London, New York, Suriname & Trinidad for startup showcases and competitions.
• We have produced the most technology and startup events than anyone else in the Caribbean. Period.
• Founder Ingrid Riley has received many awards including the prestigious Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) 50Under50 Game Changer Business Leader Award + TechLink Game Changer Caribbean Award.

SNAPSHOTS Of the Tech Community Over The Years.

Why do People Come to Kingston BETA events and join the Community?

The people who attend Kingston BETA are thinking about how to leverage this Digital Age with all of its technologies and opportunities to start a business or have a tech/digital career. We have people who want to launch a startup, already have a startup, and are seeking a founder, tech talent, and fresh funding.

We have people there who want to get hired into a tech company with the skills they do have or skills they want to learn. Kingston BETA is the hub of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity. People come there to indulge their curiosity, share their stories, pitch their ideas, make powerful connections, spot opportunities, and learn new things.

Kingston BETA Is one part community, one part startup pitch stage, one part the best tech industry networking you can get, one part collaborative learning, one part deals pipeline for investors, and one part source for tech/digital talent, one part helps Caribbean entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives get smarter about technology and business.

Kingston BETA Alumni Special Mention

Who’s been in our community….Edufocal Gordon Swaby found his co-founder at Kgn BETA and pitched his startup there, Monique Powell, Founder and CEO of Quickcartonline.com, and Rory Walker Founder and CEO of Jamaicacarepackages.com are all part of our community.

When is the next Kingston BETA?

RSVP HERE and we’ll see you there!