Business
Caribbean BETA conference 2012: The Business of the Internet
The world may not be flat, but the Internet has created a level playing field where the opportunities are greater and there are more routes to creating and finding jobs, owning a business and achieving personal success. That’s the underlying message of the annual Caribbean BETA – Tech Entrepreneurship conference being held in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday November 16th, 2012 at Knutsford Court Hotel.
“We want more people to come to understand that being online, is not just about entertainment anymore, but also about entrepreneurship and jobs,” Ingrid Riley, Founder of ConnectiMass, the organization that stages the annual conference. “This why the theme in this our second year is The Business of the Internet – Mobile, Social and Consumer driven-where are the opportunities?,” she added.
The first day of the conference will be a mixture of keynotes and panel discussions by a heady mixture of international, regional and local experts. The topics to be discussed are : When Technology Meets Government – What are the business opportunities ?; Reggae Music 2.0: How will it succeed in the Digital age of music, brand, culture?; Mobile – a phenomenal Caribbean opportunity; When technology meets the creatives industries – where are the business opportunities? and Funding entrepreneurship and innovation- what will it take?.
On the second and third days is a startup bootcamp of four intense workshops, which will also be followed up by a two-month-long pitching challenge with virtual business coaching.
“It is critical to support tech entrepreneurship in the Caribbean because the problems faced by developing countries will not be solved by entrepreneurs in developed countries. The solutions will come from locals,” David Mullings, CEO of KeyStone Augusta an investment firm that’s a Diamond sponsor of the conference.