Timing is everything. On February 28th, 2022 we celebrated the 15th anniversary of SiliconCaribe and also Kingston BETA our pioneering and iconic Caribbean Tech Event. Kinda fitting that we’ve just franchised it. We relaunched Kingston BETA on May 4th, 2022 and I officially handed it over to Jermaine Henry, himself a recipient of many benefits of the Kingston BETA community and event series.
Freshly Franchised.
Now that it is freshly franchised to the Jermaine Henry-led Norus Technologies company, it is poised to take the community, connections, and education to new levels, attendees can expect a continuation of meetups, hackathons, and boot camps.
Kingston BETA did a lot in Jamaica, across the Caribbean, and in Diaspora. Have a look at our Numbers below.
You can learn more about the Kingston BETA effect, from the presentation below that I used to open the event with a Brief History that which charted our journey and showed our impact as we journeyed on our mission. You can read it below.
It’s been, 15 years, since my then business partner Susan LeeQuee and myself, staged the first Kingston Beta event for 90 Jamaican and Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurs like us. It went on to spawn over 300 events across 10 Caribbean countries and Diaspora US, UK, and Canada, directly inspiring and facilitating over 100,000 entrepreneurs. I ended it in year 11, on June 28th, 2018 to take a sabbatical and assess things.
Always On Mission
When I took a break for a year, I returned to SiliconCaribe to launch a fresh slew of media & events and to do more around our mission:
To amplify the people, ideas, and businesses driving the rise of the Caribbean Digital Economy and to educate and inspire the next generation of Caribbean entrepreneurs and innovators.
To Change and amplify the narrative about the Caribbean, that’s Beyond the Beach that’s Going Digital and Innovating in Fresh Ways.
To be the #1 source of Caribbean Startup and Technology News, Insights & Business Intelligence to Entrepreneurs, Executives, Creatives, and Investors.
I am proud of the tech community and movement that is Kingston Beta… the pitches made by entrepreneurs, collaborations made, the workshops, the hackathons, and co-producing events with global brands like SXSW and Black Tech Week; the new tech talent hired, the co-founders discovered partnerships and investments secured.
Will there be more Franchises?
Yes. I will be making some announcements in the next few weeks. Also If you’re interested in being part of our growing SliconCaribe’s BETA network of events, communities, connections, and education initiatives. Let’s talk now. Email ingrid@siliconcaribe.com.