Will Jamaica become Silicon Beach?
That’s the plan by the country’s government, which is creating a new “Technology Innovation Fund.”
According to Minister of Energy, Science and Technology, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, the plan is to make Jamaica the Caribbean’s leading producer of technology.
The fund will provide for the “sustainable financing” of technology based and other startup projects.
Jamaica has already embarked on the “Start-Up Jamaica” project.
“In one boot camp, more than 40 start-ups from several countries throughout the Caribbean participated,” Wheatley said. “Of that number, 25 successfully completed the programme requirements and 15 of them will be selected to advance to the acceleration/incubation phase, but much more can be achieved. While we celebrate this achievement, there are other targets that must be realized.”