Ms. Kemeloy Murphy, Mr. Leslie Abell; CaribConnect Development
COSME, a European Union funded programme, launched the online business incubator called CaribConnect, on 6 June, 2018. The launch was hosted by the Department of Youth and Culture which is a support organization for many young entrepreneurs in Anguilla.
CaribConnect.net is simple to use and is currently free to anyone conducting or wishing to conduct business in the Caribbean. There are three categories of profiles for registration in CaribConnect.net, namely: Entrepreneurs, Mentors and Investors. CaribConnect has over 500 registered businesses and over 70 mentors in its Caribbean database.
Special guest, Leslie Abell of the Netherlands, is a member of the original development team. He presented CaribConnect to members of the business community on Wednesday. Most of the participants were young entrepreneurs. This event was open to leading educators and entrepreneur-support individuals in Anguilla.
Those who participated in this workshop learned how to register and use CaribConnect.net. Once registered, CaribConnect offers entrepreneurs and business owners online tools such as templates for business plans and financial plans, as well as educational opportunities.
CaribConnect is designed to offer these entrepreneurs the online resources necessary to assist with their growth beyond the Anguilla borders. Business incubators have the ability to transform economies. CaribConnect is an online solution providing the small Caribbean island populations use of an online incubator, thus eliminating geographic boundaries. CaribConnect offers an ideal solution to making and growing business networks.
Hans Verschoor, COSME Key Expert on Business Incubation, observed that: “Access to resources provides entrepreneurs with needed skills and knowledge for business operations. Business incubators are a way to accelerate growth. CaribConnect is a way to access resources such as mentors and investors beyond the borders of Anguilla.” Hans Verschoor, COSME Key Expert on Business Incubation.
CaribConnect.net was designed to empower and to connect entrepreneurs and business owners through information sharing, and business matching of mentors and investors.
The COSME programme specialises in the development of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in 12 Caribbean islands: British, French and Dutch. It was launched on April 1, 2014 on Tortola, BVI. The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to the sustainable economic diversification and prosperity of Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories by improving the competitiveness of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the participating territories.
