(From L-R), Inshan Meahjohn, Ermine Christopher-Salino, Denise Carew and Dr. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), the only national university, has embarked upon many strategies to develop the entrepreneurial spirit. One of these strategies include the launch of uSTART, the Business Accelerator Programme.

uSTART functions as an engine of innovation and enterprise, fostering an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurial mindsets of both students and staff of UTT through the provision of a physical business space and business development services inclusive of access to hosted seminars, workshops and other opportunities originating at uSTART and with partner organisations.

uSTART continues to cultivate the minds of entrepreneurs and has formed a number of collaborations with agencies from the entrepreneurial ecosystem locally, regionally and internationally. This has not gone unnoticed, as we have received visits from renowned individuals respected in their professional field. One such person is Dr. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Managing Director of Rousseau Ventures.

Dr. Rousseau, based in Toronto, Canada, developed Genius Lab, a digital literacy training initiative which aims to bridge the gap by providing participants with low skill and low paying jobs, the necessary skillset to have an opportunity to earn higher pay given their new skill set.

Dr. Rousseau is currently leading the launch of Haiti's first Technology Business Incubator, which is expected to open later in 2016. His visit to Trinidad aimed to identify collaboration opportunities to promote tech-enabled entrepreneurship on a regional scale. Dr. Rousseau along with his colleague, Ms.Denise Carew visited uSTART to also learn the best practices of our incubator. They were able to speak to Mr. Inshan Meahjohn, Assistant Vice President and Mrs. Ermine Christopher-Salino, Co-ordinator of Incubator Projects. The uSTART team shared with Dr. Rousseau the strategic intent of uSTART, some of the procedures implemented and the rationale. Mr. Meahjohn and Mrs. Christopher-Salino were also able to elaborate on the entrepreneurial strategies employed in the delivery of service to the entrepreneurs.

The discussion evolved further to the current sectors from which the uSTART entrepreneurs emanate versus Haiti’s high-growth potential sectors such as food, culture and technology. The Technology Business Incubator project in Haiti will coordinate regional approaches to entrepreneurship and technology and opportunities for curriculum co-development and co-delivery.

Dr. Rousseau and Ms. Carew also toured the uSTART facility and were able to meet with some of our entrepreneurs who were in the facility that the time.

Dr. Rousseau and Ms. Carew were also encouraged to visit UTT’s airport store, AboUTT, before they left the country where they also witnessed another UTT entrepreneurial initiative- entrepreneurs’ locally made products being sold on an international scale. 

(From L-R), Denise Carew and Dr. Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the AboUTT Store

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We eagerly await the integration of the learnings from uSTART into the implementation of Haiti’s Technology Business Incubator.