infoDev, a division of the World Bank that supports entrepreneurship and innovation around the world, is beginning a seven-year program to expand entrepreneurship and business incubation in the Caribbean. 

One of the first sectors which we will examine is the mobile innovation sector. infoDev has pioneered a leading global program to support mobile application and service entrepreneurs. One of the primary ways in which this is done is through mHubs and mLabs - specialized places where entrepreneurs and developers can receive mentoring, networking, access to finance and shared business support services (see www.infoDev.org/mobile for more information).

During February, an infoDev team will be traveling to Jamaica to meet with stakeholders and learn about mobile innovation and entrepreneurship in the country and region. On the evening of February 6th, we will be hosting a focus group for entrepreneurs, developers and other stakeholders to share our work and, more importantly, learn about yours. We hope you can join us. 

Areas of Discussion

Over the next seven years, infoDev / The World Bank will invest significantly in improving the innovation ecosystem in the Caribbean. We aim to do so in a demand-driven way, learning the needs of the environment and working closely with partners to create an initiative that will prove valuable to the Caribbean. In this focus group, we hope to discuss issues such as:

• What is the current mobile innovation landscape? Who are the main players? What are the main market demands? What are the market constraints?
• What is the quality and quantity of entrepreneurs? Do they have sufficient technical skills? Do they have sufficient business skills? Is there a culture of entrepreneurship?
• What entities are currently supporting entrepreneurship? Are they educational, private, public or other? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Can the World Bank serve to upgrade capacity?
• What is the state of financing for SMEs? Is finance a limiting constraint? From where does financing come? Does it invest in ICT or mobile innovation?
• What is the role for diaspora in supporting entrepreneurship in the Caribbean?
• What is the cost of doing business in the Caribbean?

The bottom line is: what would it take to successfully turn the Caribbean into a world-class region for mobile innovation?