by Ingrid Riley
We’ve been doing Kingston BETA now since 2007 with the goals being to build the tech community and increase the capacity of the community. And what a journey and process it’s been.
The first of 4 Kingston BETA events scheduled for 2013 happens tomorrow Thursday April 25th, 2013 at JAMPRO Offices at 6:30pm. $500jmd/US$5 gets you in. As the founder and host and having interacted with thousands of individuals who’ve attended our event, I’ve seen and heard alot and I realised I’ve never written something like this especially for the uninitiated and shy ones among us. So I thought I’d write this today.
So here we go, so what are Top 5 ways to make the most of a Kingston Beta event and community ?
What is Kingston BETA?
Kingston BETA is a tech event series that brings together aspiring and current Jamaican/Caribbean entrepreneurs, developers, designers,tech professionals – To Learn. Be Inspired. To Network. We provide the connections, content, insights, skills, resources and networks needed to launch a successful tech startup. We want them to get connected. educated and inspired enough to go Build, Launch and Prosper.
Why Kingston BETA?
These are the beliefs that drives us.
-We believe that Tech Entrepreneurship can become a major driver of job creation, startups and innovation across the Caribbean.
– We believe that while the Caribbean as a region and in terms of numbers may be small, the talent and ideas that reside here are in a word- Significant.
-We believe that when you connect the motivated and talented to the right people, ideas and information- amazing things happen!
-We believe that the Caribbean can create technology millionaires and billionaires who change their countries and the world with their amazing ideas.
1. Just show up in person and online. Each event attracts between 80-150 people depending on the guest speaker, panel discussion and number of idea pitches. So come in person if you live in Jamaica or are here on business. If not, we live tweet every event for the Caribbean Tech Community and the rest of the world using the twitter name @kingstonbeta and the hashtag #kgnbeta. So join in the conversation online if you cannot do so in person. Plus people attending are usually tweeting too, so you will feel like you are right there in the middle of the action if you are not in Jamaica. There is nothing like being a part of a community of like minded people. So whether you are an aspiring or existing tech entrepreneur, developer, designer, marketing or business graduate, or tech enthusiast…join us in person and online. You will always leave an event having learnt something and connected with someone you’ve always wanted to.
2. Network: At the registration desk, you will get a name tag. Write your name or twitter ID on it, but please wear the tag and a smile. The networking is killer at Kingston Beta- it is the place to meet then match the faces behind the Caribbean dotcom places. You will always be surprised about meeting the entrepreneur or developer behind a particular website, company or app. So read people’s name tags and just say hi, they are expecting you to.
3. Be Inspired: So you don’t have a tech idea as yet, or you’re toying with a few but unsure about which way to go. That’s cool. Just being at the event, meeting new people, listening to the speakers and idea pitches will inspire you to think harder, do more homework and help you generate even better ideas. Let me tell you, when a bunch of smart, passionate people are in a single room, I tell you, magic happens!
4. Pitch Your Idea: At our Kingston BETA events, we’ve created a safe and non-judgmental community space for everyone from the college student, college graduate, aspiring entrepreneur to the seasoned and successful ones. We encourage you to share your ideas, your product prototype or startup on stage in the BETA Pitch section of the event. Over the 50 events we’ve done so far, over 100 entrepreneurs have pitched their ideas to over 3,000 attendees. And we’re just getting started. The one thing that will happen when you pitch – you will get great feedback from an audience like no other and it will help you to ditch or finesse your idea. You will be better for the experience. Plus we want you to enter the grand Caribbean Pitchfest which happens at our annual tech entrepreneurship conference – Caribbean BETA. So sharpen up those pitches and get ready.
5. Stay Connected to the Community. Currently we have four Kingston BETA events planned for 2013, so what are you going to do in between those events? Stay connected to the community….and where else…online. Join the BETA Newsletter which is a monthly email newsletter that keeps you on the pulse of the people and events that are making things happen in the Caribbean Tech Startup Scene. This includes Kingston BETA, Caribbean BETA, Startup Weekend events, Startup Bootcamps, Tech Conferences, Competitions, Deals and more. Join the Facebook community, Follow us on Twitter . Read our award-winning Caribbean Tech Blog SiliconCaribe.com which covers the Caribbean Tech Startup Scene – The Entrepreneurs, Developers, Designers, Investors, Advocates, Culture and Events. We keep you updated on the latest news and trends in Caribbean technology entrepreneurship and innovation. Join the various groups that are part of the wider Tech Community as well Slashroots Foundation, Jamaica Software Developers Association, Jamaica Design Association, Cayman Software Developers, App developer community in Barbados. And when you are there, share what you read, what you are doing and what you know. The knowledge exchange change of the online community is priceless.
NB: Kingston BETA is the event series staged by the award-winning tech entrepreneurship foundation ConnectiMass. Connectimass is an non-profit that equips aspiring and existing Caribbean tech entrepreneurs with the connections, content, insights, skills, resources and networks needed to launch a successful tech startup. We offer content, community and events and have been since 2007. We’re on a mission to increase the number of successful tech entrepreneurs and startups in the Caribbean with information, inspiration and education on our platforms. We are helping Caribbean young people and women become Successful Tech Entrepreneurs. We’re taking Caribbean Tech Ideas to the World.