Business View Caribbean - August 2016 11
popular all-inclusive resort infrastructure, where
guests pay a single fee and never have to worry
about food and beverage. With guests staying in a
campus-style environment at the same resort, it will
be easier for people to meet, exchange ideas, and
build meaningful, long-term relationships.
“I learned a long time ago that networking is not
about how many people you can meet at an event,
it’s about access. You can walk away with 100 busi-
ness cards from people who won’t remember you
or answer your emails, or you can make ten mean-
ingful connections with people who see your vision
and want you to be successful,” Tech Beach founder,
Kirk-Anthony Hamilton said.
Hamilton is a Jamaican entrepreneur. He was cele-
brated as one of 75 Emerging Global Entrepreneurs
by US President, Barack Obama, and was also se-
lected as one of 50 under 30 Global Shapers from
around the world to participate in the Annual Meet-
ing of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Swit-
zerland, for his work with “The Destination Experi-
ence.”
Hamilton partnered with Phin Mpofu, a fellow mem-
ber of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative
of the World Economic Forum, to create Tech Beach.
Mpofu is a UK-based tech entrepreneur who was
recently recognized as one of 100 entrepreneurs to
watch on the 2016 Maserati 100 list. He is also direc-
tor at Startup Grind, the largest tech entrepreneur
community in the world, with over 400,000 mem-
bers.
Hamilton and Mpofu recruited Kyle Maloney from
Trinidad and Tobago, one of the Caribbean’s most
promising tech entrepreneurs in the big data space.
All three gentlemen are minorities and are passion-
ate about diversity in the tech space, with the mis-
sion of making Tech Beach Retreat the most diverse
tech gathering in the world across race, geographic
location and gender. This is reflected in the growing
roster of speakers who have signed on to participle
in the conference.
Tech Beach Retreat will focus on “Exponential
Growth and Impact: Designing your business to
manage the challenges and take advantage of the
opportunities of tomorrow and beyond.” The pro-
gram breaks this down into more specific pillars
like big data and security, artificial intelligence, the
shared economy, and digital currency. Tech Beach
Retreat will also feature amazing entertainment, as
one would expect in Jamaica.
“We want to bring a global ecosystem of resources
to the Caribbean, so we are welcoming participants
from all over the world to join us, for a one-of-a-kind
experience and access to a unique international
community of like-minded individuals,” Hamilton
said.
