Anniversary Booklet

C e l e b r a t i n g 7 y e a r s !

this year I was honoured to be named Chairman of the Branson Centre
Earlier
Entrepreneurship - Caribbean. It brings me tremendous fulfillment to be a
of
of a team that is spearheading development in the Caribbean’s
part
ecosystem.
entrepreneurial
a strong entrepreneur ecosystem is important to develop Caribbean
Having
and entrepreneur accelerators play a key role. Now that the
economies,
economy is picking up pace, capital is looking to invest in emerging
Jamaican
With 7 years of experience accelerating businesses, the
entrepreneurs.
year we continued our trajectory of expansion. In order to boost
This
who are on the cusp of generating exceptional economic impact,
businesses
adjusted our focus from startups to scale-ups, offering high-potential
we’ve
access to a range of services around governance, training, and
entrepreneurs
created a viable investment pipeline, bringing one of the strongest
We’ve
of capital to the table. This gives our entrepreneurs opportunities to
groups
to institutional investors, who represent a majority of the venture
pitch
available in Jamaica. These investors include NCB, Proven
capital
PanJam Investment, GK Capital and Norbrook Capital Partners.
Investments,
are ready to invest upwards of US$1 million investments in each deal.
They
strategic move addresses long-standing funding challenges in the
This
and gives our partners direct access to fruitful, investment-ready
ecosystem
small, powerful and passionate Branson Centre team, and dedicated,
Our
partners and donors, continue to enable us to to meet and surpass
influential
goals. Our ethos is built on a foundation of purpose, altruism and a quest
our
embody and spread well-being within the world of work.
to
behalf of the Centre, we thank our Board of Directors, our partners,
On
and all who have supported us along this seven year journey. We
benefactors
forward to our continued work together, helping scale-up businesses
look
to drive sustainable economic growth.
thrive
Williams
Christopher
Chairman
C h a i r m a n ' s M e s s a g e
Branson Centre has established itself as the premier accelerator in the region.
funding.
ventures.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

e a t i n g d y n a m i c
C
a r i b b e a n e c o n o m i e s
C
marked the Centre’s first year implementing its strategic shift from
2018
to scalable, high potential businesses who are ready to take the leap
startups
that new mandate, in 2018 we’ve welcomed seven promising businesses in
Under
accelerator programme. These include Blue Dot Data Intelligence Limited,
our
Technology Solutions Limited, It’s Pixel Perfect, Chilitos Jamexican
Caribbean
Irie Rock, Silver Bowl Restaurant, and A&H Intercrop. Within
Restaurant,
these businesses have already demonstrated exceptional growth and
months,
have no doubt that the young, bright entrepreneurs behind them will be the
we
next business leaders. They are overcoming obstacles, landing
Caribbean’s
putting formal structures in place, and growing by leaps and bounds.
investors,
anticipate that in short order this batch of entrepreneurs will generate some
We
Jamaica’s most exciting IPOs.
of
also watched our 160 Legacy Official Entrepreneurs, who we served
We’ve
2011 and 2017, grow exponentially. We facilitated over US$1 million
between
in these entrepreneurs, and they’ve created over 400 jobs to date.
investments
entrepreneurs continue to hire more people, expand regionally, land viable
Our
investing in these budding leaders is a step towards boosting the
Undoubtedly,
We recently launched our equity investment offering with some of the
economy.
sources of capital in Jamaica who come together to jointly review and
strongest
businesses to fund that have been trained and prepared by the Centre.
select
of our successes could not be achieved without our purpose-driven, service-
All
team. It has been exhilarating to stand by their side to support the
oriented
Rickards
Lisandra
Entrepreneurial Officer
Chief
from small to medium-sized operations.
funding deals and become business leaders.
growth of our nation’s entrepreneurial talent.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

Branson Centre is a non-profit accelerator helping entrepreneurs to scale
The
businesses. We are on a mission to create dynamic Caribbean economies
their
first opened our doors in 2011, with 20 entrepreneurs per cohort attending
We
one day per week for 12 weeks at the Centre’s Montego Bay location.
training
the end of 2014, we had successfully trained 7 cohorts in Jamaica, and
By
ready to scale the programme.
were
March 2015 we launched the Branson Centre Caribbean Online, an online
In
that provided training to a much wider pool of entrepreneurs. Soon
platform
we took our first leap outside of Jamaica into the wider Caribbean,
after,
up the programme in the British Virgin Islands, where we welcomed
setting
first cohort there in January 2016. Since this expansion, over 2,800 people
our
registered for training with us.
have
S e v e n y e a r s a n d c o u n t i n g
T h e E a r l y D a y s
through entrepreneurship.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

was another major milestone year for the Branson Centre Caribbean. In
2017
2017, we moved our headquarters from Montego Bay to Jamaica’s
June
city, Kingston. We also revamped our suite of services to provide tools
capital
high-touch services to an even wider pool of entrepreneurs at all
and
of business, while also sharpening our focus on a specially selected
stages
of high-potential, high-impact, fundable entrepreneurs.
group
repositioning solidified the Branson Centre Caribbean as a key player in the
This
and development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country
transformation
S e v e n y e a r s a n d c o u n t i n g
and throughout the region.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

Centre Caribbean celebrated its seven year anniversary on
Branson
8, 2018. Despite being a relatively young organization, there has
September
significant impact within the entrepreneurial ecosystem with its
been
Our work continues, as we believe that in order to create dynamic
presence.
there must be more transactions in the Caribbean through more
economies
flow and investments. Branson Centre has played a pivotal role in
deal
this happen and will continue to bridge the gap between sources of
making
and high potential entrepreneurs.
capital
S e v e n y e a r s a n d c o u n t i n g
L o o k i n g A h e a d
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

een able to produce consistent results over the last 7 years because
We’ve
had phenomenal partnerships that provide us with funding and
we’ve
partners share our mission to create dynamic Caribbean economies. To
Our
a role in achieving this mission, some of our partners have joined
play
P a r t n e r s h i p w i t h a d i f f e r e n c e
O u r P a r t n e r s
support.
together to make up one of the largest sources of venture capital in Jamaica.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

c a l i n g b u s i n e s s e s w i t h t h e
S
r a n s o n C e n t r e
B
Centre Caribbean entrepreneurs are change-makers, innovators and
Branson
They are strong ambassadors for both entrepreneurship and the
leaders.
Centre Caribbean, and are committed to scaling a Caribbean
Branson
business.
seek out entrepreneurs with scalable businesses that demonstrate the
We
potential for impact and return on investment, who have a distinct
highest
mindset, and are self-determined, high-achieving stalwarts. These
social
are rising stars and emerging leaders – the best of the best.
entrepreneurs
2018 joined the Branson Centre at an exciting time as we moved
Cohort
the next phase of our evolution to focus our efforts on entrepreneurs that
to
ready to scale from small to a medium sized business. They have access
are
services and investment opportunities at no cost, through a full
our
wanted to introduce you to the latest additions to the Branson Centre
We
and help you get to know them better.
family
Hammond & Christopher Boxe
Craig
Jamexican Restaurant
Chilitos
is described as St Andrew’s original
Chilitos
experience as it is the perfect
‘Jamexican’
former workers Christopher Boxe and
When
Hammond acquired Chilitos Restaurant
Craig
Hope Road in April 2015, within two months,
on
landlord gave them notice to vacate the
their
It turned out to be one of the best
premises.
to happen to the business. It forced the
things
entrepreneurs to work hard at staving off
new
even before they had a chance to fully
failure
their prowess. Chilitos eventually relocated
test
up Hope Road and built an open-floor
further
with wooden panels and a shipping
restaurant
structure. It is now one of the
container
but well-patronised restaurants in
“weirdest”
Jamaica, especially sought out by
Kingston,
scholarship.
fusion of Jamaican and Mexican flavours.
young professionals.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

c a l i n g b u s i n e s s e s w i t h t h e
S
r a n s o n C e n t r e
B
Joiles
Kerry-Ann
Bowl Restaurant
Silver
Bowl Restaurant is the second of four
Silver
themed fast food entities operated
Jamaican
the Joiles family in the parishes of Kingston
by
St. Catherine. It specializes in authentic
and
cuisine for breakfast lunch and
Jamaican
Kerry-Ann continues the legacy of
dinner.
cooking that her mother Barbara
down-home
started in 1985 on Spanish Town Road in
Joiles
For the past 32 years, they have
Kingston.
true to using authentic Jamaican
remained
from farm to table, to create the
ingredients,
scrumptious Jamaican dishes.
most
Mathison
Conrad
Pixel Perfect
It’s
Pixel Perfect is one of the most youthful
It’s
innovative businesses in Jamaica; I.P.P. is a
and
digital agency that creates
full-service
and services to grow businesses in this
products
age. Since opening its doors in 2011, the
digital
has grown far beyond expectations;
business
believes that it’s because of the team’s
Conrad
and adherence to I.P.P.
determination
for perfecting even the smallest pixel
standards
transforming it into your masterpiece.
and
credits his diligent and united team for
Conrad
success as he believes that each member is
its
to placing all the missing pieces
integral
into the puzzle to our their client’s
intricately
of boosting either their personal or
dreams
life. I.P.P. makes stunning videos,
business
websites, and pixel perfect designs
awesome
capture memorable moments.
that
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

c a l i n g b u s i n e s s e s w i t h t h e
S
r a n s o n C e n t r e
B
McFarlane & Roderic Lue Shing
Glenford
Technology Solutions Limited
Caribbean
friends Glenford and Roderic decided to
When
their business, they knew that it had to be
start
technology, and so Caribbean Technology
in
was born. Caribbean Technology
Solutions
has an excellent track record in
Solutions
companies utilize or improve
helping
in-house and across branches
communications
several Video/Tele Communications
via
AV solutions for an IT world, and
applications,
signage to name a few. Their business
digital
solves the complexity of managing
also
with reliable, consistent and
technology
service and support packages designed
scalable
ensure companies maximize ROI. Caribbean
to
Solutions is considered as a leader
Technology
Jamaica for the design and integration of
in
& Christopher Murray
Alvin
Intercrop
A&H
family run business, Alvin and Christopher
A
continue the dream of their parents.
Murray
Intercrop was incorporated in 1992 and
A&H
coffee and bananas for export; the
produced
had a transformation in 2015 with the
company
and construction of greenhouses as well
supply
management and workforce training in
as
in Jamaica and other Caribbean
agriculture
Integrated Collaborative Environments (ICE).
countries.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

c a l i n g b u s i n e s s e s w i t h t h e
S
r a n s o n C e n t r e
B
Brown
Racquell
Rock Irie
up in the country, Racquell’s
Growing
had a small garden filled with
grandmother
and fruit trees with a ROCK in the midst
herbs
it all. As a little girl on those misty mornings,
of
would climb and sit on this rock watching
she
grandmother garden, totally enchanted by
her
sweet aromas of these fruit trees lingering
the
the air as the sun gentle plays on the swell of
in
back. This is where Racquell’s love of all
her
natural originated which eventually led
things
the birth of Irie Rock. Irie Rock’s products
to
serums, body splashes, a facial care line
include
as many Jamaican ingredients as
using
such as coconut oil and aloe vera gel.
possible,
Peart
Larren
Dot Data Intelligence Limited
Blue
Dot Data Intelligence enables clients to
Blue
calculated, data-driven decisions through
make
provision of insights on products, services,
the
competitors and markets. Larren’s
customers,
leverages state-of-the-art technology in
team
offerings and deliver quality insights in a
their
of the time normally associated with
fraction
market research and data mining
traditional
services.
We are projecting unprecedented growth for each business and are
confident of their willingness to learn, dedication, discipline and
enthusiasm to make this a reality!
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O

Centre Caribbean offers acceleration for entrepreneurs in the scale-up
Branson
We support the development of entrepreneurs through our unique
phase.
Training entrepreneurs to structure their business for growth
.
Helping entrepreneurs overcome hurdles and avoid mistakes through our
.
programme; and
mentorship
Preparing entrepreneurs to capitalize on investment opportunities
.
team has a laser-sharp focus on addressing the unique challenges of
Our
in the Caribbean, and works diligently to empower
entrepreneurship
to bolster their businesses, become globally competitive and
entrepreneurs
to the region’s social, cultural, environmental and economic
contribute
you for helping us continue our mission toward
Thank
dynamic Caribbean economies!
creating
S c r e w i t , l e t ' s d o i t !
combination of three core activities:
Training
development.
W W W . B R A N S O N C E N T R E . C O