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The First Black Republic of Africa Meets the First Black Republic of the World. Ghana and Haiti will come together to transition Haiti into a new decade.
In 2010, Haiti experienced one of the worst calamities in recent human history. Over 250,000 people lost their lives in the catastrophic earthquake that spread across Haiti.
Over the years, many news have circulated regarding the future development of the country. Many are negative, bleak and unmoving. Yet there is a new generation of pioneers and influencers who are bringing a new narrative to the future of Haiti and it is sparked by diaspora of all regions- especially the leaders of Africa.
Join us for a forum commemorating the resilience of the Haitian people, 10 years after the earthquake.
#AfricansforHaiti
YLAI Professional Fellows Program
The application process for the next Young Leaders of the Americas (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program is now open. Applications for the upcoming cohort of YLAI Professional Fellows will close on September 18, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
The U.S. portion of the YLAI Professional Fellows Program will occur between June 7 – July 17, 2020. Please double-check your calendar to ensure you will be available to travel to the United States during these dates.
YLAI empowers entrepreneurs to strengthen their capacity to launch and advance their entrepreneurial ideas and effectively contribute to social and economic development in their communities. Since the initiative’s launch in 2015, more than 750 YLAI Professional Fellows from Latin America and the Caribbean have expanded their leadership and entrepreneurial experience through fellowships at businesses and organizations across the United States. Through the YLAI Entrepreneurship Institute and the individualized Fellowships, YLAI Fellows have accelerated their commercial and social ventures’ success and developed specific action plans to carry out upon return to their home countries. YLAI Fellows built networks, linkages, and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures. Program components have included:
- Four-week Fellowship: In cities across the United States, YLAI Professional Fellows gain valuable professional development skills and experience at U.S. entrepreneurial organizations from each Fellow’s business sector. Fellows will collaborate with their fellowship host on their Entrepreneurial Leadership Action Plan (E-LAP), which the Fellows will implement upon return to their home countries.
- YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum: The YLAI Professional Fellows Program includes online and in-person coursework, developed by IREX and Arizona State University (ASU), that combines technical entrepreneurship training and leadership development. Using the E-LAP, Fellows will sent and achieve their entrepreneurial leadership goals.
- U.S. Orientation and YLAI Closing Forum in the United States: YLAI Fellows participate in the U.S. Orientation in Tempe, Arizona and YLAI Closing Forum in Washington, D.C., as well as networking events with business and social entrepreneurial leaders, and U.S. government representatives.
- Post-Fellowship Sustained Engagement: After successful completion of the U.S. Fellowship and YLAI Entrepreneurship Institute, YLAI Professional Fellows continue their collaboration with U.S. partners and have access to ongoing professional development opportunities, mentorships, networking, and alumni activities. YLAI Fellows will have the chance to welcome a Fellowship host to their country through the Outbound Program, sharing their expertise on the entrepreneurship climate in their country.
Financial Provisions of the YLAI Professional Fellowship Program
There is no fee to apply to become a YLAI Fellow. The U.S. Government will cover all YLAI Professional Fellows Program costs. Financial provisions provided by the U.S. Government will include:
- J-1 visa support. No visa support will be offered to dependents, as this is an unaccompanied program.
- Round-trip travel from participant’s home city to the United States and domestic U.S. travel, as required by the program.
- YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum coursework and mentoring.
- U.S. Orientation in Tempe, Arizona and YLAI Closing Forum in Washington, D.C.
- Four-week professional placement with host organization.
- A limited accident and sickness benefit plan.
- Housing and meal stipend during the program.
Who is eligible to apply?
Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, national origin, disability or any other protected characteristic as established by U.S. law. Applicants with disabilities are eligible and encouraged to apply for the YLAI Professional Fellows Program. The YLAI Professional Fellows Program is open to young entrepreneurs who meet the following criteria:
- Are between the ages of 25 and 35 at the Fellowship start date.
- Are a resident and citizen of one of the participating countries*: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.
* In the specific cases of residency in Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten, citizenship in the Netherlands is accepted - Are eligible to receive a U.S. J-1 visa.
- Have a demonstrated track record of successfully growing their own business or social venture for at least two (2) years.
- Are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
- Are not a U.S. government employee.
- Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English.
The U.S. Department of State and its implementing partner IREX reserve the right to verify all of the information included in the application. In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible.
Applications not meeting the above technical eligibility requirements will not be forwarded to the selection committee. If you do not meet the technical eligibility requirements for this program, we invite you to join the YLAI Network and visit exchanges.state.gov for information on other U.S. Department of State exchange opportunities.
What are the criteria for selection?
The YLAI Professional Fellows Program is an open, merit-based competition. There is no cost to apply. After the application deadline, an independent selection committee of regional and technical experts reviews all eligible applications. Those applicants selected to be semifinalists will be contacted to schedule an interview in October. All applicants will be notified of their status by January 2020.
The YLAI Professional Fellows Program candidate selection committee will use the following criteria, like the following, to evaluate applications and interviews:
- Demonstrated professional entrepreneurial experience and knowledge.
- Commitment to community or public service, mentorship, or volunteerism in your home country and to applying entrepreneurial and leadership skills, experience and knowledge to benefit your community and country.
- Demonstrated understanding of how your personal and professional goals align with program objectives.
- Demonstrated leadership, commitment to your organization’s or business’s success, positive attitude, initiative, and perseverance.
Application information
The application is now open. Applications will be open through September 18, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
Additional information about the YLAI Professional Fellows Program is available in our Frequently Asked Questions.
SNEAK PEEK | SUBMIT YOUR STORY | CONTACT
Forbes8 is proud to have been a partner at this year’s Haiti Tech Summit! At the Summit we hosted a pitch contest, heard the stories of founders, talked to VC’s and so much more. In the spirit of our mission to help entrepreneurs, we awarded a $1.5k cash prize (on the spot!) to the pitch contest winner, and will continue to award 4 more cash prizes throughout the year! If you’d like to stay updated on everything we’re doing to support the entrepreneurial community (and get a look into what Forbes8 is all about), subscribe to our newsletter here.
Live stream a Forbes event for free:
Forbes8 allows you to live stream Forbes events right on your phone or desktop. We put on over 20 events a year, and it’s difficult to get into the room. For the first time ever, Forbes8 is live streaming these exclusive events, allowing anyone to access incredible content across different verticals. Additionally, a typical attendee will spend about $2,000 USD to attend, but you’ll get to experience it virtually, for free! Click the link below and our chatbot will guide you through the process.
*Offer limited to first 50 respondents*
Want to learn even more?
Check out our site here, or drop us a line by replying to this email.
Best,
The Forbes8 Team
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Thank you for joining us for the past 3 years as we accelerate this movement to 2030.
Every year, Haiti Tech gets bigger and bigger. Over the past few years we’ve welcomed thousands people for Haiti Tech Summit and Haiti Tech Week. Now we expand to make it a full week experience for 2020. We are pleased to introduce the 2020 line up with 100 speakers and 5000 participants for 2020!
Haiti Tech Week was founded in 2018 to provide free training workshops for entrepreneurs and corporate executives.
- Register for Haiti Tech Week here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-haiti-tech-week-tickets-64418683015
Haiti Tech Summit
- Register for Haiti Tech Summit here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-haiti-tech-summit-tickets-64144195014
Haiti Tech Festival
- Register for Haiti Tech Festival here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-haiti-tech-festival-tickets-64418471382
To partner, speak or exhibit at any of these events, please email the team at info@haititechsummit.com.
Haiti Tech Summit, founded in 2017 by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Mother and Wife, Christine Souffrant Ntim, is a 13- year initiative of the Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE) which brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, digital marketers and creatives together to Haiti to accelerate tech, innovation and economic development within the country.
HAITI TECH TOWNHALL
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Connect with the founder – Christine S. Ntim
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Ask questions about haiti tech summit 2019- what it took to host it and why
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Ask questions about plans for 2020-2030
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Learn how to manage events and programs during political unrest
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Learn insights on branding and communications
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-haiti-tech-townhall-meeting-tickets-64262805782
June 24, 2019 [Port au Prince, Haiti] Haiti Tech Summit concludes with another successful global event hosted at Royal Decameron Beach Resort. Haiti Tech Summit, founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Mother and Wife, Christine Souffrant Ntim, is a 13- year initiative of the Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE) which brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, digital marketers and creatives together to Haiti to accelerate tech, innovation and economic development within the country. The aim is to turn Haiti into the world’s next major tech innovation hub by 2030.
The Press conference took place at Banj at 10am and was live on national TB.
About Haiti Tech Summit: Haiti Tech Summit brings together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, celebrities and creatives under one roof together to address humanity’s greatest challenges via tech and entrepreneurship. It is a part of a 13-year initiative to turn Haiti into an international tech hub by 2030. Deemed the “Davos of the Caribbean”, Haiti Tech Summit has welcomed keynote speakers such as Jack Dorsey-founder of Twitter, President of Haiti- Jovenel Moise, Ben Horowitz- Investor in Facebook, etc.
June 24, 2019 [Port au Prince, Haiti] Haiti Tech Summit concludes with another successful global event hosted at Royal Decameron Beach Resort. Haiti Tech Summit, founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Mother and Wife, Christine Souffrant Ntim, is a 13- year initiative of the Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE) which brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, digital marketers and creatives together to Haiti to accelerate tech, innovation and economic development within the country. The aim is to turn Haiti into the world’s next major tech innovation hub by 2030.
In 2017, Haiti hosted 100 global speakers from around the world with headline speaker Ben Horowitz, the President of Haiti, Artists J Perry & Micheal Brun, Celebrity Vicky Jeudy from Orange is the New Black, and senior VPs from Airbnb, Facebook, Paypal, Mastercard, and more. The summit generated over 83 million social media impressions, 87 global press mentions and welcomed over 500 guests for 2 historic days turning it into the region’s largest tech gathering and Haiti’s first major international global summit.The summit returned in 2018 with 100 global speakers and 750 guests with the addition of Haiti Tech Week featuring headline keynote – Jack Dorsey-founder of Twitter and Square. The President- His Excellency Jovenel Moise- provided keynotes at each summit.
The summit returned for the 3rd annual edition on June 20-22nd during an politically unstable time in Haiti’s recent history. Headline speaker was Tom Davis- Chief Marketing Officer of Forbes Magazine. Other top speakers included Cody Simms Partner at Techstars, Carlos Sanvee- Global Secretary General at the YMCA, Daraiha Greene- Global Head of Strategic Partnerships, Google, Ty Heathe- Global Lead for Agency and Partner Education at LinkedIn and the President of LinkedIn’s Black Inclusion Group (BIG), Jana Landon HBCU Outreach Specialist at Google, Inc, Minister Bocchit Edmond from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador Michele Sission, Jon Piechowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and many more.
Thanks to the following sponsors- (Platinum Sponsor) Global Startup Ecosystem, US Embassy of Port au Prince, (Gold Sponsors) Royal Decameron Beach Resort, Hope for Haiti, (Silver Sponsors) United Nations Foundation , Catholic Relief Services, 360 Insights, (Bronze Sponsors) Mastercard, Linkedin, Forbes8, Github, Access Haiti, Facebook developer circles, and Hertz.
For 2019, the summit executed several major opportunities for entrepreneurs:
- US Embassy sponsorship of 30 entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean: U.S. Embassy is supported the participation of 15 Young Leaders of the Americas (YLAI) Caribbean entrepreneurs and 15 local entrepreneurs in the Summit, and 10 innovators from throughout the Caribbean (Barbados, Trinidad, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St.Kitts, and Haiti).
- Forbes 8 Pitch Competition in partnership The Forbes8 mission is to help entrepreneurs worldwide be more successful. We know that the number one challenge facing entrepreneurs today is access to Capital, and the Forbes8 team are committed to giving back to entrepreneurs and helping in practical, and creative ways. Just for Haiti Tech Summit attendees, Forbes8 will be gifting over $5K in the next 12 months and will also choose a Perfect Pitcher at the summit – who will receive an on-the-spot $1.5K cash prize. The winner of the 2019 Haiti Tech Summit Forbes 8 Prize was Mackendy Smith- Owner of Mak pa nou (Handmade sandals production).
- Mastercard powers Haiti Tech Week: On the week of the 17th June 2019, Haiti like other tech hubs, had its official tech week series. Launched last year to train and develop the tech ecosystem of Haiti – this year the program has expanded in scope. Haiti Tech Week returned for 2019 in partnership with Mastercard to host 3 free programs which included the 2nd Annual Women’s Pioneers Summit, the 1st Annual Human Resources & Future of Work Summit:, and the 3rd Annual Smart City Future Tech Summit. Banj hosted several events including the Digital Marketing skills and Productivity tools from Google workshop and a Founders Lab in partnership with Google Launchpad; Rebrand Haiti with Rebrand Cities which brought 30 non-tech SME’s; Startup Grind Port au Prince featuring Johnson Napoleon. The YMCA hosted a Recruitment and Researching session with speaker Christine Ntim.
- Hope for Haiti offers $15k sponsorship to all 15 local companies sponsored to attend Haiti Tech Summit. This cash sponsorship is a $1k grant for each company to support the startups.
The critical factor that made Haiti Tech Summit 2019 a major historic edition was its ability to introduce security protocol measures in Haiti for international events. On June 10th- immediately after the surge of increased protests and political unrest, the Haiti Tech Summit launched a series of security protocols that ensured the safe transport and management of event participants. The summit re-affirmed its 13 year commitment to Haiti. The message was meant to be made as a point of transparency not a point of concern to all of the stakeholders who love, respect and believe in the Haiti Tech Summit mission.
The security protocols titled “Access Haiti Tech Summit by Land, by Air, by sea” was a strong logistical framework to transport participants by land via police escorted shuttle line ups, by air via hourly scheduled helicopter rides and by sea via port to port transfer of participants by boat. The announcement created a huge surge of credibility but also a huge surge of cancellations as the summit organizers chose transparency and credibility. Furthermore, the summit location at Royal Decameron Beach Resort positioned it to be a safe and credible environment for a summit of this size. Haiti Tech Summit chose Royal Decameron for the first 3 years of the 13 year initiative due to its reliable staff, reputation and committed contributions to providing a better representation of Haiti.
It was the first time that a scheduled event of this size was not postponed or cancelled despite political unrest. The Haiti Tech Summit team believes the country requires the courage, commitment and consistency of all stakeholders and is proud to have achieve these 3 pillars in 2019 in partnership with Royal Decameron Beach Resort.
About Haiti Tech Summit: Haiti Tech Summit brings together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, celebrities and creatives under one roof together to address humanity’s greatest challenges via tech and entrepreneurship. It is a part of a 13-year initiative to turn Haiti into an international tech hub by 2030. Deemed the “Davos of the Caribbean”, Haiti Tech Summit has welcomed keynote speakers such as Jack Dorsey-founder of Twitter, President of Haiti- Jovenel Moise, Ben Horowitz- Investor in Facebook, etc.
Haiti Tech Summit has a reputation of commitment and consistency and as such we are committed to #changingthenarrative around Haiti.
We are pleased to announce the official Haiti Brand Campaign.
Launched by CFI Director Tessa Jacques at the 3rd annual Haiti Tech Summit:
Click on photos below for more information.
