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03/282019

Haiti Tech Summit Announces First Speakers for 2019

News

Haiti Tech Summit is pleased to announce the first set of speakers for the 3rd Annual Summit Agenda: The 4th Industrial Revolution – Accelerating Haiti into the Digital Age. 100 speakers will represent different industry disruptions this year. RSVP now for your tickets now before the next deadline.

For international women’s month we are featuring 4 female speakers who will be speaking at the 2019 gathering. Haiti Tech Summit, founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Christine Souffrant Ntim, is a 13- year initiative aimed at turning Haiti into an international tech hub by 2030. The summit agenda is in line with with the global World Economic Forum agenda of preparing emerging market countries for the 4th Industrial Revolution via technology. RSVP to join us on June 20-22, 2019.

Deemed the “Davos of the Caribbean” Haiti Tech Summit brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, pioneers, and creatives under one roof to address humanity’s greatest challenges via technology. With previous headliners such as Jack Dorsey (Founder of Twitter), Ben Horowitz (Investor Twitter, Facebook), Tim Draper (Investor in Skype, Hotmail etc), the President of Haiti Jovenel Moise, Vicky Jeudy from Netflix Orange is the New Black, and VP+CEOs from Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber and more- the summit will be announcing 100 major speakers once again.

Cassandre Charles

Vice President, Brand Marketing @ Essence Magazine

Ann Rosenberg

Senior Vice President, Global Head of SAP Next-Gen

Tyrona (Ty) Heath

Global Lead for Agency and Partner Education at LinkedIn

Leigh-Ann A. Buchanan

Founding Executive Director of Venture Café Miami.

To honor some of the power house women who have spoken at the summit- we are highlighting 6 previous speakers who addressed insights and strategies in government, media, finance, and culture. Several will be returning back for 2019.

Ambassador Michele Sison

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti

Vicky Jeudy

Jeudy is of Haitian descent, and appeared in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black.

Lisa Godwin

Senior Consultant and Creative Technologist at The New York Times.

Danielle Saint-Lôt

Founder, Danielle Saint-Lôt Haiti Women’s Foundation Ambassador at large for Women’s Empowerment, Republic of Haiti

Delphine Gardere

CEO of Rhum Barbancourt

Christine Coupet

Senior advisor to President Jovenel Moïse (Haiti)

03/272019

Haiti’s Top 10 Women of influence (March 2019)

Spotlight

Haiti is rapidly earning itself as a prime hot spot for entrepreneurial activity. With 11 million citizens and a global diaspora network of 30 million Haitian internationals- the influence of Haitian women on the global economy is spreading.

Each quarter we highlight the top 10 women of influencer who are disrupting global markets. Last December we kicked off the list with 10 women who represent government, media and corporate networks. We return again with the spotlight for international women’s month adding disruptors in sports, culture, and banking.

After the top ten spotlight announcement, we crowdsource a public vote on the most influential innovator on the list to hear their full story featured in our hall of fame series. Nominate someone here.

Vote now for the top 10 Women of Influence

Poll closes Monday April 1st @noon (12pmEST) :

https://vote.pollcode.com/29463275

www.HaitiTechSummit.com: Haiti’s Top 10 Women of Influence (March 2019)

Marie-Christine Stephenson (Ministry of Tourism)

Fabiola Coupet (Bibinetalkole Host)

Gaelle Riviere Wulff (Membre Conseil d’Administration chez Sogebank)

Jacqueline Charles (Journalist @ Miami Herald)

Dieudonne Luma Etienne (Honorable Senator)

Regine Rene-Labrousse (Head of Marketing at Brana/Heineken)

Naomi Osaka – (Tennis Player)

Jesse Woo – (Haitian Comedian and Reality Star)

Karen Civil- (Media Influencer)

Edwidge Danticat- (Writer)

pollcode.com free polls

Congratulations to the Top Women of Influence (March 2019)!

Marie-Christine Stephenson (Ministry of Tourism) With political transitions post country wide protests that broke out during her transition as Minister in September 2018- Marie is met with the challenge of convincing the world to continue traveling to Haiti. Despite the damage suffered from Expedia and Booking.com’s premature act to remove Haiti from its destination list- Diaspora and internationals are still flying to the country for business and pleasure. Maintaining this flow of activity will be a critical part of Haiti’s economy and Marie is leading the helm in recentering Haiti as the pearl of the caribbean once again.

Fabiola Coupet (Bibinetalkole Host)

Also know as Bibi, Fabiola is the host of Haiti’s latest hit radio show! Fabiola Coupet aka Bibinètalkole is a writer and storyteller and a passionate promoter of all things Haiti! She was also a leading MC for the annual Haiti Tech Summit in 2018.

Gaelle Riviere Wulff (Membre Conseil d’Administration chez Sogebank) Gaelle is an amazing influencer that does amazing work supporting Haiti’s entrepreneurial influencers behind the scene. She is also a dynamic entreprener who founded Arlequin Food Products to disrupt the food supply chain. She also leads at Sogebank- formally known as Société générale haïtienne de Banque, S.A. (Haitian Banking Corporation), which is one of Haiti‘s three largest commercial banks. Sogebank currently has 42 branches located throughout the country.

Jacqueline Charles (Journalist @ Miami Herald) With over a decade of reporting for the Haitian people, Jacqueline does not need an introduction. News on Haiti usually breaks out with her reporting. She is the Miami Herald’s full-time Caribbean Correspondent with responsibilities for Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean. She was the first journalist to report that then-Haitian President RenePreval had survived the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, and was among the first reporters to arrive in the country shortly after the disaster.

Dieudonne Luma Etienne (Honorable Senator) Dieudonne is the only woman elected senator of the Republic during the last senatorial of 2015 and 2016. She was sworn on January 10, 2017. She is currently serving in the 50th Legislature of the Senate of Haiti. She has led in many critical areas of government over the past few years. She served as executive director of the Northern Branch of the Tourism Association of Haiti (ATH), then vice-president of this regional branch. In 2010, Senator Etienne has the opportunity to be appointed departmental director of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and three years later, she is transferred to the Ministry of Tourism as Regional Director of Tourism in Northern Haiti. She has been in turn: Regional Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MCI); Regional Coordinator for MARKET / USAID; she was also director of the Prima / EU project before running for the position of executive director of the Tourism Association of Haiti / North.

Regine Rene-Labrousse-

Former AMCHAM President and Head of Marketing at Brana/Heineken. Formerly the lead at the American Chamber of Commerce, Regine now leads marketing efforts at one of Haiti’s leading brewing companies managing over 1400 employees. She also has an amazing background in public/government relations.

Naomi Osaka – (Tennis Player)

The world has seen a shift in Tennis where Naomi is taking center stage- PRimarily for being one of the few to beat the notorious Serena Williams. Osaka was born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father who moved to New York in the U.S. when she was three years old. Now she is based in Florida. In 2013, Osaka started her professional career in tennis. With a height of 180cm and a powerful serve and a strong forehand, the world saw Osaka as a rising star. While scaling out her career, she has promoted Haiti and Japan as her cultural heritage homelands and recently visited Haiti to reconnect with her family and people.

Jesse Woo – (Haitian Comedian and Reality Star)

Jesse broke out on the scene recently as a reality star on the Love and Hip Hop show. Yet it’s important to note that this BET correspondent is already trailblazing a the first and most popular female Haitian comedian – highlighting Haitian people and culture in a funny way.

Karen Civil- (Media Influencer) Founded in October of 2008, KarenCivil.com is a site dedicated to the readers every need as it offers an industry insider look into hip hop. Unlike many other hip hop sites and publications, one of KC’s goals is to introduce the world to those up and coming in the industry. With rising stars such as Drake, Nipsey Hussle, and J.Cole, who were first featured on KarenCivil.com, the site has helped to usher in a new generation of lyrical phenomenons. Karen is also a well known influencer in the Haitian community launching a computer school most recently in the northern part of Haiti.

Edwidge Danticat- (Writer)

Author of several stories with a backdrop Haiti, Edwidge Danticat is one of the most prolific Haitian novelists and the first Haitian writer, so far, to win the International Award Neustadt 2018, considered in the US as the “Nobel” of literature. Krick Krack is one of her most popular works alongside a series of books that beautifully highlight the Haiti and its people.

Join us June 20-22, 2019! About Haiti Tech Summit: Founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Christine Souffrant Ntim, 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.

Companies represented for the past 2 years included Silicon Valley giants such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, Paypal, Mastercard, Linkedin, Github, Intuit, Dropbox, Sendgrid, Youtube, Intuit and Adobe. Headline speakers included the President of Haiti, His Excellency Jovenel Moise, Venture Capitalist investor of Airbnb and Facebook Ben Horowitz, Former Editor in Chief of Ebony Magazine Kyra Kyles, Founder of Draper Associates and Draper University- Tim Draper, and celebrity influencers such as Vicky Jeudy from Netflix series Orange is the New Black and music artists Michael Brun and J Perry. Ecosystem enabler networks included Steve Blank’s Launchpad, Galvanize, Puerto Rico’s Parallel 18, Pivotal Labs, Angel Hack Accelerator, WIN Lab, Startup Grind, Forbes 30 Under 30 listmakers, Brazil’s Laiob-Latin America Institute of Business, and Alter Ventures.

The summit also welcomed leading local networks such as the US Embassy of Port Au Prince, Digicel, Royal Decameron, Ministry of Tourism, National Council of Telecommunications-Conatel, The Central Bank- BRH, CRS – Catholic Relief Services, Barbancourt, French Chamber of Commerce, Access Haiti, and Centre for Facilitation of Investments (CFI). Media represented included Forbes, Inc Magazine, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, NY Times, Atlantic Black Star, Haitian Times, Chokarella, Trace Media, Loop Haiti, Le Nouvelliste, Ayibo Post, Metropol, and Radio Caribe.

03/252019

Haiti Tech Summit Announces Partnership with US Embassy of Haiti for 2019 and Launches Call for Entrepreneurs

News, Press Releases

Haiti Tech Summit Announces Partnership with US Embassy of Haiti for 2019 Summit

[Port Au Prince, Haiti- March 25, 2019] Haiti Tech Summit is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with the US Embassy of Haiti for the 3rd annual summit. The embassy has become an integral part of making the Haiti Tech Summit experience accessible to entrepreneurs in Haiti. For the 2019 edition, the U.S. will be expanding its support to entrepreneurs in the Caribbean.

In 2018, the US Embassy of Haiti sponsored Haitian entrepreneurs from several departments across the country of Haiti to attend, pitch and receive mentorship from American tech influencers. Placing the spotlight on local entrepreneurs served as one of the top highlights of the summit.

Haiti Tech Summit, since its inception became the largest tech conference in the Caribbean and has always welcomed entrepreneurs from across the region. Continuing its focus on the U.S. Caribbean 2020 strategy, the US Embassy will be sponsoring top entrepreneurs from the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) based in the Caribbean. More information to come.

US Embassy of Haiti Call for Young Leaders of the Americas based in the Caribbean

[Port Au Prince, Haiti- March 25, 2019] The United States Embassy in Haiti announced its sponsorship of the 2019 Haiti Tech Summit, June 20 – 22, 2019.

Alumni of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) based in the Caribbean are encouraged to apply now through April 12, 2019 for full funding here. As part of the Embassy’s on-going efforts to promote bi-lateral economic growth in part through entrepreneurship and in a broader effort to support the U.S. Caribbean 2020 strategy, the Embassy seeks representation from creators and innovators across the Caribbean to participate.

Participants will be able to meet over one hundred speakers from Google, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Uber, and many others. Haiti Tech Summit, a 13-year initiative of Meventum, which brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, digital marketers and creatives to Haiti to accelerate tech, innovation and economic development within the country, have just opened applications for the event’s second annual Startup Lab – a 1:1 mentorship opportunity with global experts.

Building on the first annual Pitch Competition of the 2017 Haiti Tech Summit, which engaged entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean for a chance to win a top prize of full coverage to Singularity University’s GSP program at NASA Ames in Silicon Valley, the event is expanding its scope to support the growth of entrepreneurs during the Summit itself. The first annual Startup Lab featured 25 amazing U.S. Embassy sponsored entrepreneurs from across the nation of Haiti.

Come be a part of this innovative, networking opportunity.

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03/202019

Haiti’s Top Women Events and Initiatives of 2019

Uncategorized

Haiti is rapidly becoming a hotspot for tech and entrepreneurship and as such- women are making huge headways in the tech movement. Last year, Haiti Tech Summit announced the first official Women of Influence List – highlighting the nations leading pioneering women in business, media and technology. This year, we are highlighting the top women’s entrepreneurship and tech initiatives and events in the hopes that more women can join the movement in moving Haiti forward.

BOSS LADY

#POWER TALK

Fanm NètAlkole recently launched as a platform to promote the development of women in Haiti. The initiative was founded by Fabiola Coupet, Lorraine Hudicourt and Nathalie Marc-Charles Arias. The announcement has received huge support from the Haitian community and was recently featured in Le Nouveliste. They are scheduled to host the Boss Lady Haiti #powertalk on Thursday March 28th @6pmCafe36 RVP here www.facebook.com/cafe36haiti/.

WOMEN INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

WITEP is hosting the largest tour of entrepeneurial bootcamps for women in Haiti. The tour dates are March 7-April 13th where a 3 day bootcamp will be hosted in each of Haiti’s 10 major regions. En partenariat avec l’Ambassade des Etats-Unis en Haïti, les boursiers du programme Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative* Altagrâce Michèle Maignan, Marie Flore Morett et Miguelito Jérôme lancent un accélérateur d’entreprises axé sur l’innovation et la technologie, destiné au renforcement des capacités des femmes entrepreneures des 10 départements d’Haïti. Ce programme intensif accueillera 20 femmes par départements en laboratoire entrepreneurial. Sign up here: http://www.witep.org/.

CCFEH/ SIFNUH PROGRAM

Daniella Jacques President of the CCFEH Women’s Chamber of Commerce and host of the SIFNUH International Women’s Tech Summit. Ccfeh, the largest network of business and professional women in the country. The #Ccfeh a young institution that makes the difference March 11, 2016-March 11, 2019 the largest network of women entrepreneurs and professionals. Since launch they hosted 2 Sifnuh (2017 & 2018) 2 Fefha (2017 & 2018), 7 Biznight, a hundred trainings, 2 business missions – wew (2017) & 2018), more than three hundred (300) members.

Women Pioneers Summit

Last year, the founder of Haiti Tech Summit- Christine Souffrant Ntim- hosted Haiti’s first annual Women Pioneers Summit. The program was to support and teach women in business, government and startups on how to build and monetize their personal brands. It was a full multi day series of free workshops – sharing tools for success in business and leadership. At the time, Christine was pregnant with her second daughter and hosted the session to empower more mothers to jump into tech and entrepreneurship. Sign up for the next session by joining the newsletter at www.haititechsummit.com.

03/102019

Haiti Tech Summit Announces 3rd Annual Summit Agenda- The 4th Industrial Revolution

News, Press Releases

March 1, 2019 [Port au Prince, Haiti] Haiti Tech Summit is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Summit Agenda: The 4th Industrial Revolution – Accelerating Haiti into the Digital Age. Haiti Tech Summit, founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Christine Souffrant Ntim, is a 13- year initiative aimed at turning Haiti into an international tech hub by 2030. The summit agenda is in line with with the global World Economic Forum agenda of preparing emerging market countries for the 4th Industrial Revolution via technology. RSVP to join us on June 20-22, 2019.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies with breakthroughs in robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, and more. With this being the baseline theme of the summit, the Haiti Tech Summit experience will have a series of future technologies on site such as robots, drones, 3D printers and more.

Summit attendees will be able to experience intense training and workshop sessions on 3 major experience tracks:

Individual track- Learn how to build and monetize your personal brand in the digital age.
Business track- Learn how to build startups that leverage future technologies or learn how to optimize your current business with the best digital tools available today.
Ecosystem track- Learn how to start and scale a movement. From training on how to launch an incubator to how to launch tech events- we reveal the top strategies influencers can leverage to scale Haiti’s tech ecosystem.

Summit main stage agenda topics will include:

Haiti at 215 years: Resilience of a People & Foundations of a Future Tech Hub
Haiti in Year 2234- The Pearl of the Caribbean Rises from the Ashes
Haiti Tech Unicorns- How to Create Unicorn Companies in Haiti
From Mother Earth to the Motherboard- A Women’s Role in building tech ecosystems of the future
Places of Tomorrow: Tech Hubs of Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East and Latin America
Places of Tomorrow: The Smart City Blueprint
Priority Goals of Emerging Markets: The Role of SDG 2030 The Power of Voice- How to Change the Narrative
Phoenix VS Unicorns- Timeless Tech Titans – A look at IBM, Intel, Uber, Amazon, Google etc.
Platforms of Tomorrow: Social Networks & Communities – A look at Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook
Possibilities: Industry Disruptions- Learn about the future of adtech, edtech, musictech, etc.

Media confirmed for Haiti Tech Summit 2019 include representatives from Forbes, Inc Magazine, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, NY Times, and Atlantic Black Star.

Since the summit sells out each year, the organizers encourages participants to book their tickets by the next deadline- April 1st, 2019.

Media Contacts:

For Haiti Tech Summit

info@haititechsummit.com

03/062019

Haiti’s First Official Startup Ecosystem Map Showcases An Emerging Tech Hub

News, Press Releases

March 6, 2019 [Port au Prince, Haiti] Haiti Tech Summit is pleased to announce Haiti’s First Official Startup Ecosystem Map. With a mission to turn Haiti into an international tech hub by 2030, the platform aims to give annual updates on the progress of Haiti’s ecosystem via this visual map.

Congratulations to the 2018 ecosystem influencers who are advancing Haiti’s future via technology! Submissions are being accepted to be featured in the 2nd annual Haiti Startup Ecosystem Map.

Media Contacts:

For Haiti Tech Summit

info@haititechsummit.com

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02/192019

#ChangeTheNarrative Initiative Launches to Disrupt Haiti’s Media Industry

News, Press Releases

February 18, 2019 [Port au Prince, Haiti] In an effort to showcase a more balance view of Haiti, its people and global community, Haiti Tech Summit launched the #ChangeTheNarrative initiative.

The platform provides an open opportunity for influencers within the Haitian community to publish interviews, stories and diverse reporting. In a country that focuses predominately on economic and political news, the initiative hopes to surface content on fashion, culture, tech, business and sports news.

The team also acknowledges media influencers such as Bibi, Carel Padre, Johnson Napoleon, and platforms such as the Haitian Times, L’ Union Suite, Haitian Businesses, Loop Haiti, etc that have provided modern content on Haiti.

With over 123 million social media views and global community of 19,000 members- the initiative will likely find the next big media mogul in Haitian news.

Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis.

About Haiti Tech Summit: Founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Christine Souffrant Ntim, 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.

Media Contacts:

For Haiti Tech Summit

info@haititechsummit.com

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02/122019

A New Tipping Point- Why Haiti Needs You Now

News

Amidst the never-ending news cycles of protests, government instability and social unrest- it’s hard to imagine where Haiti will be in the next few years. With soaring inflation and loss of confidence in the political climate- the world is acutely watching as the Haitian people- like citizens of many other countries (France, UK, Venezuela, etc.) demand more of the republic.

The important thing to closely monitor now, is not just the actions of the government but the actions of its citizens. What role will the people play in the future of Haiti. Whether you are a local Haitian, a member of the Haitian diaspora or “friends of Haiti” at large- what will you do to transform the trajectory of a country that once was heralded as the “Pearl of the Caribbean”. A country that despite its struggles, inspired the world to believe in the power of the human spirit for liberty as the first black republic in 1804.

Yet the harsh response to this inspirational tale is that Haiti’s past was beautiful but what of its present? To this we reply- “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”—Robert H. Schuller. Again we look to the Haitian citizen to determine Haiti’s true narrative.

We are on a global tour to rally our global citizens to discuss the 13 year initiative of Haiti Tech Summit and bring together doers who are advancing Haiti to new heights for a prosperous future. Some of the projects we’ve heard so far include real estate projects to spark more tourism inflows into the country, resource centers to train Haitian graduates for remote online work in the digital age and payment platforms to revitalize business transactions with international networks. All focused on practical solutions targeting infrastructure development, job security, economic restructuring and more.

Haiti has overcome a lot in its 215 year history and it will stand to overcome more in the next 215 years and beyond.

We hope to see you at one of our global gatherings. Come with solutions..come with positive energy…and come with the power of the Haitian spirit. Because in the end, that’s the only thing that never lost its fire and will prove to stand the test of time.

#HaitiStandsTall #SeeYouInHaiti

Join us Paris, London… roadshows with more to be announced. Or meet us at the 3rd annual tech summit.

02/042019

Why Changemakers Travel to Haiti…To Experience A Tech Revolution

Experience, News

Haiti Tech Summit is not your average conference. Its an inspiring gathering of doers and changemakers who are coming together to shape the future for the better.

With over 123 million social media impressions created each year, Haiti Tech Summit will seriously blow your mind. We promise. Here are 4 reasons why.

People.

Each year Haiti Tech Summit brings together 100 global speakers and close to 1000 entrepreneurs, investors, media influencers and government officials who aim to turn Haiti into a major tech hub by 2030. Deemed the “Davos of the Caribbean”, Haiti Tech Summit has welcomed keynote speakers such as Jack Dorsey-founder of Twitter, the President of Haiti- Jovenel Moise, Ben Horowitz- Investor in Facebook, Vicky Jeudy- Netflix Actress @ Orange is the New Black and more. As such, many participants network and connect with decision makers that go on to launch major innovative projects. Furthermore, many people build lifelong friendships and relationships.

Place.

Hosted at Haiti’s #1 beach resort, the summit forces participants to break away from day to day activities and immerse themselves in the experience. Aside from the intense panel sessions, networking groups, workshops and award ceremonies – participants will have to juggle between multiple night parties that don’t end until 5am. Don’t forget you have to be back up again for summit activities that start at 9am. Haiti is in the Caribbean, so we know how to party. Our team now issues an official FAQ warning that advises participants to not bring work to the summit. It’s pointless because once you arrive, the #TeamNoSleep code is in affect. No worries- we have sunglasses and coffee to keep you looking decent each morning.

Platform.

To date, 11 major initiatives were launched at Haiti Tech Summit and become major contributors to the tech ecosystem in the Caribbean. Initiatives announced at Haiti Tech Summit include incubators such as Alpha Haiti and Banj and Silicon Valley based programs such as Facebook Developer Circles, Google Start, Google Haiti and Startup Grind Port au Prince. Larger initiatives like the multi year agreement between Airbnb and Ministry of Tourism and the Haiti Space Agency were also launched due to the partnerships formulated at the summit. Haiti Tech Summit now serves as a major platform for announcements and launches within the entire region.

Power.

Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Christine Souffrant Ntim founded Haiti Tech Summit to #changethenarrative about Haiti. She was well aware of the power of storytelling and the need to re-brand Haiti as a nation. To do this, the summit was announced with 423,000 supporters that yielded 83 million social media impressions and 74 press features within its first year. The summit now encourages participants to document and share their experience via blogs, photos and videos to change the image of Haiti.

In all, Haiti Tech Summit is not for the faint of heart. Only bold changemakers are allowed. So if you want to be apart of something truly magical- come to Haiti Tech Summit. Leave all of your previous notions of Haiti behind and meet local and international influencers who believe in a new future for Haiti. One that has never been told before…because in the end we’re all recreating that future together. #seeyouinhaiti.

Book your 2019 tickets here.

12/172018

HAITI’S TOP WOMEN OF INFLUENCE WINNER: Tessa Jacques

Spotlight

Each month we highlight the top 10 women disrupting global markets. With the spotlight list we crowdsource a public vote on most highest influencer on the list to hear their full story featured in our hall of fame series.

We are pleased to announce that Tessa Jacques is the winner popular vote within the global Haitian Community.

We connected with our Hall of Fame candidate to hear what motivates her. Hear her amazing story and advice below.

Tessa Jacques

Director General of Haiti’s Center for the Facilitation of Investments (CFI)

1. What is your greatest achievement?
To have become one of the youngest director general in public administration in Haiti. As a woman from the private sector and a new mother this was a huge challenge for me. And to have had gone through all these changes at the same time and been able to accomplish great things for my country, this is by far my greatest achievement.

2. What advice you have for other women?
Believe in yourself, in your ability to be all that you want to be. This is generally my advice to all not just women. But it is more important for women to understand that there are no boundaries besides the ones we impose ourselves. Don’t be afraid to make sacrifices for what you believe in. Nothing that is rewarding comes easy. So fight and triumph! This world needs more QUEENS!

3. How do you leverage your influence to change the narrative on Haiti?
The existing narrative on Haiti isn’t all lies, we are a poor country that has suffered multiple plagues. However our story, our identity doesn’t limit itself to that. We are strong, resilient people. Our country is filled with opportunities that are just awaiting to be crafted and developed. So for me it’s about opening people’s eyes to the unknown side of Haiti. See the potential that lies within our land.
I invite everyone to come and see and experience Haiti for themselves, not just take my word for it.
I also encourage Haitians to love their country and stop destroying it.

About Haiti Tech Summit Hall of Fame Series:

Haiti is rapidly earning itself as a prime hot spot for entrepreneurial activity. With 11 million citizens and a global diaspora network of 30 million Haitian internationals- the influence of Haitian entrepreneurs on the global economy is spreading. Nominate someone here.

Companies represented for the past 2 years included Silicon Valley giants such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, Paypal, Mastercard, Linkedin, Github, Intuit, Dropbox, Sendgrid, Youtube, Intuit and Adobe. Headline speakers included the President of Haiti, His Excellency Jovenel Moise, Venture Capitalist investor of Airbnb and Facebook Ben Horowitz, Former Editor in Chief of Ebony Magazine Kyra Kyles, Founder of Draper Associates and Draper University- Tim Draper, and celebrity influencers such as Vicky Jeudy from Netflix series Orange is the New Black and music artists Michael Brun and J Perry. Ecosystem enabler networks included Steve Blank’s Launchpad, Galvanize, Puerto Rico’s Parallel 18, Pivotal Labs, Angel Hack Accelerator, WIN Lab, Startup Grind, Forbes 30 Under 30 listmakers, Brazil’s Laiob-Latin America Institute of Business, and Alter Ventures.

The summit also welcomed leading local networks such as the US Embassy of Port Au Prince, Digicel, Royal Decameron, Ministry of Tourism, National Council of Telecommunications-Conatel, The Central Bank- BRH, CRS – Catholic Relief Services, Barbancourt, French Chamber of Commerce, Access Haiti, and Centre for Facilitation of Investments (CFI). Media represented included Forbes, Inc Magazine, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, NY Times, Atlantic Black Star, Haitian Times, Chokarella, Trace Media, Loop Haiti, Le Nouvelliste, Ayibo Post, Metropol, and Radio Caribe.

Media Contacts:

For Haiti Tech Summit

info@haititechsummit.com