The Caribbean has the talent, creativity, and ambition to become a dynamic hub for digital innovation. Across the region, entrepreneurs are building solutions that can transform industries, strengthen economies, and connect Caribbean businesses to opportunities far beyond our shores.

The momentum is already building. IT spending in the Caribbean totalled $4.2 billion in 2025 and is growing at 12% annually, alongside advances in Internet infrastructure, cloud services, digital payments, and government-led digital initiatives.

With Internet penetration in the region at around 74% and mobile penetration at 80%, according to ITU Caribbean, the Caribbean’s tech industry has a captive audience waiting for engagement. Regional entrepreneurs are developing much-needed digital products and services, with significant opportunities to participate in a global digital economy that reached US$20 trillion last year.

Realising that potential will require more than great ideas. It will require investment, partnerships, and the ability to take promising Caribbean solutions to scale.

The Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency in collaboration with the European Union, provides a collaborative and proactive platform for entrepreneurs in the digital space and bridges the gap between potential and partnership.

In July 2025, CIF brought together over 450 participants from 39 countries to Jamaica’s Montego Bay. The forum’s agenda with the theme, “Smart. Green. Connected. Accelerating Investment. Driving Innovation” focused on four strategic pillars - agribusiness, digital transformation, logistics, and the green economy.

Several inspiring start-ups in areas such as Cyber Security, E-Commerce, EdTech, and Fintech, utilised the two-day conference to showcase how much the Caribbean has to offer in terms of talent and ideas.

One connection emerging from last year’s forum highlights the importance of events such as CIF.

After a session led by Dushyant Savadia, the founder of Jamaica’s Amber Group, the Chief Strategy Officer at one of Guyana’s oldest conglomerates Beharry Group, Anand Harilall, made sure to get his attention. Harilall delivered a brief pitch on the companies' shared focus and goals which led to an exchange of contact information and a promise to keep in touch and keep talking.

A series of virtual and face-to-face discussions took place after CIF 2025 between the two entities, which culminated in Amber deploying its technology within the Beharry Group to advance its ambitious digital transformation plans. The partners also have plans to roll out their advanced technology and cybersecurity solutions across the Caribbean to the public and private sectors starting in Guyana.

Speaking previously to Caribbean Export about the new collaboration, Harilall, who has attended every iteration of CIF, noted: “Sometimes the outcomes might be immediate; sometimes they happen over time through connections. But if you weren’t there, you might not have been able to connect”.

The Forum's impact extends beyond established companies. It is also helping innovative Caribbean startups connect with the capital and strategic partnerships they need to scale.

St Lucian entrepreneurs Shergaun Roserie and Keeghan Patrick took their eProcurement plaform ‘Rifbid’ to CIF 2025 in search of US$1 million in equity to “scale its engineering, sales and regional expansion efforts”. Rifbid was named in the TechStars Class of 2024 as well as one of Silicon Valley’s top 30 hottest startups (January 2025).

The GovTech solution aims to “simplify and modernise procurement processes for businesses and governments, making procurement faster, more transparent, and accessible”, and aptly demonstrates how software developed in the Caribbean can be rolled out to other countries with the same pain points.

Patrick explains why they went to CIF 2025: “We attended CIF with clear objectives: to meet investors and accelerate our fundraising goals. For a fintech company, the Forum represents a concentrated opportunity to connect with capital and key ecosystem players." He adds: “The impact was substantial. We made key connections with strategic partners at CIF that directly influenced our subsequent fundraising. Those relationships impressed US investors who became supporters of Rifbid".

The fifth edition of CIF 2026, taking place in Barbados from 5-7 October, will foster the ideal environment for Caribbean changemakers to share their projects and find the partners they need to succeed.

Patrick encourages future attendees with this advice: “In today's market, product is no longer the competitive advantage; distribution is. Attending in-person events like CIF becomes a critical lever for meeting investors, customers, and partners who can accelerate how you get your product to market. Don't underestimate the power of face-to-face engagement in closing deals and building momentum”.

As the Caribbean continues its digital transformation, the Caribbean Investment Forum 2026 will once again provide a platform where innovators, investors and strategic partners can turn conversations into collaborations and ideas into investment. For those looking to be part of the region's next chapter of digital growth, CIF 2026 is where those conversations begin.

Learn more at www.caribbeaninvestmentforum.com