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Kamel Dickinson, Echelon, left; Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance; Antonia Holder, DigiRoo; Tomika Pacheco, Off Grid RV; Jason Hayward, Minister of Economy and Labour; and Greg Wilson, Food Forest, pose with $25,000 cheques at the third annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
Nine Bermudian entrepreneurs\u2014 some barely out of high school, others deep into second careers \u2014 stood under the lights and pitched ideas they believed could change lives, shift industries or simply fill a gap on Monday night.<\/p>\n
By the end of the evening, every single one of them walked away from the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club with funding.<\/p>\n
The third annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition, held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, drew a sold-out crowd of 212 and more than 900 livestream viewers.<\/p>\n
The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and Global Atlantic staged the event as a showcase of competition finalists and the island\u2019s growing entrepreneurial energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis competition highlights the incredible vision and determination of Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurs,\u201d said Darryl Herrick, the president of Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance. \u201cThe creativity and drive on display reflects the best of Bermuda\u2019s business community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sixty applicants were narrowed to nine finalists \u2014 three in the youth category and six adults \u2014 offering solutions that touched everything from food security to digital wellness.<\/p>\n
Youth winner Sydney West, the founder of Internship Insights Co, made her pitch with a blunt assessment of the island\u2019s talent pipeline: \u201cWe make internships actually work for both sides. We train both sides. We fix the system locally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In the adult category, the judges selected three winners: Antonia Holder of DigiRoo, Tamika Pacheco of Off Grid RV Bermuda, and Greg Wilson of Food Forest.<\/p>\n
Ms Holder warned of the long-term health risks children face as devices pull their gaze downward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t help integrate technology safely into our kids\u2019 lives, we run the risk of future generations looking like this,\u201d she said, pointing to an exaggerated meme featuring an emaciated, hunchbacked figure. Her patented DigiRoo case lifts tablets to eye level to encourage healthier posture.<\/p>\n
Ms Pacheco offered a tourism solution aimed squarely at affordability and wellness. \u201cOff Grid RV Bermuda delivers an affordable, sustainable, wellness-driven accommodation alternative,\u201d she said. \u201cWe bridge the gap between high cost and the unmet global demand for nature-immersive wellness escapes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Wilson focused on a fault line in Bermuda\u2019s economy: imported food. \u201cToday, Bermuda imports over 90 per cent of its food,\u201d he said. \u201cWe call it Food Forest \u2014 a sustainable, regenerative, organic market garden, where we grow healthy food in a sustainable way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The People\u2019s Choice Award, determined by in-person attendees and online viewers, went to Kamel Dickinson of Echelon, who received more than 450 votes.<\/p>\n
As BEDC executive director, Erica Smith, put it, the competition is designed to create access to capital, visibility and courage.<\/p>\n
The night ended with an unexpected twist. Moved by the quality of the pitches, Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, announced an additional $5,000 for each remaining finalist, ensuring no entrepreneur went home empty-handed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Darryl Herrick, Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance, left, Sydney West, Internship Insights Co; and Jason Hayward, Minister of Economy and Labour (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The third annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition, held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, drew a sold-out crowd of 212 and more than 900 livestream viewers (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Judges Talia Simons, global investor servicing lead, Mt Logan Re, left; Daniel Woods, managing director, Compound Property Group; Pamela Alexander, head of corporate citizenship, KKR; Kimani Ngugi, associate, finance, Global Atlantic; and Patrice Tucker, office manager, Global Atlantic (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Azia Parris, The Sipping Lab, left; Sydney West, Internship Insights Co.; Kamel Dickinson, Echelon; Antonia Holder, DigiRoo; Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance; Jason Hayward, Minister of Economy and Labour; Greg Wilson, Food Forest; Tomika Pacheco, Off Grid RV; Ashlyn Young, Tradie Central; Chaella Bradshaw-Douglas, Pink Sand Beauty; and Cristin Raynor, Angel Studios (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Judges An-Wanae Butterfield, associate vice-president, legal, Global Atlantic, left; Shauntia Steede, head of business banking, HSBC Bermuda; Ondreyah Rochester, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises officer, BEDC; Lee Simmons, board chairman, BEDC; and Lynn Superina, VP, Bermuda controller, Global Atlantic (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Erica Smith, executive director, BEDC (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jamel Hardtman, master of ceremonies (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kelsea Williams, communication and development officer, BEDC, left; Pamela Alexander, head of corporate citizenship, KKR; Jamillah Lodge, director of communication and development, BEDC; Jamel Hardtman, master of ceremonies; Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance; Deshun Simmons, assistant communication and development officer, BEDC; Patrice Tucker, office manager, Global Atlantic; Jenn Bernstein, AVP, corporate communications, Global Atlantic; and Erin Fast, corporate citizenship, Global Atlantic (Photograph by Tristan Narraway)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kamel Dickinson, Echelon, left; Darryl Herrick, president, Global Atlantic Re and co-head of reinsurance; Antonia Holder, DigiRoo; Tomika…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[34825,28,158],"class_list":{"0":"post-302048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-bermuda-economic-development-corporation","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-entrepreneurship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}