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The Branson Center of Entrepreneurship- CaribbeanSovereign Commercial Center, Unit 4 9-11 Barbican Road Kingston 6 Jamaica - Kingston
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Our Founding Partners
Our roots can be traced all the way to South Africa…
Back in 2006, Virgin Unite, the not-for-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, established the first Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Inspired by the success of the South Africa project, in 2011 Virgin Unite went on to spearhead the launch of the Caribbean arm of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Virgin Unite believes business can and must be a force for good in the world – and that this is also good for business! Supporting entrepreneurs around the world is a part of the game-changing organisation's mission to incubate new approaches to leadership.
As BCoEC's operational partner, Virgin Unite works closely with our team on the ground to support entrepreneur development and our ongoing expansion.
Virgin Holidays is BCoEC's lead business partner. A responsible business and the UK's leading long-haul tour operator, Virgin Holidays invests much needed resources in the Caribbean – a destination their customers have fallen in love with over the years – through their support of BCoEC and its entrepreneurs.
The collaboration between Virgin Unite and Virgin Holidays demonstrates how a shared goal to create life-changing opportunities can transform lives around the globe.
When BCoEC first opened its doors in 2011, we admitted up to 20 entrepreneurs per cohort to attend training one day a week for 12 weeks in the centre's Montego Bay location. By the end of 2014, BCoEC had successfully trained 7 cohorts in Jamaica and was ready to scale the programme.
In March 2015 we launched the Branson Centre Caribbean Online, an online platform that provided training to a much wider pool of entrepreneurs.
Soon after, we took our first leap outside of Jamaica into the wider Caribbean, setting up the programme in the British Virgin Islands, where we welcomed our first cohort there in January 2016.
2017 is yet another major milestone year for BCoEC.
In June 2017, we moved our headquarters from Montego Bay to Jamaica's capital city, Kingston. We also revamped our suite of services to provide tools and high-touch services to an even wider pool of entrepreneurs at all stages of business, both free and at a cost, while also sharpening our focus on a specially selected group of high-potential, high-impact, fundable entrepreneurs.
This repositioning solidifies BCoEC as a key player in the transformation and development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country and throughout the region.
Our goal is to ignite Caribbean entrepreneurs to scale impactful, globally competitive, sustainable businesses that lead to social, environmental and economic change.
Doing Good & Profiting
Entrepreneurship is the key to solving some of the world's biggest problems.
We believe that business can be profitable AND be a force for good; and that a responsible business, which recognizes the importance of people, planet and profit, is a strong, sustainable, globally competitive business model.
This, we believe, is a dignified and globally-relevant pursuit of wealth creation. Our purpose is to provide tools for growth and expansion to responsible businesses that follow this approach.
Spreading the Entrepreneurial Spirit
We aim to spread a spirit of globally competitive entrepreneurship throughout the Caribbean, and encourage entrepreneurs to be innovative and operate sustainably.
In a region with crippling unemployment rates and a tendency to view entrepreneurship as 'too risky,' we encourage Caribbean entrepreneurs to think and operate bigger and better by building high-value business models.
To build a thriving and robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, we facilitate collaboration between the business community and our entrepreneurs, encouraging an exchange of knowledge and new ideas.
"The best way forward is to give more people everywhere greater power to build their own destinies." Richard Branson
We challenge Caribbean entrepreneurs to think big and actively reshape the way business is done as usual.
Our approach to entrepreneur development is based on world-class principles and approaches delivered with local flair. We have a unique sensibility that combines global thinking and local understanding. By encouraging entrepreneurs and local business leaders to embrace a progressive start-up culture that empowers entrepreneurs to shift markets and create change, we are transforming the game of entrepreneurship in the Caribbean.
Making Entrepreneurs 'Bankable'
Before an entrepreneur can access financing to grow their business, they need to nail ...
Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean (BCoEC) was launched in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 2011 by business magnate Sir Richard Branson. Today, we are the Caribbean's leading business accelerator, bringing world-class entrepreneurial support to the region.
Sir Branson has had a heavy hand in shaping our socially-conscious ethos and fervour for innovation. BCoEC, a nonprofit, was formed through a strategic partnership between the mogul's philanthropic organisation, Virgin Unite, the not-for-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, and his brand's long-haul tour company serving the Caribbean from the UK, Virgin Holidays.
BCoEC offers training opportunities and tools to a wide pool of entrepreneurs at any stage of business, while also providing additional benefits to a select group of high calibre entrepreneurs who demonstrate tremendous potential for impact through fundable, scalable business models.
Our team has a laser-sharp focus on addressing the unique challenges of entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, and works diligently to empower entrepreneurs to bolster their businesses, become globally competitive and contribute to the region's social, cultural, environmental and economic development.
Our programme is multi-pronged. We offer entrepreneurs in Jamaica, at all stages of business, access to a suite of quality services. We also support a community of specially selected entrepreneurs who demonstrate the potential for high impact, fundability and global competitiveness.
We have trained hundreds of entrepreneurs and conducted extensive research into the needs and challenges that Caribbean entrepreneurs face in launching and scaling their businesses. We use this information to continuously enhance our offerings.
Our robust programme offers world-class entrepreneur training, mentorship, networking and more.
Enabling Growth
While start-ups create vibrancy in any economy, we believe that scale-ups create the most impact. Caribbean entrepreneurs need a framework and tools to help them structure their businesses and map out a growth path. That is why we offer free virtual training, as well as a high-touch suite of accelerator services. We want to enable entrepreneurs to present their businesses in such a way that strategic partners, grant programmes, external investors, banks, and any other partners, see their potential value and are willing to take a risk on the entrepreneur's ability to achieve it.
No Entrepreneur is an Island
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road, so we help to connect entrepreneurs with the people and organizations that can help to make their businesses succeed. Our programme is supported by our partners and volunteers – mentors, coaches, and experts, who enable us to change the way business is done as usual. So, it's part of our mandate to ensure that we make valuable and effective connections, not only for our entrepreneurs, but also for our partners who serve them. We aim to provide a mutually beneficial and rewarding opportunity for seasoned entrepreneurs and members of the business community to give back and make an impact.
Technology & Human Touch
At the core of our model is the belief that entrepreneurs thrive when they are connected to a robust and strong network of other like-minded entrepreneurs and allies. That's why our
hybrid approach combines virtual and in-person delivery of services that nurture the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Through technology we are able to provide critical training, make smart mentorship matches and streamline our operations.
Our 1-to-1 coaching, networking events, mentorship and expertise pairing, as well as dedicated in-house support for our entrepreneurs, ensures that we do not lose the key ingredient of our programme – the human touch.
Going Regional
As we continue to scale the programme into the wider Caribbean, we identify local partners in key islands where we aim to launch. We also set up operations on the ground or work through local partners who are responsible for executing the programme's local activities and events in combination with the virtual training.
Through this hybrid approach, we will take our successfully tested model to other islands throughout the region. By employing lessons learned, we are raising the game of entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, as we continually expand and enhance the programme.