[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hristian Wayne, founder and director of TeleCarib Labs, Inc. (also director of the award-winning STAR Publishing Company, parent company to this newspaper) is spearheading a movement poised to revolutionize what education and entrepreneurship look like in the Caribbean – with Saint Lucia serving as ground zero.
In 2019, Wayne is opening what he calls a “Campus of the Future” that will redefine what it means to Live, Learn and Work in Saint Lucia.
The 25-year-old media executive and entrepreneur is transforming a commercial manufacturing property in the north of the island into a mixed-use real estate development project featuring the island’s first and only co-working space, serviced private offices, studio apartments and even an organic café to serve TeleCarib clients and other professionals in the island’s north.
CO-WORKING
Like most Caribbean islands, land in Saint Lucia is expensive; a premium that has driven up not only the price of housing but also the prices of office rentals—which in turn contributes to the difficulties faced by Saint Lucian entrepreneurs in starting their own businesses.
“Opening a co-working space where the costs of office-management are distributed among different members who are each sharing basic amenities like electricity, internet, cleaning services, conference rooms and even a secretary, is really just part of what we’re doing,” says Wayne. “Introducing co-working to Saint Lucia’s office rental market is just step one. The real value is in the community we’re creating.”
BOUTIQUE HOSTEL
In similar fashion to how TeleCarib Labs is disrupting the office rental market, the company’s founder says it’s going to do the same thing to the island’s hotel industry. “I challenge you to find a rental in this country for under US$90 per night. It’s almost impossible.” Saint Lucia’s hotel room stock is comprised of primarily 4- and 5-star luxury accommodations, a norm throughout the region, and a major part of why the island’s reputation is one of luxury travel rather than affordable travel.
“Not every traveller needs a private butler and an over-the-water villa. Some people just want a clean, safe place to rest their head, be able to plug into a community, and have an authentic experience while doing it. If you’re part of the latter traveller segment, then Studios by TeleCarib is right for you,” notes Wayne.
WORLD-CLASS PROGRAMMING
Exciting as introducing co-working and a boutique hostel is, Wayne says the truly disruptive element of TeleCarib Labs is the education and entrepreneurship programmes his team will be delivering to Saint Lucians.
Explains Wayne: “There are three flagship programmes we’ve designed in collaboration with different stakeholders in Saint Lucia that we’ll be running at TeleCarib Labs.
“Firstly, TeleCarib will be running the country’s first national start-up incubator programme called Startup St. Lucia. It’s a 120-day experiential education programme designed to drive an individual start-up to success or failure through the help of mentorship, services and financing.
“Then there’s our Future Farmers programme where we combine hands-on learning in our model climate-controlled indoor farm, in-person skill-development workshops and mentorship, with high-quality online content to equip entrepreneurs with the skills our financial partners look for in investment candidates.
“Finally, there’s the Hybrid Learners programme which is designed to increase access for Saint Lucians to high-quality, low-cost education pathways that are career-linked. Saint Lucians are grossly underserved when it comes to higher education offerings so this programme is going to be a home-run. We couple world-class online education with in-person skill-development workshops to create a compelling education option for those of us who cannot afford travelling overseas for university.”
INTERVIEW
Right now TeleCarib Labs is in an era that very much reflects its region: one with strong foundations and an enthusiastic community, preparing to pursue a new chapter in the 21st century. While TeleCarib Labs’ daily work is unapologetically bold and pursued with optimism, it also commences in an era of great turbulence within the digital arena.
This reality is something Wayne recognises.
“I think you need to only look at something like the net neutrality issue to know we need more local leadership in the digital world. Right now, many people in our region view net neutrality through a lense that is chiefly American in viewpoint,” says Wayne. “That’s fine in the short term but soon we’ll have to have that chat locally, especially as nations like Saint Lucia essentially have monopolies in this space. Growing a culture of competition in our region is important for the long term, especially with the rise of a digital economy.”
Just as there is a desire to grow a sense of regional competition, so too does TeleCarib seek to drive a new sense of collegiality in the digital sphere. Work in this area is something valued in Saint Lucia and around the region.
Giving voice to this new chapter of exploration and bolstering the formation of a new generation in the Caribbean family is at the core of what TeleCarib Labs seeks to offer as an education epicentre, start-up generator and accommodation provider.
“I think what’s so exciting about TeleCarib is in the long term it promises to create a new network. Whether someone visits here for a short time or stays for a long time, you’ll forever have a link to TeleCarib, Saint Lucia, and the Caribbean. This is important because until now we’ve not had a Caribbean-wide network like this,” says Wayne. “Sure, there’ve been platforms like LinkedIn but never something that brings everyone, who’d call themselves an innovator and student, under one umbrella. The reach here could also go far beyond our region.”
Though the TeleCarib Labs team is at work each day to create such an epicentre, Wayne readily acknowledges that there is a long path ahead to seeing Castries become a capital of innovation recognised alongside Silicon Valley, Sao Paulo, Dublin, Barcelona and Co.
Central to TeleCarib is its education mission. As Wayne tells it, education was always going to be at the heart of TeleCarib but the focus on it evolved as the potential for real engagement globally and locally became clear.
“I think for too long we in the Caribbean have tried to start a fire without the fuel. Sure, some things have caught on. We also have fantastic talent here so we will always see some decent success. When it comes to creating a consistent culture for it though—something like a Caribbean version of Silicon Valley where consistent success is seen—I think we need to recognise education is central.”
The experience of doing one-week start-up bootcamps around Saint Lucia provided Wayne with a vivid example of the strong but inherently practical work TeleCarib Labs could do for his native nation.
“We did some bootcamps in Soufriere and Castries. We learned of two people enrolled in the exact same online college, one living in Castries, the other in Soufriere. One had struggled with the class, the other did not. Previous to this, these two Saint Lucians didn’t know each other existed, were doing the same course, or could be of help to each other,” says Wayne. “We linked them up and one was able to help the other with some learning techniques, and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s a simple but strong story that I think encapsulates the heart and soul of TeleCarib Labs’ work—and I tell you we’re just getting started!”
Just as it seeks to grow individuals, TeleCarib Labs recognises its progress will be watched carefully by many would-be entrepreneurs weighing up whether to begin a venture in the region, which is why Wayne and his team will be offering soft-landing corporate services to entrepreneurs eyeing the Caribbean for growth.
Wayne recognises that his team will, in time, deliver to Saint Lucia a network of TeleCarib alumni who will offer people of the Caribbean professional links around the world. But he is also intent on seeing results that are more immediate, pronounced and distinctively Saint Lucian.
TeleCarib Labs is in active conversations with the government of Saint Lucia to have the projected designated as the country’s official tech-hub. If you are passionate about tech, education or entrepreneurship, ask your Constituency Representative to support this innovative initiative.
