The GEMS Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of the first GEMS Entrepreneurship Challenge! After careful consideration and evaluation of all the submissions as well as the Ultimate Pitching Challenge hosted on Thursday, May 4th, the following businesses have emerged as the top performers: First Place – Bee Natural, Second Place: Jaydee’s Naturals, and Third Place: Ceres Agriculture.
The winning entrepreneur was awarded $20,000 EC to invest in, and grow their business. The second and third place winners were awarded $15,000 and $10,000 EC, respectively. The other shortlisted applicants who pitched their businesses were: Apachy Solutions, Finesse Beauty House of Fashion, Hey Mama, and Kings Punch.
Gregor Nassief, CEO of GEMS Holdings Ltd. shared, “All of the entrepreneurs should be proud of what they have achieved and we are delighted to support their growth and development. Hospitality and tourism play a vital role in Dominica’s economy and these entrepreneurs strengthen the industry through innovation and quality products and services. A special congratulations to our winners Bee Natural, Jaydee’s Naturals and Ceres Agriculture. A special thanks to the board of the GEMS Foundation for rolling out our GEMS Hospitality School in 2022 and our GEMS Entrepreneurship Challenge this year.”
The GEMS Foundation Director of Entrepreneurship, Lizra Fabian stated, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding performance and innovative ideas. Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we are excited to see how your ideas will shape the future of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, we thank all the participants for their submissions and for making this challenge a huge success. Your creativity and passion for entrepreneurship have been truly inspiring. We look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of all the participants, and we hope that this challenge has provided a platform for you to showcase your talents and ideas.”
The GEMS Foundation expresses gratitude to the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce for its support in the execution of this initiative as well as to Colin Hill of Aitia Bio for his donation to this initiative. Gratitude is also expressed to the panel of judges: Evadney Esprit, Gregor Nassief, Olive Strachan MBE, Rudy Reid and Sam Raphael for their valuable support in the selection process.
The GEMS Foundation will continue to empower local entrepreneurs to strengthen and grow their businesses within the hospitality and tourism supply chain by hosting this initiative again next year. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to implement optimal financial management and continue onto their entrepreneurial journey to innovate and seek opportunities for development with initiatives such as the GEMS Entrepreneurship Challenge.
