A platform to help provide a ready supply of substitute teachers for schools in Cayman has taken the awards for Project of the Year and the People’s Choice at this year’s Cayman Islands Business Design Competition.
Sharice McLean, Deidre Garcia-Daniel, Maggie Ebanks and Kirkpatrick Clarke won the competition for their project, ‘Substitute Teachers of Cayman (STOC)’, after a ‘Pitch Day’ when they pitched their business idea to a panel of judges at the Harquail Theatre on 1 April.
The team explained that, under the current substitute-teacher system, schools use their own staff teachers to cover classes for colleagues who may be out sick or unable to attend, leading to burnout among the staff that provides the cover.
The STOC team, in their pitch, said they plan to build a team of retired, experienced teachers to act as substitutes who will be available as needed, with schools potentially paying a fee for this service.
McLean, in the pitch, told the panel of judges that the STOC team had surveyed 22 schools and 55 teachers.
“Out of those 55, 90% of the teachers made comments in regard to the current cover situation, that they felt overwhelmed, burned out, exhausted,” she said. “85% of the teachers take at least one sick day a month, 10% of teachers require cover daily.”
The team added that 90% of the schools surveyed expressed interest in availing of the STOC project, which would include an app and an online platform.
At Pitch Day at the Harquail Studio Theatre, viewers from across the globe were invited to tune in via livestream to watch Cayman’s entrepreneurs compete for more than US$10,000 in cash prizes and wraparound business services.
Produced by Enterprise Cayman and sponsored by Cayman Enterprise City (CEC), the annual Business Design Competition invites Cayman’s entrepreneurs to showcase their new and innovative business ideas, according to organisers.
This year’s competitors were shortlisted to seven, from 25 submissions.
The finalists behind the seven new business ventures took part in an intensive series of workshops, project advisor meetings and networking events, as well as presenting on Pitch Day.
‘Blown away’
The panel of judges included Rodney Alison, founder of Synergy Technology Engineering Limited SEZC; Rich Dyer, co-founder of Massive Media; Woody Foster, managing director of Foster’s; Joshua Hecht, venture investor at Avalanche SEZC; and Polly Pickering, managing director of eShore.
“We were absolutely blown away by the fresh ideas produced and the talented individuals that presented final projects during the ‘Pitch Day’,” Alyssa Manderson, programmes and events coordinator at Enterprise Cayman, said in the release. “We are excited to watch these projects evolve and can’t wait to see what these individuals will accomplish.”
The initiative was launched in 2021, on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, to help creative individuals and entrepreneurs have access to key resources to identify and validate new ideas and opportunities to commercialise.
“The Business Design Competition’s main purpose is to strengthen Cayman’s supportive innovation ecosystem,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO of CEC and director of Enterprise Cayman. “The competition fosters knowledge-sharing amongst projects and professionals and is part of a vibrant platform designed to enable innovators and entrepreneurs to connect, share experiences and insight, and ultimately thrive.”
In 2022, following on the success of the Cayman Islands Business Design Competition, Enterprise Cayman’s programming for entrepreneurs was expanded to include an incubator programme and Angel Investor Network to support individuals who are preparing their projects for the critical step of taking on initial investors.
“I would like to encourage everyone who competed in the Business Design Competition, as well as anyone else that might have a validated business idea, to apply to our Launch Labs incubator,” said Kirkconnell. “We invite you to take advantage of Enterprise Cayman’s resources and supportive business network – we’re here to help you get one step closer to turning your vision into reality.”
Awards and winners:
Project of the Year: This category, for a business design that shines above and beyond competition expectations, was won by Sharice McLean, Deidre Garcia-Daniel, Maggie Ebanks and Kirkpatrick Clarke for their project Substitute Teachers of Cayman (STOC), a platform for substitute teachers and schools. The team took home the grand prize of US$10,000 plus wraparound business services, sponsored by Cayman Enterprise City.
People’s Choice Award: This award was also presented to the STOC team. This was the first year that members of the public were invited to vote on a People’s Choice Award, which was presented by Minister for Investment, Innovation and Social Development André Ebanks.
The Innovation Award for a business design that is inspiring, new and/or unconventional was presented to Aaron Santamaria for his project QuickQuip, a new technology-driven project offering pre-written replies and helping to streamline communications. Santamaria received a US$2,000 cash prize and wraparound business services, sponsored by Avalanche.
The Community Impact Award for a business design that makes a difference in our local and/or global communities was presented to Steve Toms for his project Island Pet Co., providing locally made, sustainable fresh pet products. Toms received a US$2,000 cash prize and wraparound business services, sponsored by eShore.
All finalists received a business support prize pack valued at over CI$1,500, which includes access to professional meeting spaces, legal advisory sessions, marketing support, reduced rate of incorporation, access to CEC networking events, a 90% HubSpot discount, as well as scholarships to attend Code/Cyber courses.
Competition finalists:
• GraBit Cayman – A one-stop shop delivery app by Melisa Bent and Sherolene Belnavis
• Caymania – A portal providing career logistics by Sherilyn Miller
• Locky – An easy opening system to make bags and backpacks safe by Nina Ketiss
• Syntelligence AI – Artificial Intelligence tools helping to streamline businesses by Kevin Ramirez
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