Cayman’s budding entrepreneurs have until 31 Jan. 2026 to enter the sixth annual Cayman Islands Business Design Competition.
The ‘Shark Tank’-style event sees would-be founders compete for a top prize of US$10,000 in cash, plus business support services.
“Successful applicants will participate in three days of workshops and training sessions focused on the ideate stage of the design sprint to help competitors minimise the risks of launching new products, services or features,” said Enterprise Cayman in a press release.
That’s followed by one month of mentoring from professional advisors before ‘pitch day’, when businesses present their ideas to a panel of judges. In addition to the grand prize for the winner, there are also additional competition awards for: project of the year, community impact, innovation, sustainability, best storyteller, and people’s choice.
Entry to the competition, which is organised by Enterprise Cayman and sponsored by Cayman Enterprise City, is free for residents of the Cayman Islands.
Building an ecosystem
“This is community investment in Cayman’s innovation ecosystem,” said Alyssa Manderson, programme manager at Enterprise Cayman, in a 7 Nov. interview. “By supporting the competition, we lower barriers for Caymanians and residents to upskill, validate ideas, and connect with mentors and investors, while fostering knowledge-sharing between new projects, subject-matter experts and experienced founders.”
One of the most successful previous winners was Emailchaser, a sales tool that allows users to find the email addresses and dodge the spam filters of potential clients. Developed by George Wauchope, it is still going strong today and has been used by international consultancies like Accenture and Gartner.
But the competition doesn’t just benefit the winners, explained Manderson. “The result is a stronger talent pool and a pipeline of venture-ready companies that fuel business innovation across our zones and the wider community.”
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