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MECC EAB Agricultural Project

Overview

Welcome to the MECC EAB Agricultural Project, a transformative initiative aimed at empowering youth and women in Jamaica through agri-preneurship. This project marks a significant milestone in fostering innovation and sustainability within the local agricultural sector.

Partners

The Mona Entrepreneurail and Commercialization Centre (MECC) is a Social Enterprise with a mission of inclusivity focused on the vulnerable, especially women-led and youth-led enterprises. MECC transforms ideas into products and businesses to facilitate sustainable growth, providing critical support throughout pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation. We provide the highest quality service to transform new enterprises into profitable businesses while maintaining our own sustainability
Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB) is a global not-for-profit organization that identifies, curates, and connects emerging entrepreneurs in developing areas with the resources they need to create jobs, sustainable livelihoods, and equitable growth. EAB believes that entrepreneurs play a critical role in strong and stable communities. Their invaluable expertise and resources have been instrumental in driving the success of the MECC EAB Agricultural Project.

Objectives

Youth and Women in Agriculture: The Agri Project aims to strengthen the capacity of young people and women to effectively contribute to the agricultural sector. Empowering women and youth to take part in the sector is an effective means to tackle poverty, employment, equality and equity challenges.

Value Added Production: Vision 2030 noted that higher capital gains and increased GDP could be secured from value added production, innovation and exports. The Agri Project will build the capacity and mindset of agri-preneurs to be innovators who are able to produce value-added agri-products in the marketplace.

Agripreneurship: The Agri Project will drive interest in agripreneurship. The global and local marketplace is ever changing and highly competitive. This requires our local agriculture sector to adapt innovative business practices to respond to the 21st century challenges in the agriculture sector. Agripreneurs must have robust Start-Up Mechanics, that is, business, legal, accounting and finance structures.

Development and Innovation in the Agriculture Sector: The aim is to increase knowledge exchange on agricultural equipment and sustainable practices by fostering partnerships with the public and private sector and the diaspora through shared knowledge opportunities for competitors.

Export Optimisation: To contribute to increased export opportunities for businesses in agriculture.

Project Components

The training programme aimed to improve productivity and efficiency in the agricultural sector, foster innovation, and promote sustainable practices. Robust interactive group workshops were followed by one-on-one coaching and mentoring sessions to customize delivery and address specific concerns. Assessments, including Skills & Needs, Enterpreise Resilience Assessment, and GrowthWheel 360 Degree, were conducted to better understand where the entrepreneurs were, identify any challenges they were facing, set goals, and mark any improvements the startups may have made. Partners such as COJ, TAJ, and BSJ provided seminars, enriching the programme with diverse expertise.

Assessments

Enterprise Resilience Assessment: An Enterprise Resilience Assessment is crucial for a business as it helps identify areas that would be most affected outside forces such as natural disasters, and develop mitigation strategies, and capitalize on opportunities.

Skills & Needs Assessment: The skills and needs assessment is essential for a business to identify its skill gaps and resources needed to achieve its goals and maintain a competitive edge.

GrowthWheel 360 Degree Assessment: The Growth Wheel 360° Tool is a self-assessment tool to help our entrepreneurs get the big picture of their business and evaluate how well they are doing in the different areas. There is a initial and a final assessment to guage improvement

Modules

Entrepreneurial Mindset
Overcoming Challenges: Poverty, Equality and Equity
Building Successful Youth/Women-Led Ventures
Leadership, Vision and Team-Building
Legal Considerations for Small Businesses
Business Model Development
Accounting and Taxation
Finance and Financial Management
Food Safety
Production and Operations Managementt
Supply Chain Management
Innovative Growing and Harvesting Techniquest
Sustainable Agricultural Best Practices
Seeds to Success: Guidelines to High Agricultural Yield
Market Readiness for Producers
Access to Markets
Branding & Marketing
AI Tools for Small Businesses & Legal Considerations
Pitch Preparations
Decoding Investor Language

Participating Startups

Ceres Robotics
Revolutionizing the coconut industry by solving the labor crisis with the world's first coconut harvesting drone.
Matthew Stone
De La Enzie Essentials: All-natural plant oils
De La Enzie Essentials is an all-natural plant oil company.
Chenielle Delahaye McKenzie
Green Worx
Greenhouse farm centered around the production of strawberries and micro-greens using aquaponics and hydroponics.
Robert Williams, Mark Johnson
Jireh Farms: Commercial Farm
A family owned business focussed on producing cash crops for the local and international market
Danielle Lewis
Wi Jammin Foods
An Innovative Agro- Processor specializing in authentic Jamaican flavoured seasonings, pepper mash sauces and more.
Sashell Thomas
Kee Farms: Regenerative Ocean Farm
Kee Farms is a regenerative ocean farm that invests in crops and sea stock such as seaweed and mollusks.
Nicholas Kee, Dean Morris, Shauna-Gaye Tusey, Chelsli-Rae Buckley
Gerty’s Agro-Produce: Commercial Farm
Commercial Farm cultivating cash crops
Citerina Atkins
Money Trees Farm: AgTech
A unique blend of a farmers' market and an online order system that aims to bridge the gap between quality produce and consumers
Jonathan Grant
Joan Miller Organics
The production and sale of premium authentic Jamaican Black Castor Oil products.
Mario Kepple
Kinky Glide: Natural Lubricant
Kinky Glide focuses on Sexual Wellness with cannabis infused lubricants and other natural products.
Marlene Smith, Jevaughn Smith
Ja Bio Plastics
A natural, degradable and compactable alternative to single-use plastics
Jordon Freeman, Samantha Williams
Farm Credibly
Simplifies financial services for underbanked farmers who want to be more productive.
Varun Baker, Daniellia Doyle
Tina's Delight
Tina's Delight currently provides take out food service, but is exploring the frozen foods market with frozen pizza.
Tina Geddes
Phyto-Bio Foods
An organic pesticide company that provides solutions to farmers’ needs.
Carlton Barrows, Victoria Riley
All About Scholarships
Dedicated to helping students finance their education through grants, scholarships or financial products.
Delmar Squire, Keneisha Henry

Demo Day

The MECC EAB Agricultural Project Demo Day was the premiere agripreneurship pitch showcase held in Jamaica and a capstone event for the project. The event featured 10 founders from our cohort pitching to a panel of regional and international investors in front of an audience of funders, entrepreneurs, and other entrepreneurial interests. The main objective of the MECC EAB Agricultural Project Demo Day was to facilitate the growth of these startups by providing them with direct investor feedback. This further supported the development of the local agricultural ecosystem. The event also acted as a close-out and showcase for the MECC EAB Agricultural Project after 8 months.

Investor Panel

Jimena Caro
Jimena Caro holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Catholic University of Córdoba and MBA at Universidad Siglo 21. Currently Head of Open Innovation, leading the relationship with corporations and the team of Scrum Masters, as well as being Project Manager for software development teams at Santex. She actively participates in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem through training and mentoring, especially in Agile Methodologies, OKR, and Design Thinking. Jimena also works for Incutex, a Company Builder that has been investing in and co-founding technology-based startups since 2012, with the aim of helping them grow and expand globally. Their portfolio includes more than 44 invested companies and multiple open innovation programmes with regional corporations.
Sergio Escobar
Sergio Escobar is a multiple-time entrepreneur & operator with startups in Aerospace, eCommerce, Manufacturing, AgTech and FinTech, who has been supporting early-stage startups for 15 years across a variety of stages from inception to growth. He currently works at BCF Ventures, a Montreal-based Corporate Venture Capital fund where he invests in B2B Enterprise Software startups at the Seed & Series A stages across US, Canada and Israel. In parallel to BCF Ventures, he manages Lalotte Ventures, which is a Family Office backed Venture Capital Fund investing in sports, media and entertainment. He is also the Managing Director of Founder Institute Montreal, a pre-seed accelerator programme. For 8 years, he has been an active member of the Techstars Global Ecosystem acting as Techstars Startup Weekend Global Facilitator, Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Curator at Techtstars Startup Digest.
Benjamin Gyan-Kesse
Benjamin Gyan-Kesse is Executive Director of Kosmos Innovation Center, Ghana, a Not-for Profit Organisation, and business incubation hub, where he is driving the strategic execution of sustainable value chain transformation through innovation and tech for young people and entrepreneurs within the agricultural sector. As an AgriTech Thought Leader and Professional with 25 years of experience in farmer capacity building and agribusiness value chain programmes, he has nurtured over 3,500 agri-entrepreneurs, incubated more than 36 startups and has supported over 58,000 cocoa farmers across all the cocoa growing regions in Ghana, focusing on productivity, value addition, market access and other livelihood improvement programmes through ICTAg. Kosmos Innovation Center is a non-profit organization that invests in young entrepreneurs and small businesses. They empower entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into viable, self-sustaining businesses and work alongside promising small businesses to help them scale and reach their full potential.
Jose Lopez
Jose Lopez is the Co-Founder of devlabs, an Oakland, CA based company which incubates tech start-up companies founded by outlier entrepreneurs from small cities and rural towns around the world. He works with entrepreneurs to start and grow their software based startups. He brings a background as Senior Software Engineer and Chief Technology Officer as expertise to support software startups after studying at the University of California, Berkeley. He also serves as advisor to Altum Lab, which uses AI to optimize production processes in mining, aquaculture and agriculture.
Alexandra Koch
Alexandra Koch has spent years working in innovation and entrepreneurship in Germany, first with the RKW Competence Center, a non-profit supporting small and medium-sized businesses. She went on to manage the RIS Climate KIC Accelerator based at Provadis University and Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Germany. She was also the local partner for the Future Agro Challenge and Cleantech Open under the Creative Business Cup. She currently is bringing her background in media and communications to the utilities industry in Mainz.
Sharon Roper
Sharon Roper is a C-Suite Telecoms Executive, Entrepreneur, and Angel Investor with experience working in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, UK and North America. As Co-Founder and Managing Director of SIAN Equity Llc and SIAN Associates Ltd, she leverages data-driven, technology-focused, digital solutions to build and transform brands globally. Passionate about 'people-centered projects,' she collaborates with clients, investors, and entrepreneurs committed to making a difference. She manages varied private equity portfolios resulting from her Angel Investing, and contributes as a board member to start-ups in technology, services, and manufacturing. Committed to building 'Brand Jamaica,' she actively engages with brands worldwide seeking to scale up and establish sustainable businesses.
Helen Stevens
Helen Stevens is the founder and CEO of the Two Handbag Investment Club, which is a UK-based platform for high net worth individuals to invest as business angels in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). She also serves on the Faculty of Finance and Management for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). With decades as a strategic consultant, Helen contributes a wealth of expertise as a small business mentor and advisor.

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