By Latrishka Thomas
The second time was the charm for entrepreneur Elijah James who is now the winner of the local version of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) 2022.
James out-pitched over 10 local business people with his app ‘The Local’.
He told Observer that the idea for the app was conceptualised in 2015 but it took some time to develop.
It is a “GPS-enabled digital community guide and marketplace that basically helps to connect visitors and residents to local information and also helps businesses to go digital and open a storefront online,” he explained.
The 37-year-old solicited feedback from thousands of residents who onboarded the initial version of the app and, according to him, many of them said “they don’t have someone who is tech savvy on the team and they don’t understand the technology [and] they couldn’t afford the traditional cost for advertising”.
James taught himself programming and was able to create an intuitive integration of multiple apps created to meet the needs of locals.
One of the great features is the online shopping option.
“If you can be able to shop and see what local businesses have online, then I would be more inclined to support them,” James explained.
“Instead [of] you having to download a separate app for this and one for that, one for news, one for the weather, one for jobs, one for food, any local information, with the local app you basically have one app that’s on your phone and within that app there are multiple apps that basically gives you access to local information,” he added.
The local competition was conducted by the GARD Center, the local host organisation for the EWC.
Having won the national contest, James will move to the regional competition which is a gateway into the global competition.
James said that his ultimate goal “is not only to promote Antigua and Barbuda as a great place for business, but also for startups to consider to make Antigua their home”.
The EWC supports 175,000 entrepreneurs in 200 countries.
It is made possible by three co-host organisations – Misk Global Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Network and the Global Education & Leadership Foundation.
It gives everyone who enters access to the knowledge, networks, and for some, the capital they need to start and scale a company.