EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Wayne Dawkins is already taking the steps to realise his dreams of becoming one of Jamaica’s tech entrepreneurs.

The Wolmer’s Boys’ sixth former heeded the advice of one of his role models and was inspired to attend StartUp Weekend Jamaica recently. During that event, he was invited to join one the teams that would spend 54 hours to create the business model for a new ICT StartUp.

Wayne and his new colleagues became Team PopUp Shop and ultimately earned third place in the StartUp Weekend competition. Since then, Dawkins has been juggling his academic responsibilities with his new entrepreneurship pursuits. He continues to keep up with his studies in physics, mathematics, geography, and geographic engineering while working hard with his teammates towards a 2014 launch of their new enterprise.

Dawkins and his colleagues have created an app to links pop up shop merchants with their potential consumers, making it simpler for the merchants to attract customers to their short-term retail locations.

The concept is an interactive, real-time directory service which enables pop up shop merchants to list the location, time, and product profile of their temporary sales outlet so that the information is readily available to consumers who would find their way to the pop up shop that offers the merchandise that they are looking for at any particular point in time.

“I have to have my own business someday, but I know it will take a lot of effort,” said Dawkins who aspires to realise his own entrepreneurial dream despite the inevitable challenges that he will face. “My plan at this moment is to become an Engineer and use that to propel my own business exploits.”

Dawkins’ role on Team PopUp included design as he conceptualised the business logo and was instrumental in the development of the user interface.

His StartUp Weekend experience has certainly been a significant step on the path to realising his dream.

“To be a part of the third-placed team in StartUp Weekend is giving me invaluable experience. I am now much more aware of the work that needs to be put in to bring an idea to reality,” he said.

Dawkins believes that the StartUp Weekend is an important opportunity for any aspiring entrepreneur. “It gives you insight and hands-on expertise on the necessary steps to transition smoothly between the development phases to having a fruitful business.”

StartUp Weekend is a global grass-roots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding start-ups and launching successful ventures.

StartUp Weekend Jamaica was convened in Jamaica by ConnectiMass, a non-profit organisation that teaches and promotes tech entrepreneurship in the Caribbean through media platforms such as blogs, newsletters, and opportunity databases, and community and capacity building events.

“Our mission is to increase the number of successful tech entrepreneurs and start-ups in the region,” said founder Ingrid Riley.

“We are about empowering a generation who sees technology and entrepreneurship as catalysts to live not only a better life, but the life of their dreams. So we seek to continue to connect people to each other, to the information and opportunities through our media and event platforms.”

StartUp Weekend Jamaica is just one initiative in partnership with Columbus Communications, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solutions brands, by which young people are encouraged and mentored through the process of developing, and launching start-ups, thereby creating prosperity for themselves as individuals and also creating jobs and opportunities for others.

“Broadband is an enabler of technology-based innovation as demonstrated by Team PopUp and the others coming out of StartUp Weekend. Our technology is a critical enabler for product development cycles, collaboration and shrinking timeframes between idea generation and bringing their solutions to market,” said Jenson Sylvester, director, government and strategic accounts for Columbus Business Solutions, who was also a judge for the StartUp Weekend competition.

“We are able to deliver the most cost-effective ICT service for businesses of all sizes; from start-ups such as these in the early stages of their development, to large enterprises with a more global reach.”

Sylvester had only good things to say about Dawkins and his teammates, and the other top teams from StartUp Weekend, with whom he met at the Columbus office recently. “The work and achievements of the teams are truly commendable and encouraging for the future of Jamaica’s economy and we are here to enable them bring their innovative ideas to reality,” he said.