CANADIAN native and co-chief executive officer of RealDecoy Geoff Waddington came to Jamaica to work on technical projects at the Technology Innovation Centre at the University of Technology, Jamaica. The experience allowed him to meet students and other people at different stages of their lives and he gained insight into the challenges people were facing, while hinting at the potential opportunities for tech students.

The “Jamaican immersion”, as he describes it, was the inspiration behind launching RealDecoy in Jamaica. Waddington was moved to engage young tech talent to work on world-class projects in a global market, primarily because what he regarded as an overlooked opportunity.

RealDecoy’s guiding values centre on how people lead, learn and care. Waddington said they hired the best people and challenged them to deliver the best results for their clients.

The firm also has the advantage of combining their experience from working with international clients with knowledge of the Jamaican and wider Caribbean market to create value. Waddington believes that, even though educational training is essential, emphasis on industry experience is a critical hiring factor for employers and a challenge for new graduates, particularly acute in Jamaica, where people are trained but lack sufficient working experience. He regards experience as valuable because it accelerates the learning curve, mainly when things “go wrong”. Waddington suggests the solution is for employers to provide hands-on training to nurture young talent; however, there is a high cost associated with training.

Additionally, companies may find it challenging to retain their talent because once individuals have gained valuable experience, it presents an opportunity for upward mobility in the global marketplace.

RealDecoy is actively partnering with start-ups to bring new products to market. They have developed a Jamaican company called CoreWatts focused on energy and productivity, offering a solution that can go global.

Waddington is convinced that the most valuable opportunities often emerge by combining different perspectives from multiple disciplines. While there is a common belief that tech is innovative, it only becomes useful when applied in health care and marketing, as examples.

The co-CEO also emphasised that it is vital to ideate and execute those ideas with creativity and discipline, which involves learning from mistakes and pivoting even while working within constraints.

Waddington explained that he always wanted to pursue opportunities that would change the world for the better. For him, helping people to unlock their full potential to achieve great things is his driving force.

Having sustainable funding from business activities combined with a social mindset will create even more value. he said. It is a philosophy translated into RealDecoy’s culture, where the company engages in social good initiatives through fund-raising and volunteering.