NINE Jamaican entrepreneurs will next month embark on a six-week visit to the United States of America (USA) under the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), as they seek to improve their skills set and businesses.

The Jamaican entrepreneurs, who come from a wide array of backgrounds with their own business ideas, will be exposed to different principles and practices as they engage with different American businesses across the country. This year’s cohort consists of six women and three men who will seek to equip themselves even further in growing their businesses and social initiatives.

“It’s about leadership, giving people in Jamaica and across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada — over 37 countries — an opportunity to build their entrepreneurship skills, to build their businesses, and to be able to use that experience, go to the United States, learn from businesses in the United States, and use that experience to come back to Jamaica to help their communities here,” said Michael Lavallee, public affairs officer at the US Embassy in Kingston, in speaking with the
Jamaica Observer recently.

The fellowship programme, which has been in operation since 2015, has seen more than 1,500 entrepreneurs across the 37 countries in the Western Hemisphere benefit from international exposure in the USA. The programme which creates a network for young entrepreneurs also allows them to be exposed to the business practices and skills of American businesses during their time in the USA.

“I expect to learn more tools to help scale, grow, and develop businesses in Jamaica because I’ve been fortunate enough to have been placed with the MIL, which is an entrepreneurship incubator in Salt Lake City. I do intend to do a fair bit of networking with my fellow fellows from the Caribbean, Latin America and North America, as well as businesses in the USA. A part of our plan at Brandhaus is regional and international expansion,” responded Jean-Pierre Kavanaugh, chief strategist and creative director at Brandhaus Studio.

This year’s cohort includes Claudine Reid, co-founder, DigiTalawah Agency; Oshane Ellis, CEO and founder, The Entity Ja; Ryon Whyte, founder, Sitepact Ja; Rachael Callaghan, managing director of Start Social Ltd; Jherane Patmore, founder and CEO Rebel Women Lit; Latoya Rattray-Ellis, co-owner, LAE Farm Limited; Te’-Lor Woolery Euegen, CEO of Red Level Agency; Kyla Wright, owner and founder of Kyla Wright LPO Solutions; and Kavanaugh.

“I have been watching the progress of YLAI since inception. I’ve always wanted to be part of this programme and so, naturally, when the time came for them to take applications I applied. Going on the YLAI programme, and what I’ve been learning so far from the curriculum is to strategise how to align my business to the different markets, learning the different financial components of the business, talent management, and using certain technologies to decrease production cost,” Rattray-Ellis responded on her expectations of the programme.