81.4 F
Cruz Bay
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeBusinessUVI's RTPark to Hold Business Attraction Summit in May

UVI’s RTPark to Hold Business Attraction Summit in May

Particpants gather for the 2019 RTPark Business Attraction Summit on St. Croix. (Photo courtesy of the RTPark)
Participants gather for the 2019 RTPark Business Attraction Summit on St. Croix. This year’s summit will be a virtual affair. (Photo courtesy of the RTPark)

The UVI Research and Technology Park Corporation announced Friday that registration is now open to attend their second annual Business Attraction Summit to be held virtually on May 19-20 from the RTPark’s headquarters on St. Croix. 

This free two-day virtual event will be streamed to dozens of rapidly growing and established tech companies from around the world, emerging tech entrepreneurs, high net worth investors, and key influencers in the tech and economic development industries who are interested in learning about the benefits of living and working in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a press release RTPark officials on Friday.

“After a two-year delay, we’re excited to continue building off the success of our inaugural summit in 2019 and our record years of business attraction in 2020 and 2021, despite the challenges that the pandemic may have presented us,” said RTPark Executive Director and CEO Peter H. Chapman. “We converted several leads from our last summit into active firms currently operating in the territory. We look forward to welcoming more this year via the summit.”

The RTPark is an economic development organization designed to help diversify and expand the USVI economy through efforts to promote the attraction, retention and growth of technology, knowledge-based and sustainable agriculture firms within the territory, the release stated. To date, there are 75 firms and 21 early-stage startups operating in the USVI via RTPark programs such as the tax exemption and accelerator programs, respectively.

This year’s summit theme is “The Next Tech Hub: Sustainability through Technology in the USVI.” Considering the current state of the Caribbean and the world, the myriad resources that the USVI can access today place the territory in an advantageous position to support next generation innovation and research in sustainable development, according to the press release. 

“When looking at the past several years of hurdles we faced as a community, a common theme has been the need to build economic resiliency and future-proof our workforce for what may lie ahead,” Chapman said. “Using the RTPark as a vehicle to nurture and grow that innovative ecosystem is a crucial component of our toolbox for economic diversification and resiliency in the USVI.”

In 2019, the RTPark was proud to host special presenters from Facebook, LG Electronics, IBM, and the Global Startup Ecosystem. This year, they are preparing to bring more influential experts who support the mission of growing the tech cluster in the Caribbean and can provide perspective on the future of sustainable economies throughout the region, the release stated. Announcements of speakers and panelists will be published in the coming weeks.

For more information and to register for the summit, visit www.usvitechsummit.com.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.