JTDA to mark 40th staging of BizTech conference

The Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance (JTDA) will host its flagship event, BizTech 2024, November 20-21 at the Summit Hotel in Kingston under the theme, ‘Sustainability and Scalability: Technology for the Future’.

“BizTech continues to be a staple event on Jamaica’s tech calendar, fostering innovation and collaboration. This year is particularly special as we celebrate our 40th staging, which serves as our main fundraising initiative to support various programmes throughout the year,” Almando Cox, president of the JTDA and Founding CEO of ResolveIT Limited, noted in a release. “Last year, we welcomed over 500 attendees and featured speakers from both local and international sectors, providing invaluable discussions and networking opportunities.”

Cox highlighted that BizTech 2024 will be used to showcase some of the opportunities and partnerships that abound for Jamaican technology companies as he reflected on a recent initiative that was supported by the JTDA. “In September, five female entrepreneurs formed part of the Jamaican delegation at the Black Women in Tech Week in Toronto. Impressively, two of them were selected to present at the Elevate Festival’s start-up stage and went on to win prize money to the tune of US$4,500.00. We aim to create more opportunities like this for our members, showcasing collaboration and growth in sustainability and scalability at BizTech.”

The two-day conference will feature a variety of engaging formats, including panels, presentations, and workshops designed to foster discussion on critical technology topics such as capital raising, productivity, renewable energy, data protection, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Over the years, BizTech has featured renowned business leaders like Pira Pathmasenan of IBM and Mervyn Eyre of Fujitsu. Alexia Beckford, programme manager at JTDA, shared insights on the agenda: “We are thrilled to bring together a diverse range of speakers and experts to provide content focused on emerging global trends relevant to our region, along with strategies, actionable insights, and case studies. Two of the confirmed international speakers so far are Danielle Graham, co-founder of Firehood and Lise Birikundavyi of BKR Capital, which is the only black-led venture capital firm in Toronto.”

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Sheldon Powe, chairman and founder of Innovate 10x and a panellist for the productivity session, expressed his enthusiasm: “I look forward to sharing the latest trends in productivity and engaging with other stakeholders. The continued staging of this event drives our vision to empower people and businesses through technology.”

The release noted that registration opens on Thursday, October 30, with all confirmed speakers to be announced on the company’s website by the first week of November. To register for BizTech 2024, the public is invited to email inform@jtda.com, follow the JTDA on social media, or call (876) 754-9640 for more information.