Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship expands further in the Caribbean

Virgin has announced the expansion of its Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean. Recently inaugurated,  the expanded facilities located in Barbados, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago will offer three online courses with the financal support of the  Compete Caribbean Initiative.

Founded by multimillionaire Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group Ltd. is a clear illustration of how an enterprise started as a SME transformed itself into a conglomerate of companies.

The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship opened its first extension in the Caribbean in September of 2011 in Montego Bay with the support of  Virgin United.

The institution  focuses on the four pillars of entrepreneurship, which can be summed up as:

1. Access to knowledge
2. Access to an extensive network of contacts
3. Access to markets
4. Access to financial resources

Its goal is to provide attendees with a future outreach in an increasingly demanding international stage.

One of the organization’s basic principles is that not all successful idea has to be novel; one can strengthen or improve existing ideas.
Another key strategy, according to the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, is to employ storytelling techniques in order to connect with the consumer of an emotional level.

The first Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship was created in Johannesburg, a country that at the time had an unemployment rate of 25%, most of them young. Since the center’s opening, it has welcomed 470 entrepreneurs in 21 different industries.
The Montego Bay branch has directly benefited over 40 businesspersons and has incubated 24 companies.

The extension of this important Entrepreneurship Center represents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs in the Caribbean, who previously faced various hurdles along the way due to the lack of economic and technical support.

For further information or assistance, contact:

Phone: +1 876 632 5134
Email: enquiries.caribbean@bransoncentre.org