On October 25 the Caribbean’s “hottest tech conference,” ATECH, will return to Aruba along with some of the world’s most talented speakers, investors, and startups.
“Building momentum year after year, we’ve brought together world-class founders, visionary investors and change-makers from all over the world to Aruba.”
Against the backdrop of the island’s emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem and an Aruban government busy with tech-oriented initiatives, the ATECH Conference will discuss the future of tech, investing in startups, personal growth, and digital marketing.
With esteemed presenters and a Startup Pitch Competition offering a grand prize of $10,000, the event will showcase the latest and greatest trends in the tech industry.
The annual Startup Pitch Competition will showcase the most promising technology startups that will drive the future of economic development, travel, education, logistics, finance, health, sustainability, government, security, and data.
Read More: Caribbean Startup Competition 2017: ATECH still taking applications for Aruba event
The ATECH Conference was born in 2015 through the efforts of the ATECH Foundation’s founding members. These include Varelie Croes, who earlier this year was appointed as Aruba’s Chief Innovation Officer, and Tristan Every, Co-Founder of Co.lab, a co-working space for local startups, entrepreneurs, and creatives.
Varelie Croes
“Building momentum year after year, we’ve brought together world-class founders, visionary investors and change-makers from all over the world to Aruba,” said Croes.
“When people first hear our story they are intrigued by what we are building here, but it is not until they spend a few days in paradise surrounded by like-minded peers that they realize there’s something special here. The disruptive-tech-meets-happy-island-vibe surely is unbeatable, but the spirit of resilience and openness of our entrepreneurs is the real draw,” she added.
The fourth edition of Aruba’s ATECH Conference will take place at the Renaissance Convention Center on October 25. Having built a reputation since its 2015 inauguration, the conference will gather some of the world’s most talented speakers, investors, startups, and professionals, inviting them to partake in discussions revolving around this year’s very timely theme of “Identity.”
“ATECH continues to help Aruba’s promising tech scene grow”
Justin Halsall (IBM, Developer Advocate), John Henry Matos (Harlem Capital Partners, Partner), Chanel Frazier (CF Empowerment Group), Adam ‘Smiley’ Poswolsky (Millennial Workplace Expert), Melissa Gonzalez (The Lion’esque Group, Founder)
“By bringing in fresh ideas, and offering a venue to introduce the island’s innovative ideas to the world, ATECH continues to help Aruba’s promising tech scene grow,” said ATECH President Every.
Tristan Every
“And it now serves as the go-to resource for the island’s entrepreneurs – offering everyone invited a chance to reset, connect, and play,” he added.
ATECH is a member of the global tech community F6S and collaborates with Rockstart, Start-Up Chile, and Citi Tech 4 Integrity.
Its founders have also, from the beginning, prioritized involving the local community in the innovation of Aruba’s nascent tech scene.
“We started ATECH because we identified a big gap in Aruba’s innovation ecosystem and we wanted to do something about it. The platform has since evolved from grassroots advocacy into a key stakeholder in the Caribbean ecosystem. This did not happen by chance. Our entire volunteer-based team pulled their weight. We rolled up our sleeves and made sure our voices were heard,” said Croes, who now leads the Aruba government’s ambition to be a leading example for sustainable island solutions and a test bed for disruptive technology.
“Having this hands-on experience with a bottom-up initiative has really helped me understand the process of change, which is especially complex in smaller communities,” she added.
