From One Question to a Global Mission
For more than a decade, Invest Caribbean has reshaped the conversation around Caribbean investment — from convening global leaders to connecting businesses with institutional capital.
What started as a single investment breakfast has grown into a platform connecting governments, developers, entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions across the Caribbean and beyond. Today, that same mission continues through AI Capital Exchange, helping businesses prepare for institutional debt capital and connect with vetted global lenders.
It Started With One Question
When Felicia Persaud proposed adding an investment forum to Caribbean Week in New York, the response was simple: "You do it." So she did.
In June 2011, Invest Caribbean hosted the first-ever investment breakfast as part of Caribbean Week in New York at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Many Fortune 500 companies declined sponsorships and speaker invitations, insisting the Caribbean was "too small" to attract serious investment. Persaud believed otherwise.
Through persistence, partnerships and a clear vision, the inaugural event brought together investors, business leaders and Caribbean government officials for a conversation that had never before taken place during Caribbean Week — planting the seeds for what would become a regional movement.
Thinking Bigger
The inaugural event proved there was interest. The next challenge was proving the Caribbean belonged on the global investment stage. Invest Caribbean returned to New York with expanded international participation, new sponsors and an even bigger vision.
"Let's build an entrepreneurial paradise in paradise."
— Sir Richard Branson, accepting the inaugural Invest Caribbean Leadership Award
His message reinforced what Invest Caribbean had already begun demonstrating — that the Caribbean deserved a seat at the global investment table.
Building an International Platform
Each year the platform grew larger. The conversations became more international. What began as a single breakfast evolved into multi-day investment conferences featuring Caribbean Heads of Government, Tourism and Finance Ministers, U.S. State Department officials, Chinese investors, Royal Caribbean International, World Bank representatives, OPIC, and global entrepreneurs.
At the Yale Club in New York, then-Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing addressed delegates, and a Chinese delegation met with Royal Caribbean's leadership. Royal Caribbean Cruises Int. received the 2013 ICN Leadership Award.
The World Comes to the Table
At the Harvard Club in New York, Invest Caribbean brought together voices reflecting how far the platform had grown: OPIC and Richard Branson's Carbon War Room on climate resilience, a Merrill Lynch–led panel spanning China, Russia, the USA and the Caribbean, and a World Bank session on regional development.
Sandals Founder & Chairman the late Gordon "Butch" Stewart received ICN's 2014 Leadership Award, and One Caribbean Television interviewed founder Felicia J. Persaud on the platform's momentum. By this point, Invest Caribbean had established itself as one of the region's leading investment dialogue platforms.
Taking Invest Caribbean Into the Caribbean
In 2015, Invest Caribbean expanded beyond New York for the first time. Partnering with French Saint Martin, the organization hosted one of the island's largest investment conferences, bringing together Chinese investors, international business leaders and government officials to explore opportunities in tourism, infrastructure and economic development.
The mission had grown beyond New York. It had become a regional platform connecting the Caribbean with global opportunity.
Then the Market Changed
After years of organizing successful investment conferences, something unexpected happened. Clients stopped asking Invest Caribbean to organize events. Instead, they began asking for help raising capital.
Invest Caribbean listened. The conferences had accomplished their purpose — they'd demonstrated that global interest in Caribbean investment was real. But the market wanted something more valuable than another conference. It wanted capital.
Rather than expanding a conference business, Invest Caribbean evolved into a capital advisory business — shifting its focus from conversations to execution: helping governments, developers and entrepreneurs prepare for institutional financing while connecting qualified projects with lenders and investors.
The mission never changed. Only the method did.
A Technology-Enabled Capital Platform
Today, Invest Caribbean helps governments, developers and businesses prepare for institutional debt financing, while AI Capital Exchange uses artificial intelligence to improve capital readiness and connect qualified borrowers with vetted global lenders. What began as a conference has evolved into a technology-enabled capital platform. The mission remains exactly the same: connecting the Caribbean to global capital.
Milestones
Whether you're a government, developer, entrepreneur or growing business, we're ready to help.
"The Caribbean was never too small. It simply needed someone willing to keep building until the world paid attention."