Outliers Zone was selected as one of the 17 finalist of the Caribbean Innovation Competition (CIC), in the XIV Edition of the Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas (TIC Americas 2019). The local financial wellness institution, which provides financial growth training for employees and entrepreneurs, was selected among 5,106 registered teams in the current edition of the programme.
The TIC Americas 2019 finals took place in the city of Medellin, Colombia, during the period June 24 – 26, 2019, as part of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Outliers Zone was the sole finalist from Guyana and embraced a project centered around “Ending the Paycheck to Paycheck Life: Helping women and girls take control of their financial future.” Mrs. Athalyah Yisrael, Founder of Outliers Zone, pitched the project aimed at accessing funding to enable women to double their income, via online training, so more women and girls can access it to lead better lives.
“Being among the only two finalists shortlisted from the Caribbean from 5,106 projects was surreal,” said Yisrael, in an invited comment. “To represent Guyana and the Caribbean in Colombia was a memorable experience. I had the opportunity to introduce Guyana and my solution to ending paycheck-to-paycheck living to Government and technical representatives from the USA, Canada, Colombia, PepsiCo and the Young Americas Business Trust and it was well received. It was a joy to introduce Guyana through our innovative solution to ending the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle to countries, some of which have never heard of Guyana.”
She also encouraged young entrepreneurs to use their skills and businesses to put Guyana on the map to enable the country to be known for innovation and development. Following the event, she noted, “Young people are not the future but they are the present, we have to equip them with the skills to build a brighter.”
The Caribbean Innovation Competition required applicants to submit a Project Plan which included: Executive Summary, Innovation, Market Feasibility, Management and Organizational Structure and Financial Feasibility, Business Model Canvas, Prototype Validation Of Online Presence and a Promotional Video in January 2019. The finalists were announced on May 1 and these teams were awarded with a scholarship to participate in the TIC Americas 2019 finals. This scholarship included an all-expenses paid trip to Medellin Colombia to present their project.
A few local companies and individuals including: Quality Plus Fast Foods, Product Development Consultancy (PDC), Genesis Fitness Gym, Metro office and computer supplies, Intellect Storm, Gumdac, Social Rank Media and Mr Hodayah Stewart, contributed to Yisreal being fully prepared to represent Guyana.
Of the two finalist from the Caribbean, PanJam –A virtual reality steel pan company of Trinidad and Tobago emerged the winner and received US$ 5,000 to implement their project.
Outliers Zone continues to embrace its mission to help individuals and companies provide financial wellness training for their employees to help them end the living paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and start a sound financial base. Since its launch, Outliers Zone has helped over 1,100 employees end their paycheck-to -paycheck lifestyle and taught over 1,000 primary and secondary students how to get Money Smart so they can avoid becoming paycheck-to-paycheck adults.
