A major new technology initiative, Future Caribbean, has officially launched a global buildathon aimed at catalyzing the next generation of Caribbean-born technology companies. The initiative will invite 40 selected teams from the Caribbean and across the globe to build practical Agentic AI systems designed to strengthen the region’s economy and its connections to global markets.
Participants will compete for a share of $70,000 USD in prizes—which includes a $50,000 cash pool and $20,000 in AI deployment machines from Other World Computing (OWC). The competition will culminate in a Caribbean Investor Showcase and an exclusive investor demonstration pitch day at the New York Stock Exchange in September 2026.
The buildathon centers around a 21-day sprint where the 40 chosen teams will develop always-on AI systems using open-source frameworks like OpenClaw. Highrise AI and Impala AI will provide all participating teams with access to powerful NVIDIA H200-Class GPU compute for the duration of the event.
Innovators will build solutions across ten distinct opportunity tracks aligned with the Caribbean’s most vital sectors, including Climate Risk & Disaster Coordination, Ocean Systems & Blue Economy, Tourism & Transportation, Food Systems & Supply Chains, and Finance.
The Caribbean is one of the world’s great opportunity regions,” said Lily Dash, Founder of Future Caribbean and Co-Founder of ACTAI Advisors. “The Caribbean should not watch this transformation happen — it should help shape it. Future Caribbean exists to give builders from across the Caribbean and around the world a place to build systems that strengthen the oxygen lines within the region and between the region and global markets”.
The Caribbean represents a $700 billion regional economy with a population of approximately 45 million people and a thriving tourism industry that welcomes 35 million visitors annually. Despite its sprawling geography across over 30 countries and territories, regional leaders believe AI can create new “federated cooperation”.
Bill Tai, Chairman of ACTAI Global and early investor in Zoom and Canva, emphasized the unique timing of the event: “Agentic AI is creating the biggest wave of opportunity we’ve seen in decades, giving small teams a level of leverage that was previously unimaginable. The Future Caribbean Buildathon is placing the region directly in the path of that wave”.
Developed in collaboration with founding partners IDB Invest, ACTAI Advisors, and ACTAI Global, the initiative was formally unveiled during IDB Invest Sustainability Week 2026 in Barbados.
The program boasts an impressive roster of advisors, judges, and mentors spanning organizations such as the World Bank, Intel AI Cloud, and the World Food Programme. Brian Bogart, Director of the World Food Programme Caribbean Multi-Country Office, noted that AI and predictive analytics could dramatically shift approaches to food security and disaster preparedness in climate-vulnerable island states.
“By bringing together entrepreneurs, technology leaders, investors, institutions and development partners, the initiative creates new opportunities for talent, ideas and technologies to move from concept to deployment and scale,” said Leonardo Mazzei, Principal ESG Officer at IDB Invest.
Beyond the prize money and the New York Stock Exchange pitch day, winning teams will secure direct exposure to regional capital markets, family offices, and corporate partners. Select teams will also receive placement in the Cayman Enterprise City Accelerator Programme and a DMZ Soft Landing North American Market Entry Scholarship. Teams will importantly retain full ownership of all intellectual property created during the competition.
Applications are currently open at FutureCaribbean.com and will close on July 3, 2026. The 21-day builder sprint will run from July 17 to August 7, 2026, with the final winners announced publicly on September 1, 2026.