The fifth edition of the ATECH conference was held on October 30 and October 31^st at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. The event was organized by the ATECH Foundation which focuses on promoting, stimulating & cultivating innovation in Aruba. In cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, the Aruba Tourist Board, and the Central Bank of Aruba, the event was included in the program of the Immerse Innovation week and the Island Takeover Festival.

This year the conference consisted of startup pitch competitions, interesting workshops, keynote speeches, panel discussions, and a tech expo. Attendees could participate in workshops that covered topics such as Entrepreneurship for all, Personal Development, the key to successful innovation, the art of cultural contemporary art, co-creating innovation & culture, and financial inclusion through digital payments. The workshops were provided by local and international experts from Canada, the United States, Colombia, and Curaçao.

The keynote speeches focused on the Future of Sales, the Future of Startups, the Future of Youth, a case study on Medellin (Colombia) and Germany on co-creation and innovation, the future of tech with Ubertrends, the future of innovative spaces, the future of lifestyle design and the future of arts and culture. The panel discussions focused on the future, mainly how to use technology and innovation to co-create and co-work together.

The startups competing this year were Playhouse Entertainment, AfroLatino Travel, QT-Data In, You di Tera Tours & Transfers, The Hurd Co., Estudio Gaia, and Yodarta. The 3 startups who made it to the finals were The Hurd Co from the United States offering a new sustainable concept making fabric from agricultural waste , Estudio Gaia from Puerto Rico offering a solution to generate renewable energy and Playhouse Entertainment from Aruba offering a solution to preserve native languages around the world starting with “Papiamentu” by using an interactive learning program for kids. Playhouse Entertainment from Aruba was the ultimate winner of the competition.

Imagine the Dutch Caribbean Block uniting to organize events like this showcasing the achievements of each island nation, learning from our failures and learn to co-create and co-work for the benefit of our communities. At the Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange, we can only applaud events like this and a few others that prove to us that working together delivers better results. And it inspires us to continue our path to seek strategic partners in the Dutch Caribbean, and work together with the regulators, the private and public sector in order to create prosperity and business opportunities.