The third edition of the Youth Economy Agency’s Youth Investment Forum was held at Harbor Club on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, bringing together over 100 young entrepreneurs across different sectors, including agri-business, creative industries, digital services, food and beverage, beauty, and wellness. Representatives from government agencies, investors, and business partners were also present, providing the perfect environment for sharing, networking, and exploring new opportunities.
This year’s YEA Youth Investment Forum was held under the theme, “Brand Power: Positioning Youth Enterprises for Visibility, Value, and Investment”.
First hosted in November 2023, the YEA Youth Investment Forum was designed to be a bridge connecting young entrepreneurs to potential investors, mentors, financial partners, and to the broader ecosystem that transforms ideas into sustainable enterprises. This year’s Forum was further strengthened with a focus on branding, visibility, and value creation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, H.E. Nicole Su, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, said the Taiwan Embassy was pleased to continue supporting the Youth Economy Agency once more in organizing the Forum. She noted that the Forum is a platform where the brightest young minds, innovative entrepreneurs and key partners gather to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and explore business and investment opportunities for sustainable growth.
Ambassador Su recalled that in November this year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, the Taiwan Embassy hosted the 18th edition of the Saint Lucia-Taiwan Partnership Trade Show. Over three days, around 2,500 people visited the trade show, where 90 companies participated, including 65 local entrepreneurs.
“Those companies were there to showcase the very best of their products and their innovation and creativity; furthermore, they were there to use that platform to further explore the trade and partnership opportunities,” Ambassador Su said. “That is entrepreneurship, full of ambition and energy. I saw it with my own eyes, and I agree fully that there is plenty potential if we can further empower and invest in these talents.”
Ambassador Su said Taiwan shares the same commitment with Saint Lucia in empowering the youth, and acknowledged the importance of equipping young entrepreneurs with practical tools and access to markets. In addition to the Forum, she said the Taiwan Embassy has partnered with the YEA to launch numerous initiatives, including the e-Commerce Marketplace Platform, which facilitates young talents to expand their visibility and access opportunities in the consumer market with the digital tools.
Mrs. Sophia Alfay-Henry, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, acknowledged that for many entrepreneurs, the road is not always an easy one. She said entrepreneurs often find themselves single-handedly carrying the vision, managing operations, producing, leading sales, doing their own marketing, and troubleshooting every inevitable challenge along the journey.
“The hard truth is that your business can only grow as much as you do, and one of the greatest investments you can make as an aspiring entrepreneur is the investment in yourself and developing your personal brand,” Alfay-Henry told participants.
She advised the participants that sound leadership and strategic decision-making begin with a strong, grounded, clear and self-aware entrepreneur. She told them that they become more formidable when they carefully carve out a mindset that sees opportunities in challenges, and when they invest in sharpening their business acumen, market insight skills, and emotional intelligence. This investment, she noted, ultimately redounds to the overall health of their business.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas Leonce, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Youth Economy Agency, said this year’s Forum was a testament to what the YEA has always believed: that with the right support, exposure, and investment, Saint Lucian youth are fully capable of building enterprises that can stand proudly on regional and international stages.
“The Youth Economy Agency’s mandate is deeply rooted in the conviction that youth entrepreneurship is not a side story in national development; it is central to it,” he explained. “Every training session delivered, every grant awarded, every loan facilitated, and every piece of technical support provided is grounded in YEA’s mission to empower young people to pursue enterprise as a genuine and valuable career pathway.”
Leonce thanked YEA’s partners, especially the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan), for supporting the YEA’s programmes that help young entrepreneurs register their businesses, strengthen their financial literacy, refine their products and services, help them and access market opportunities.
Following the opening ceremony, presentations were made by Mr. Octavian Charles, CEO of Invest Saint Lucia, and Ms. Ava Beckles, co-founder of Beckles & Regis Consultancy. A panel discussion – the Legal Hour — followed focusing on “Legal Foundations for Business Success & Investment Readiness”, and featured attorneys-at-law Mr. Thaddeus M. Antoine, Ms. Thalassa Cox, Mr. Thomas Theobalds, and Ms. Tianah Foster.
Following the lunch break, British entrepreneur Daniel Ashville Louisy presented on “Building Your Brand & Leveraging Digital Technology for Business”, followed by presentations by Mr. Omar Burch Smith (“Unlocking the Power of Capital: The Case for New Forms of Financing”) and Mr. Shaiiede Kallicharran, General Manager (Ag.) of BOSL Fund Management Company Ltd.
The final panel discussion on the day focused on “Future Forward: Reimagining the Caribbean Narrative”, and featured panelists Ms. Cindy Jn. Baptiste, Country Manager at PROVEN Bank (Saint Lucia) Ltd., Mr. Omar Burch Smith, UTC Fund Management Services STL Limited, Regional Collective Investment Scheme Manager, Mr. Raphael Saul, International Motivational Speaker, Business Consultant, PROSCI Certified Change Management Practitioner and Attorney-at-Law, and Mr. Wamil Kendall, Managing Director of WORK Digital Media.