Tech entrepreneur to speak at VC conference in March

Tech entrepreneur and founder of HopStop.com Chinedu Echeruo is the keynote presenter at the Development Bank of Jamaica's (DBJ) third Venture Capital Conference, scheduled for March 7-9, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew.

Echeruo has a rich and successful career as an entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Gigameet.com, a cause-based fundraising and networking platform. Prior to starting Gigameet, Echeruo founded two highly successful United States (US)-based Internet companies - Tripology.com, sold to Rand McNally, and now owned by USA Today; and HopStop.com, a website and mobile app for mass-transit routing used in 100 cities throughout the United States and Europe, which was sold to Apple. Echeruo was named USA's Black Enterprise Magazine's 'Small Business Innovator of the Year' and was listed in that magazine's Top 40 under 40.

Prior to his entrepreneurial journey, Echeruo, a graduate of Harvard Business School, was with AM Investment Partners, a US$500-million volatility-driven convertible bond-arbitrage hedge fund. He was also employed to the Mergers and Acquisitions and Leverage Finance group of JP Morgan Chase, where he was involved in a broad range of mergers and acquisitions, financing, and private-equity transactions.

CONTENT-RICH AGENDA

"The DBJ is pleased to be bringing Mr Echeruo to Jamaica to share his vast experience with us. Participants attending the conference will have the opportunity to hear, first-hand, his journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur and during the 'fireside chat', get to the story behind the man," confirmed Audrey Richards, project coordinator, Jamaica Venture Capital (VC) Programme.

"Our extensive agenda is content rich and is focused on engaging, informing, and furthering the discussion on this new and exciting industry of venture capital," said Richards.

Planned around the theme 'The Power of Smart Capital ... Expanding the Financial Landscape, Fuelling Innovation, Driving Entrepreneurship', the event is a 'must-attend' for investors, fund managers, bankers, financial advisers and intermediaries, business owners, entrepreneurs, and policymakers within the private and public sectors.

The official opening takes place on Monday, March 7, while VC Conference Day, which will feature keynote presentations, plenaries, roundtable discussions, and a fireside chat, as well as networking sessions, will be on Tuesday, March 8. Wednesday, March 9, has been set aside for a highly interactive and engaging workshop targeting small-business owners and entrepreneurs.