by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): “For me, it’s being a part of the change that I want to see,” Mr Enoete Inanga on the pitch that landed him the position of St. Kitts-Nevis National representative in the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) 2021 and moving on to the Caribbean regional finals happening on Sunday, July 25
In an interview with WINN, he explained what the EWC is saying, “I’m going to be very honest with you and say that I don’t know much beyond knowing that it is an opportunity for entrepreneurs from all over the world to get a chance to make a difference and share their pitches, share their stories for a chance to win a lot of money or partnerships or networking opportunities.”
A friend suggested he enter the competition. Although he admitted that he was not one to enter those types of competitions, he decided to apply on the final night (May 31) before the application process was closed.
Inanga recounted a portion of his journey to becoming one of the three finalists for the national competition.
“I was tired. I wasn’t really feeling too jovial… Mentally, I just wasn’t where I needed to be, and so you know what, if I fill this application and submit it, I will feel better about how I feel just [knowing] that I’ve actually done something. I did it, and I forgot about it… This past Friday (July 9), they said [you’ve been selected as a finalist]… That was what catapulted me into this state of anxiety. I have to prepare now. I have to refine my pitch. I have to do more research about what this entails. I have to see what the winning prizes are… half a million dollars… [there are] very many reasons to want to do well.”
EWC is a global pitch competition geared towards allowing entrepreneurs to win life-changing monetary prizes but also helps to elevate entrepreneurs from all stages — idea-stage, early-stage, growth-stage, or beyond — by providing them with tools and resources to grow their venture, according to their website.
The programme offers a chance to pitch on a global stage for a share of US$1 million in cash prizes plus additional investment opportunities and another US$750,000 in support.
Mr Inanga aims to earn himself one of the top prizes with his social media platform, Bestimony, the most positive social media platform we never knew we needed, as described by him.
“For me, it is the most positive social media platform we never knew we needed. And I keep saying that because we don’t even seem to know that this is what we need until I point it out… when we receive things that are positive on our phones on WhatsApp [they] make us feel good… what if you wanted to revisit those messages? What if you wanted to relive that moment? It’s not easy on all of these other platforms. They get lost with everything else that comes on your phone… There is no platform in the world [dedicated to] only positive interactions between people… there’s a lot of value in knowing where to go when you feel low. Especially if it’s stuff that’s curated for you by the people who care about you and we [Bestimony] help you with that process [using] big data, artificial intelligence for the greater sake of good.”
The app is right in line with the “Only Good News” man himself, who on the WINN FM show focuses on the best news currently in circulation.
Bestimony got its start as a part of a much bigger platform that Inanga scaled back on for now.
“[In] 2013 I had a [much bigger plan, for a bigger platform.]… I started drafting it out and writing it out, and life kind of happened. People were telling me this is good, but it’s too big, it’s going to fail. And I was like no, it’s going to work, [ and their response was] it’s too much, [it] is not going to work. And I’m happy that life happened, and I got put on the backburner. But, one of those things that I wanted to do on that platform was the [create the] ability to say nice things to other people while they’re still alive. So that, at that time, it was more or less like a living eulogy; from a branding perspective, it’s awful, but the thought process behind it was [good]… that was on the back burner until 2019. I was like, hold on, E, [I] think you have something here, why don’t you expand on this? So I started to look for a name… I kept looking and then looked for Bestimony [in terms of the domain name] for GoDaddy… Bestimony wasn’t taken, So I bought Bestimony… because it was just analogous to the word testimony, a lot more relatable and it looked better.”
So what is next for Mr Inanga?
With a little over a week to prepare for the regional finals, he is committed to more sleepless nights, refining and checking out the regional competition to make the best pitch he can and hopefully move into the global finals in Saudi Arabia come November 2021.
For Bestimony?
“As it pertains to Bestimony, I am looking for funding; I am looking for investors [to propel it to the next level]. I’m a team of one… I need to build out that team globally. Talented, dedicated people [who] feel strongly about the need for this to be done; I’m not looking for people who want to make money. I want people who want to make a difference… So, this competition is going to provide me with [the] opportunity to do just that by virtue of either winning outright or connecting me with more people globally. I like my chances,” expressed Inanga.
To support the local entrepreneur, “the most positive social media platform” is available for download in the Apple and Android app stores.
You can also show your support by checking out the Caribbean Regional Finals on Sunday, July 25.
Listen to the full interview with Mr Inanga here:
And click here to watch Inanga’s presentation at the Entrepreneurship World Cup Caribbean – St. Kitts & Nevis National Finals:
