The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce awarded $3 million in prizes at the end of the MSME Masters Business Pitch Competition on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, to two outstanding Jamaican businesses in the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises subsector.

The contest was held during the ministry’s MSME Linkages Day, hosted at the University of Technology, Jamaica’s auditorium. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness delivered the keynote address at the event under the theme, ‘Accelerating MSME Wealth Creation through increased Exports, Linkages, Business Development Support and Access to Financing’.

MSME Linkages Day served as the culmination of Phases 1 and 2 of the MSME Business Roadshow, a national initiative in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Since inception in 2023, the roadshow has engaged over 2,000 MSME businesses across Jamaica through direct support, training and funding.

So far, through the initiative’s pitch competitions, the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce has awarded a grand total of $20.6 million in cash prizes to 64 MSMEs, supporting the Government’s commitment to economic empowerment businesses in that subsector.

“Linkages are how small businesses become big businesses. Today’s MSME Linkages Day connects entrepreneurs to the capital, training, services and partnerships they need to grow,” Senator Aubyn Hill, the minister of industry, investment and commerce, commented.

The ministry further demonstrated its commitment to MSME business growth by awarding targeted one-off business support during the event. The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) provided $1 million in grant services to fifty MSMEs, allowing them access to testing, packaging, labelling, nutritional analysis and other vital certification services. The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) also issued $10,000 vouchers each to twenty MSMEs to support their capacity-building efforts, while the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) awarded scholarships to fifteen MSMEs to pursue the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Distance Learning Programme – a key step in strengthening IP literacy for export readiness.

STEM Builders Learning Hub, founded and owned by Kavelle Hylton, emerged a pitch winner from the St Ann Business Roadshow, and taking home a cash prize of J$2 million while the runner-up position went to Kiddist and Jerome Cowan, owners of Jessie’s Gifts & Décor, who received J$1 million.

MSME Pitch Day highlighted financial empowerment and investment readiness, including a presentation from the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) on the benefits and requirements for MSME businesses to list on the soon-to-be-established Micro Market. The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) also outlined its $2 billion in funding support to MSMEs and gave further details about their new policy of allowing loan fees to be rolled into the principal – removing a major barrier for small businesses.

A panel featuring DBJ, EXIM Bank, and the Jamaica Bankers Association (JBA) highlighted accessible financial products designed to help MSME businesses grow.

MSMEs were guided on the wide range of export support services available through MIIC and its agencies, including JAMPRO, Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), the Trade Board Limited, Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) and others, as well as key services offered by international courier providers. These sessions were designed to equip MSMEs with the tools, knowledge, and partnerships necessary to enter new markets and expand their operations globally.

MSME Linkages Day was held in partnership with IDB and sponsored by Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), Heart/NSTA Trust, BSJ, JBDC, JIPO and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).