NEW YORK, Nov 14, CMC – A Barbadian venture developing artificial intelligence technology to help manage electricity grids has won first place in a regional and international AI Buildathon hosted by Future Caribbean.
Caribbean Grid AI, founded by Barbadian Andrew Narine, took the top prize at the competition, which brought together about 450 participants from 39 countries to develop technology-based solutions for industries including energy, healthcare, agriculture and disaster response.
Neptune Energetics, founded by Simon Neptune of Trinidad and Tobago, placed second, while Mirra Call, led by Canadian occupational therapist Brenda Luo, finished third.
The winners were announced on Thursday during an investor showcase broadcast live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Caribbean Grid AI is developing a platform that uses climate data, renewable energy forecasting and artificial intelligence to help electricity providers make decisions about storing and distributing power.
The technology is intended to help utilities manage electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind, while improving the coordination of energy storage and supply.
Narine said the team had undertaken forecasting assessments following requests from Barbados Light & Power and was seeking a pilot project with the utility.
Neptune Energetics is developing technology to convert waste heat from power plants and data centres into electricity.
Its system combines specialised equipment with artificial intelligence to determine how recovered energy could be used by the facility or supplied to the electricity grid.
The company reported demonstrations with prospective industry partners and a non-binding letter of intent for a possible deployment in Tobago.
Third-place winner Mirra Call is developing a smart mirror that uses augmented reality and artificial intelligence to guide people through rehabilitation exercises and self-care at home.
The technology is designed to provide patients with support between therapy appointments, while allowing clinicians and caregivers to access relevant information about their progress.
The company has conducted early testing with organisations in Alberta, Canada, and is seeking pilot partners in the Caribbean.
The showcase also recognised SG Nature Intelligence with an Ocean Prize for its use of artificial intelligence to assess evidence for ecological restoration projects, including those involving wetlands and seagrass.
Harvest received a special award for its work in agricultural supply chains and food systems.
Other ventures presented solutions involving cross-border payments, financing for small businesses, healthcare, disaster response, tourism and real estate.
The programme was hosted by Future Caribbean founder Lily Dash and included contributions from Jamaica’s Finance Minister Fayval Williams and venture capitalist Bill Tai.
The top three winners shared a prize package that included US$50,000 in cash and US$20,000 in artificial intelligence deployment hardware provided by Other World Computing.
Future Caribbean said the next phase of the programme, in partnership with ACTAI Advisors, would focus on helping the ventures secure customers, investment, strategic partnerships and opportunities to deploy their technologies.
The organisation describes itself as an innovation engine and venture studio developing artificial intelligence companies for Caribbean and international markets.
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