Mita Carriman, a Caribbean-American entrepreneur and attorney from New York and a proud citizen of Grenada by descent, recently co-launched Caribbean Venture Collective (CVC), a new global initiative helping tech startups with ties to the Caribbean access the support they need to scale big.
CVC launched on 25 March 2025 and is already gaining momentum in the global tech scene.
Caribbean Venture Collective offers a founder fellowship and private network designed to increase visibility and access to capital for founders of Caribbean descent building tech startups in any vertical, and founders of any nationality/heritage who are building startups in one of eight impact verticals that can positively benefit the people or prosperity of the Caribbean.
Carriman, originally from NY, co-launched Caribbean Venture Collective alongside Daniel Smith, originally from Trinidad. The two met during their time last fall at Techstars — one of the most competitive tech accelerators in the world, and bonded over their shared experience as Caribbean diaspora founders. Smith is the founder of Keepingly, a platform that helps homeowners manage, maintain and grow the value of their home, while Carriman is the founder of Adventurely, a marketplace to discover and book coworking day passes from hospitality spaces around the world.
During Techstars, they spoke often about wanting to find a network supporting Founders like them with heritage from the Caribbean and building for venture scale. The more they talked about it, the more they realised an opportunity to create one that fully embodies their vision.
“For too long, Caribbean entrepreneurs with world-changing ideas have struggled to break through — not because they lacked vision, but because they lacked venture-backed support,” said Smith. “Caribbean Venture Collective is here to change that.”
“As a Caribbean-American founder, I always felt there was an opportunity to leverage the collective power of the diaspora to fuel a new wave of innovation,” said Carriman. “Caribbean Venture Collective hopes to unite our global strength into tangible opportunities for founders.”
Carriman had a chance to visit Grenada most recently over the New Year and left deeply inspired to pursue CVC’s launch. She spent most of her time in Grand Anse, with a meaningful visit to St Andrew, where her father was from. He passed away in Miami in 2020.
“My January trip to Grenada was incredibly special. I reconnected with my Grenadian roots and honoured my father’s memory in the place where his story began. I left Grenada with so much pride over the beauty of our island and people. I also left Grenada with a firm knowing that it was the right decision to launch Caribbean Venture Collective. I know my father would be proud,” said Carriman.
Caribbean Venture Collective’s flagship equity-free Founder Fellowship will be selecting 12 outstanding early-stage startup founders. The fellowship is 100% virtual and offers mentorship, community, and access to investor introductions through CVC’s private network.
Applications for the Caribbean Venture Collective inaugural Founder Fellowship are open now through 16 June 2025. Interested founders can learn more and apply at caribbeanventurecollective.com.
Good luck, you’ll showly need it.