Dr. Balvin Thorpe (left), Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, University of Technology, Jamaica, presents students, Keira Uter of the School of Building and Land Management and Jocade Hudson of the School of Business Administration with the symbolic cheque valued at $500,000 for placing first in the 2026 Sagicor Innovation Challenge competition. The finals of the competition were hosted by UTech, Jamaica in partnership with Sagicor on April 21 at the AC Hotel, Kingston.
DataBridge, an AI-powered document automation platform designed by a UTech, Jamaica student group to eliminate manual data entry across Caribbean industries, has been named winner of the 2026 Sagicor Innovation Challenge following a standout final pitch presentation at the AC Hotel Kingston on April 21, 2026. The winning group – Team Connective of Keira Uter of the School of Building and Land Management and Jocade Hudson of the School of Business Administration impressed judges with their innovative, business-ready solution, walking away with the grand prize of JMD $500,000. The student’s respective faculties will also receive $50,000 each to pursue an innovative project.
DataBridge tackles a major inefficiency across industries such as banking, insurance, and government, where employees often spend hours manually re-entering data from PDFs and forms. DataBridge automates this process by extracting key information, routing documents to the appropriate personnel, and providing managers with real-time visibility into workflows, ultimately reducing errors, saving time, and improving operational efficiency.
Now in its sixth year, the Sagicor Innovation Challenge, hosted by UTech, Jamaica in collaboration with Sagicor Group Jamaica, continues to be a flagship programme for student entrepreneurship. The competition guides participants through a structured process that includes workshops, prototype development, and business validation, culminating in a final pitch to industry experts.
Students are encouraged to develop practical, tech-driven solutions across sectors such as healthcare, finance, education, agriculture, and public safety, often incorporating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. This year’s Sagicor Innovation Challenge began on February 12, 2026. After rigorous workshops, prototype development, and business validation, ten teams delivered fast-paced elevator pitches in the first round of the finals. Following this round, four teams were selected as finalists and were invited to present a second, more detailed investment pitch to the panel of judges.
Speaking at the finals of the competition, Dr. Kevin Brown, President, UTech, Jamaica, described it as “a platform for students to share their creativity.” Dr. Brown commended Sagicor Group Jamaica for its continued investment in student innovation through the Sagicor Innovation Lab established at UTech, Ja in 2019 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and renewed in 2025 for a further three years, deepening the collaboration. He also commended Mr. Ray-St Michael Williams, Director, Sagicor Innovation Lab, for actively engaging students in developing innovative solutions.
Dr. Brown emphasized the readiness and potential of the students, noting that while the JMD $500,000 prize is appealing, the real objective is long-term impact. “We expect you to use [the cash] to expand on your idea, to develop it ultimately into a business,” he stated, adding that the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) located at the University’s Papine campus provides a pathway for continued growth and incubation.
He also emphasized the need for greater investment in education and innovation, while calling on the private sector to play a more active role in supporting student development.
Mrs. Opal Donaldson, Vice President, Data, Privacy & Analytics at Sagicor Group Jamaica, acknowledged the strength of the collaboration, noting “what started as a shared vision has evolved into a dynamic platform that is shaping the future of innovation in Jamaica.”
Highlighting Sagicor’s continued investment in innovation through the Sagicor UTech Innovation Lab, she stated, “Sagicor has invested more than $125 million to date. Today, we continue that commitment with an investment of approximately 25 million annually, ensuring that the lab remains a space where innovation, mentorship and research can thrive.”
Emphasizing the tangible outcomes of this investment, she noted that “Through the Innovation Lab, we have moved beyond ideas on paper to real, tangible outcomes. We’ve seen students transition into professional roles, research evolve into practical solutions, and innovation take shape in ways that directly impact how we serve our clients and communities.”
The day’s programme featured a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kevin Brown (left), President, UTech, Jamaica, exploring the topic, “How can Jamaica make Agricultural Traceability accessible to Farmers nationally by 2027?” Panellists from left are Mrs. Jannielle Haughton James, Business Banker, Sagicor Group Jamaica, Mr. Stanford Graham, Acting Head, School of Computing and Information Technology, Dr. Lisa Facey-Shaw, Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT) and Mr. Fitzroy Beckford, Marketing Officer, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).
Judges of the finals were Dr. Lisa Facey-Shaw, Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT), Mr. Standford Graham, Acting Head, SCIT, Mrs. Opal Donaldson, Vice President, Data, Privacy & Analytics, Sagicor Group Jamaica, Mr. Philip Bond, Manager, Disbursement Operations, Sagicor Group Jamaica and Mrs. Vanessa Williams, Vice President, Business Optimization and Systems Control, Sagicor Group Jamaica.
Second Place Winners
Dr. Lisa Facey-Shaw (left), Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT), UTech, Jamaica, presents second place team members, SurPath with their symbolic cheque valued at J$250,000 at the 2026 Sagicor Innovation Challenge finals held at the AC Hotel on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Beaming are Jamar Plummer Rianna Henningham, students of the School of Computing and Information Technology. The team pitched their idea for an innovation to establish Jamaica’s first parish-level climate risk intelligence platform with plans to scale across the Caribbean. Using advanced simulation models and real-world disaster data, SurPath helps financial institutions and government agencies in Jamaica assess and manage climate-related risks.
Third Place Winners
Team Nexus Innovation consisting of student Innovators Denisher Barker (right), School of Business Administration and Gabriele Russell (centre), Caribbean School of Nursing proudly accept their symbolic cheque and trophies from Mrs. Opal Donaldson, Vice President, Data, Privacy & Analytics, Sagicor Group Jamaica for placing third place at the 2026 Sagicor Innovation Challenge finals held at the AC Hotel on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Their solution is an AI-powered insurance claims management platform that streamlines document analysis, detects potential fraud, and accelerates processing across multiple insurance categories, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
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Contact:
Michelle Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
University of Technology, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 970-5299
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm
