The Deltec Initiatives Foundation is pleased to announce that the winner of the Deltec Young Entrepreneurs Award 2022 is Lakeisha A. Rolle, founder of The Financial Academy.
The judges of the Deltec Initiatives for Young Entrepreneurs (DIYE) were thoroughly impressed with Lakeisha’s business vision built around social responsibility. All competing entrepreneurs were comprehensively judged based on Ten (10) categories: Innovation and Technology, Branding and Communication, Business Growth and Sustainability, Human Capital and Productivity, Social Responsibility and Ethics, Service Excellence, and Entrepreneurial Journey.
Lakeisha’s brainchild, The Financial Academy, was established in 2019 to foster financial education in The Bahamas, so young Bahamians learn how to manage safely their future. The Financial Academy offers a series of products and services to support this mission, and is a registered program with The National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of the Bahamas (NAECOB).
The Academy offers:
- Personalized Saving Kits & Savings Jars, Financial Wisdom Coloring Books with Parent Lesson Guides, Webinars and Workshops for Children ages 8 – 12.
- Personal Finance Starter Kits, Financial Tips & Tricks Guides and Cash Organizers, Webinars and Workshops for teens (Ages 13 – 17):
- Personal Financial Management Guides, Simple Saving Strategies Guides and Aggressive Saving Strategies Guides, Financial Consultations, Webinars and Workshops. For Young Adults ages 18 – 30.
On February 25th 2022, six finalists attended the Deltec Young Entrepreneurs Award competition. Bernique J. Pople of ‘Taste Da Flava’ Homemade Ice-cream; Evita A. Carey of Lioness Sushi On The Go; Kemron Lamm of Off The Grid Light & Solar Services; Arnese Bain-Roxbury of Gourmet Seafood House and Rayeisa Basden of Body Bahama presented their business to Mr. Jean Chalopin (Deltec’s Chairman); Mr. Anthony Ferguson (President and Founder, CFAL); Ms. Rhonda McDeigan-Eldridge, CPA, CA (Founder and Impactioneer of Harness All Possibilities); Ms. Margaret Rosenfeld (Chief Strategy and Legal Officer of Deltec International Group); and Mr. Jean-Louis van Der Velde (CEO of Bitfinex).
Each finalist delivered a 5-minute business pitch during which they presented their personal/entrepreneurial background, business model, areas of differentiation, and goals, next steps and needs. Each pitch was followed by a 10 minutes Q&A, for the Deltec Initiative’s judges to ask questions and gain greater insight on the entrepreneurs, their businesses, and their goals.
Ms. Rolle expressed she was ‘delighted and honored’ to receive the Deltec Young Entrepreneurs Award and to be recognized as an “outstanding Bahamian Entrepreneur that goes above and beyond to achieve higher levels of success”. She is looking forward to using the wealth of knowledge she has gained from the program to further develop her outreach.
Along with being the recipient of a $10,000 grant into The Financial Academy, Lakeisha was offered to receive the continuous support and mentorship from two of the judges. “As the CEO and Founder of The Financial Academy, I am excited to embark on this new journey as an ambassador for the DIYE program and I look forward to working with the team as we continue to expand business operations, raise a generation of financially literate citizens and encourage persons to make choices that add value to their financial futures.”
Solely led and operated by volunteers among Deltec’s staff, the Deltec Initiative for Young Entrepreneurs worked with Bahamian emerging entrepreneurs to support them with the development of their business ideas and enterprises. The Deltec Initiatives foundation is strongly committed to support young talents in The Bahamas in Entrepreneurship, the Arts and Education, to help them go above and beyond and achieve a higher level of success.
Pictured are members of the DIYE team, Chairman Robert Turnquest and team member Shanecia Rolle, and the 2022 Deltec Young Entrepreneur Award recipient, Lakeisha A. Rolle, (centre) founder of The Financial Academy.
About The Deltec Initiatives Foundation
The aim of the Deltec Initiatives Foundation is to foster an environment that empowers young Bahamians to drive positive social impact through the power of the arts, entrepreneurship, and education.
The Deltec Initiatives Foundation is fully funded by Deltec Bank & Trust Limited. It is managed and operated by a group of dedicated volunteers from amongst the Deltec staff, giving generously of their time and efforts toward helping others.
