Pioneering Caribbean tech entrepreneur makes history
An inspirational Caribbean entrepreneur is his island’s first resident to secure venture capital investment and sell a tech start-up. Javier Galloway, who hails from the small island of St Kitts & Nevis, invented an innovative software platform, Nuwaay, which allows guests to review food and drink items.
In addition, he’s has supported local charities with their fundraising efforts by hosting foodie events - and has collaborated with Simon on the Streets, Cash for Kids, and Mums in Need.
Moreover, he has helped students from Leeds Beckett University by giving them access to the expanding Yorkshire technology ecosystem.
Javier comments: “I’ve been extremely lucky to raise some funds and sell my start-up. In fact, I’m the first person from my island to do so. I intend to use this insight to help and grow my country's venture capital ecosystem and stock market in the future. I’m now looking for like-minded businesspeople and investors to share my enthusiasm and keep an eye out for the vast potential of my future projects and the caribbean.”
“Whilst St Kitts & Nevis is an extremely beautiful place and I was lucky to grow up there, the market is small and the venture capital ecosystem is primitive. I knew I had to move away to follow my dreams. I had connections with Sheffield from my student days, and like many Kittitians also had ancestral roots in the city of Leeds stemming from the Windrush generation so decided that Yorkshire was the ideal location to launch my start-up.”
Javier received a major boost for his business by participating in two prestigious accelerator programmes in the UK and US, Exchange at Department in Leeds, and Draper University in Silicon Valley.
These programmes provided him with a skill set of building, developing, fundraising and growing his ambitious tech start-up. As an alumni of these accelerator programs he was able to tap into the talent, infrastructure, and amenities they offered.
Javier, who graduated in Business & Financial Management from Sheffield Hallam University in 2021, devised the concept for his pioneering product Nuwaay whilst on a road trip across Europe.
He says: “I’ve always believed that “Food Connects Humanity” and used this mantra as a source of inspiration for Nuwaay.
“When I was travelling across Europe, I realised there was an absence of reliable and dedicated platforms which would allow me to share and compare my food experiences with others worldwide, so I decided to devise one myself!
“Nuwaay is a social network platform which allows people to introduce its community to new cultures, review restaurants and recommend menus. Recommendations and reviews are made using the platform’s unique rating system. Restaurateurs can also register and access the website to gain valuable insight from customers’ reviews, for example supply chain optimisation and stock ordering requirements.”
He adds: “The product was created to create an environment where local restaurants, caterers, and chefs are given real-time feedback about the intricacies of their culinary creations. These culinary experiences shared on a globally accessible platform will also give potential guests and visitors the ability to “eat with their eyes” before experiencing the actual taste of the dishes.
"The product stands out from other review platforms as it allows patrons to review each culinary creation at a restaurant with a greater degree of personalisation. Having now sold the business, I am excited to follow the future of the hospitality industry, with new technology positively shaping it.”