Impact entrepreneurship in the Caribbean: breaking through the glass ceiling through spin-offs
Creating and developing an impactful project in the Caribbean is a demanding undertaking. It is demanding intellectually, humanly, and strategically. And yet, many committed entrepreneurs make the same observation: innovation sometimes struggles to be recognized where it originates.
This reality, often summed up by the expression " no one is a prophet in their own land," deserves to be analyzed with clarity, not to complain, but to better understand the mechanisms at work and adapt one's strategy.
The article in brief
- In the Caribbean, impact innovation often faces rigid frameworks and a weak risk culture.
- The "glass ceiling" is most evident in silences, delays, and vague decisions.
- Rather than fighting, the challenge is to structure: method, impact, governance, economic model.
- Spin-offs are a lever for autonomy: securing your model and expanding beyond the local area.
Impact entrepreneurship in overseas territories: obstacles, realities, and specificities
Overseas territories are lands of innovation. They face major challenges—social, ecological, digital, health, and economic—that call for new, hybrid, and agile solutions.
However, carrying out an innovative project with an impact in these areas often involves dealing with:
- institutional frameworks that are sometimes (often) rigid,
- a limited risk culture,
- difficulty recognizing local expertise when it deviates from the usual formats.
This paradox is well known: projects are deemed necessary, but perceived as "too advanced," "too complex," or "not standardized enough."
The territorial glass ceiling: how it manifests itself in practice
The glass ceiling is not always visible. It does not take the form of explicit rejection, but rather:
- extended delays,
- institutional silences,
- changes in contacts,
- unexplained arbitrations,
- contradictory injunctions.
In reality, many people with innovative projects come up against a simple fact: innovation upsets the existing balance, and every system naturally resists change.
When you are a female entrepreneur, you are involved in a hybrid project (social and solidarity economy, digital technology, health, training, third places), and you are operating on an island, these obstacles can add up.
Want to structure your project so that it can be replicated? Let's discuss it together!
Institutional barriers: understanding the obstacles and responding to them
Sometimes high-impact projects are subject to excessive scrutiny, suspicion, or disproportionate criticism, while other more conventional initiatives move forward without difficulty.
These situations should not be interpreted solely as personal attacks. They are often a symptom of:
- a gap between innovation and the administrative framework,
- difficulty in evaluating cross-functional projects,
- or a fear of losing control over new dynamics.
So the real question is not "why me? " but rather: how can a project be structured so that it can withstand, adapt, and move forward despite these obstacles?
Spin-off strategy: breaking free from dependence on the local ecosystem
This is where a key strategic lever comes into play: spin-offs.
Thinking about expansion from the moment a project is conceived does not mean abandoning your home territory. On the contrary, it means:
- secure your model,
- break free from excessive dependence on a single ecosystem,
- enhance its credibility,
- and empower the project leader.
A project designed to be replicable is a more robust project.
Spin-offs require:
- formalize one's method,
- document its impacts,
- clarify its governance,
- structure its business model,
- and engage in dialogue with a variety of partners, beyond the local level.
Community, social and solidarity economy organization, third place: would you like to implement a program in your area? Contact me!
Structuring your project: transforming field experience into a replicable method
It is this conviction that has guided my entrepreneurial journey.
Since the creation of the Up and Space Martinique third place in 2016, followed by MAÂT XPERIENCES in 2017, I have chosen to transform my field experience into structured engineering.
Over the years:
- creation and management of third places,
- structuring of regional digital inclusion hubs,
- territorial diagnostics and mapping,
- QUALIOPI-certified professional training,
- projects for integration, digital health, and now responsible AI,
One guiding principle has emerged: a project that lasts is one that can be passed on, expanded, and adapted.
Why does spin-offs strengthen the autonomy and credibility of an impact project?
Thinking about spin-offs allows you to:
- to scale up without diluting,
- secure financing,
- to engage in dialogue with national and international stakeholders,
- to break free from local power struggles,
- and restore meaning to entrepreneurial commitment.
It's also a way of saying:
" My project is useful here, but it doesn't depend solely on this place to exist."
Impact entrepreneurs in overseas territories: my advice for staying the course
Peggy RAVIN, president of Maât Xperiences in Rivière-Salée
Entrepreneurship with impact in overseas territories requires clarity, resilience, and a genuine strategy.
But it is also a tremendous opportunity: the opportunity to create innovative, well-established, reproducible models that can inspire far beyond their territory of origin.
The glass ceiling exists. It is not inevitable.
The key is not to fight head-on, but to structure intelligently. To transform experience into method. And to think, from the outset, of expansion as an act of entrepreneurial sovereignty.
Impact entrepreneurs in overseas territories: tips for staying the course
Want to go further?
At MAÂT XPERIENCES, we support project leaders, local authorities, and social economy organizations in designing, structuring, and implementing impactful projects, integrating issues such as spin-offs, digital innovation, and responsible AI from the outset.
Let's talk about your project!
