Is the VI Really a Tech Community?

Are we really a tech community in the Virgin Islands? That’s the question we should be asking ourselves. Sure, we’ve got the University of the Virgin Islands and the UVI Research and Technology Park, which are fantastic assets on paper. But if we look around, we have to admit that a lot of local businesses still treat technology as a nice-to-have instead of a must-have.

And here’s why: the big players in our economy, whether it’s WAPA, Viya/OneCommunications, our banks, or the government itself, haven’t really pushed the envelope much beyond basic contact forms and online payments. We’re still not seeing seamless online transactions in the same way you’d expect if you were stateside. And if the biggest entities that touch every single Virgin Islander aren’t leading the charge, how can we expect our smaller businesses to step up and modernize?

It’s not just a lack of incentive, it’s a lack of access. We don’t have the luxury of tapping into all the same tools that mainland businesses take for granted, for example Squarespace, Stripe, or Cash App for easy payments. Even a lot of our banks haven’t embraced Zelle for quick transfers. So before we call ourselves a tech hub, we need to ask if we’re really ready to invest in becoming one.

Now, this isn’t a knock on where we are, it’s a call to action. We have the talent and the institutions to make it happen, but we need to push the envelope and create an environment where tech adoption is the norm, not the exception. Let’s challenge ourselves to be the tech community we talk about becoming.