When the UberSoca Cruise touched down on St. Thomas Wednesday, one passenger arrived with a mission that stretched far beyond the music and the revelry. Trinidad and Tobago entrepreneur Amina Blake-Foreman, founder of the virtual staffing firm Vibe Connections, stepped off the ship carrying the momentum of a recent business-pitch win — and a much bigger vision for how Caribbean talent can connect to global work without leaving home.
Blake-Foreman earned her spot on board after winning this year’s CBN x UberSoca business pitch competition in Brooklyn, where she convinced a panel of judges that her company’s model — sourcing, training, and placing Trinidad and Tobago professionals in U.S.-based remote jobs — offered a clear, scalable solution. The prize included more than $12,000 in cash and promotional support, along with a balcony cabin on the seven-night UberSoca voyage.
Her victory, highlighted in Newsday and The Trinidad & Tobago Guardian, underscored what she says many in the region already know: the Caribbean has no shortage of skilled workers, only a shortage of accessible pathways. Vibe Connections has placed more than 140 professionals since launching, generating an estimated generating an estimated US$2.2 million for the Trinidad’s economy — numbers that helped Blake-Foreman stand out during the competition.
But the cruise has offered something different: room for real conversations. Between Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, and St. Thomas, Blake-Foreman has found herself in the company of fellow entrepreneurs, policymakers, and creatives — a mix of people all thinking about the region’s future in one way or another.
“Remote work is a lifeline for a lot of Caribbean families,” she said during one of the informal sessions aboard the ship. “The question is how we build the systems around it so people can thrive at home and still have access to global opportunities.”
Those systems, she argues, include more than job placement. Vibe Connections helps employees secure computers through a soft-loan program, supports youth sports in Trinidad, and contributes to food programs in Africa and Sierra Leone. The company’s next steps include expanding its training bootcamp to Grenada and continuing conversations with Trinidad’s Ministry of Labor about developing a workplace HIV/AIDS policy suited for remote environments — potentially a first for the region.
Blake-Foreman’s own path — from selling spices as a child in Trinidad to managing teams in U.S. real estate before launching her company — threads through all of it. Her story isn’t framed as a personal triumph as much as evidence that the region can build the digital workforce it needs, if the right bridges are in place.
By the time the UberSoca Cruise docked in St. Thomas, the energy on board had shifted from celebration to possibility. Blake-Foreman met with several potential partners while in port, treating each stop as its own case study in regional opportunity.
“This week isn’t about the prize cruise anymore,” she said as passengers disembarked. “It’s about using this platform to move the conversation forward — how we keep our people rooted in their culture, but connected to the world.”
And, as the ship continues on toward Grenada, her message remains steady: Caribbean talent has always been global. The next chapter is making sure the opportunities are, too, she said.
St. Croix Source
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