[Photo: FILE]

A Fijian startup has earned the opportunity to represent the country at the Startup World Cup global finals in Silicon Valley, United States.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, MSMEs and Communications Manoa Kamikamica revealed this in Parliament, highlighting the growing opportunities for local entrepreneurs through the Fiji Innovation Hub.

Kamikamica says eight startups participated in Fiji’s inaugural Startup World Cup competition in May, with the winning team securing a place on the international stage.

The DPM says the Innovation Hub is also supporting nine promising startups through mentorship, technical assistance and business development programs.

“Eight startups competed for the opportunity to showcase their innovations on the international stage. The first runner-up secured a place at the Asia Regional Finals in Hong Kong this past September, while the winning team earned the opportunity to represent Fiji at the global finals in Silicon Valley this week.”

However, Opposition MP Premila Kumar questioned the funding arrangements and annual operating costs of the initiative.

Kamikamica says the Hub receives financial support from the Reserve Bank of Fiji, development partners including Australia and New Zealand, and the Ministry.

“In fact, it costs a couple of million to run a year, and that’s the way we’ve structured it at the moment. Obviously, we’ll need to make it sustainable. Hopefully, with the success of some of the digital innovations, some of that can be plowed back to sort of self-fund the tech Hub going forward.”

Kamikamica says the initiative is expected to help young Fijians turn innovative ideas into viable businesses. The Fiji Innovation Hub was established in July last year to support entrepreneurship, digital innovation and business growth.