In the early 2010s, Dale Trotman was an entrepreneur-in-waiting in search of an idea. With a degree in travel and tourism, he worked for the Finance Ministry in Barbados.
But Trotman wanted to make a difference, rather than be “just an employee,” he says. When he learned about the 2013 Caribbean Innovation Challenge, he methodically researched different sectors in need of innovation. Eventually, Trotman focused on health care, as it was still based on paper records and manual recording in Barbados.
He started to develop a suite of mobile applications for health-care workers designed to help them record, store and share patient information in a digital form. The apps, called MedRegis, are used from the check-in process to check-out. His mother helped finance the startup by selling some land.
Trotman talked to numerous health-care professionals to make the apps as helpful and efficient as possible. Based on their feedback, he changed the prototype significantly. He also benefited from networking with other budding entrepreneurs and a mentor from Silicon Valley in California.
As MedRegis created a buzz in the Barbadian health-care community, he was able to sign up four medical centers for a pilot project, including Sandy Crest Medical Centre and Coverley Medical Centre.
“Being a pioneer of health tech within the Caribbean provides personal gratification,” he said. “This fuels my entrepreneurial spirit.”
Trotman was selected to attend the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley.
