By Jonathan Joel Mentor | @jonathanjmentor
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Santo Domingo held its press conference at Phyex with the usual flair: packed speaker lists, media tours, and sponsors prominently acknowledged. Yet for all the celebration of metrics, one couldn’t help but notice what was missing.
The Missing Metrics
Entrepreneurship is measured by tangible impact—jobs created, policies reformed, startups launched, capital raised, innovation seeded. None of these appeared in the presentations. Instead, GEW highlighted the number of speakers and size of media coverage as “achievements,” as if headcount equals progress.
This is part of a growing trend: ecosystems more focused on cocktail parties and photo ops than GDP contribution or venture outcomes. For many “uninvited founders,” the advice has become clear—stop auditioning for panels and build without permission.
Influencers Over Innovation
One slide proudly showcased the reach of GEW’s influencers: 3.7 million followers on TikTok, 4.5 million on Instagram, and 1.4 million on YouTube. Impressive numbers—but what do they mean for entrepreneurs trying to access financing, cut through bureaucracy, or scale a startup? When follower counts are presented as KPIs for entrepreneurship, it feels less like ecosystem building and more like a campaign rollout.
Policy Voices in the Room
Jorge Guillermo Morales Paulino and Glory Núñez from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MICM) were among the few to admit reality: the financial sector isn’t doing enough, and urgent policy reform is needed to reduce barriers. That candor stood out. Yet even here, the opportunity was missed to detail what new policy frameworks are in play—or whether the state intends to confront the very bureaucracy suffocating entrepreneurs.
Academia With Receipts
INTEC’s contribution was different. They pointed to an alumni network that has produced leaders in multiple industries—a genuine “receipt” in a room full of optics. But the lingering question remains: how many of these leaders stayed in the Dominican Republic to found startups, and how many took their skills abroad where conditions are more favorable?
The Skewed Agenda
Another slide broke down event categories:
- Health & Wellness (31%)
- Entrepreneurship 101 (25%)
- Social Media & Influencers (13%)
- Fintech & Insurance Tech (12%)
- AI & Automation (8%)
- E-commerce (4%)
- Circular Economy & Sustainability (2%)
- Government & Regulation (2%)
- Tourism & Gastronomy (2%)
The tilt is clear: beginner content and influencer culture dominate, while fintech, AI, policy, and sustainability—the very areas that could transform the economy—are sidelined.
Private-Led, Public-Supported
One voice in the room cut through the noise. Rudy Ganna, founder of Phyex noted bluntly: “If you’re waiting for the government to fix entrepreneurship, you’re in the wrong country and the wrong business.” He’s right. Innovation comes from private-led, public-supported effort—not government-led initiatives. This is not Cuba. I wrote an entire article on this sentiment: Governments Don’t Grow Startups, Innovation Does.
The Diaspora Gap
As an invited columnist for Dominican Today and CEO of Successment, an advisory that works with startups across the region, I see a recurring blind spot. Talented Dominicans abroad and digital nomads with proven track records arrive ready to invest knowledge, networks, and capital—yet here they are too often seen as outsiders. Ignoring this bridge is more than a missed opportunity. It’s a structural weakness in national strategy.
A Path Forward
The answer isn’t to cast the diaspora or nomads as saviors, but to recognize them as partners. At Successment, we’ve seen the difference when global experience is integrated into local ecosystems: co-investment frameworks, advisory roles in incubators, and open policy tables where diaspora expertise can inform regulation. None of this requires hype; it requires political will and institutional design.
The Bottom Line
GEW Santo Domingo reflected growing enthusiasm for entrepreneurship but fell short of answering the questions that matter:
- Where is the measurable impact?
- What policy reforms are being advanced?
- How will the Dominican Republic integrate diaspora and global partners not as guests, but as co-builders of the future economy?
Until GEW pivots from followers to founders, and from press tours to policy frameworks, the story will remain more about optics than outcomes.
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Jonathan Joel Mentor is the CEO of Successment and architect of the Provoke Visibility™ campaign, scaling startups and challenging institutions to evolve. UN World Summit Award nominee. www.jonathanjmentor.co
