What does real innovation actually look like in emerging markets, and who does it actually benefit? In this episode of the Innovation Brief, host Gabriella G. Hernandez sits down with Sébastien Célestine, a leading Caribbean entrepreneur and investor who has spent two decades building companies and innovation ecosystems across the Caribbean, West Africa, Europe, and the United States. Sébastien is chairman and co-founder of Entrepreneurs of Greatness (EOG), a community wealth-building venture studio driving inclusive entrepreneurship across the Greater Caribbean and West Africa, and he serves as the Caribbean ambassador for Seedstars. His journey began at 16 with his first startup in Guadeloupe, then took him to co-found ALL MOL Technology, one of Guadeloupe's pioneering tech companies, before he set out to build an alternative to the extractive economic models he saw holding back entrepreneurs across the region. In this conversation, Sébastien breaks down what separates genuine innovation from "innovation washing," why the Caribbean functions as a strategic testing lab for solutions that can scale to West Africa's much larger markets, and how EOG's new accelerator and $15M fund are structured to keep wealth inside the communities where it's created. He also gets candid about AI's extractive tendencies in the West, why execution and distribution matter more than having the best product, and the burnout and hard-won humility behind building across a dozen jurisdictions at once. In this episode: What innovation really means, and why "innovation washing" is the new greenwashingBuilding EOG as a community wealth-building venture studio for the Caribbean and West AfricaInside EOG's agri-business accelerator: a three-phase model from idea stage to $300K investmentThe CaribEquity Facility and closing the region's early-stage investor gapWhy the Caribbean's small size and administrative diversity make it a strategic testing lab for West AfricaWhy execution, partners, and distribution matter more than having the best productHow AI is being built extractively in the West, and why that's different in AsiaThe reputation economy behind ecosystem-building, and the diaspora's role as a bridge between the global north and global southLessons on burnout, priorities, and letting go of founder hubrisIf you're an entrepreneur, investor, or ecosystem builder working in emerging markets, or part of the Caribbean or African diaspora looking for a way to plug in, this episode is for you. 🌐 Learn more about Entrepreneurs of Greatness 🌐 Connect with Sébastien on LinkedIn Contact Us Thanks for tuning in to the Innovation Brief, the podcast by Metta for the people building, funding, and governing innovation - inside corporates, governments, and ecosystems across the globe. Bi-weekly conversations with the leaders shaping the future. Find out more: Website: https://www.innovationbrief.co Email: hello@innovationbrief.co Follow us on social media: Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-brief/ Subscribe on Substack: https://innovationbrief.substack.com/ The Innovation Brief is produced by Metta. Metta focuses on research into innovation & entrepreneurship, programme design and delivery, and ecosystem building for more sustainable and resilient futures. Learn more about Metta: https://www.metta.partners Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mettatalks/ Follow us on Instagram: ht...
