The Idea: How It All Started
Like all great ideas in Vanuatu, this one started with a shell of kava and a good storian. One evening, as we sat around the kava bowl, the conversation turned to how other countries showcase their entrepreneurs. Someone mentioned Shark Tank in the U.S., and that’s when inspiration struck—why not create our own version, one that truly reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of Vanuatu?
The name Canoe Race was not just chosen at random. In Vanuatu, the canoe has long been more than just a mode of transport—it is a symbol of trade, connection, and survival between our islands. At the heart of this name is the belief that success in business is much like a canoe race—it requires strategy, endurance, teamwork, and the ability to navigate unpredictable waters. This became the foundation of the show’s concept: a reality competition where participants take on business challenges that test their skills in real-world scenarios, proving that true entrepreneurs, like skilled navigators, must always be ready to adapt, push forward, and ride the waves of opportunity.

The Role of V-Lab in Bringing the Idea to Life
At V-Lab, we’ve always believed that innovation and entrepreneurship are at the heart of Vanuatu’s growth. When the idea for Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur first came up, we knew this was something special—something we wanted to be a part of. As an incubator dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in Vanuatu, it felt like a perfect fit to help bring this vision to life.
This project did not happen overnight. In fact, it has been in the works for over four years. Along the way, we had countless conversations, brainstorming sessions, and plans that evolved into a low-budget trailer featuring entrepreneurs from a 2021 V-Lab program. We posted the trailer on social media to test the waters and see if the public was just as excited as we were—and to start pitching the idea to potential partners.
Once we had the green light and enough funding in place, we used our extensive network of business experts, mentors, and industry leaders to help us structure the competition in a way that reflected the real-life challenges entrepreneurs’ face in Vanuatu. The challenges themselves were designed to push contestants in all the ways that matter in business—problem solving, creativity, innovation, and marketing. And while they’re entertaining to watch, these challenges also keep it real. They demand the adaptability, resourcefulness, and resilience that are at the heart of any entrepreneurial journey.
However, the magic did not stop there. Working on this project also became a hands-on learning experience for everyone involved, especially the VBTC production crew. Director Paul Vunituraga from Fiji came on board, bringing with him years of experience and helping the VBTC team gain invaluable knowledge in producing high-quality reality television. It was a true capacity-building exercise for both the contestants and the crew—everyone walked away with skills and experiences they will carry with them moving forward.

Partnering with VBTC: Taking the Vision to Television
A big step in making this dream a reality was securing a partnership with the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC). As the national broadcaster, VBTC brought the reach and expertise we needed to take Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur to a national level.
When we pitched the idea to VBTC, they immediately saw its potential—not just as a reality competition, but also as a platform that would promote entrepreneurship and celebrate the unique culture of Vanuatu. They understood that this was not just another reality competition; it was an opportunity to showcase the unique spirit of Vanuatu’s entrepreneurs to the world.
This partnership was a game-changer for us. VBTC offered the technical support, broadcasting platform, and promotional power that ensured Canoe Race would have a real impact. However, it did not stop there. One of the biggest contributors to the success of the show was the involvement of Paul Vunituraga, a talented director from Fiji. Paul brought his wealth of experience in reality TV to the table, leading a dedicated team of five VBTC crewmembers, as well as an editor and sound engineer, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes on each episode. Thanks to Paul’s guidance and the crew’s hard work, we were able to turn our vision into a high-quality show that we are all incredibly proud of.

It Takes a Village: The Partners Who Brought Canoe Race to Life 
Bringing a project of this scale to life was no small feat. We had the vision, the passion, and the determination—but we also knew that to make Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur a reality, we needed strong financial backing and the right partners who shared our belief in supporting entrepreneurship in Vanuatu.
That is where our incredible sponsors and supporters stepped in. Each of them did not just provide funding—they became part of the journey, contributing their expertise, resources, and even actively participating in the challenges to ensure the show was as impactful as possible.
• DFAT (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade): With their commitment to fostering business development and innovation in the Pacific, DFAT saw the potential in Canoe Race and helped fund key aspects of production, making it possible for the show to reach a wide audience.
• Reserve Bank of Vanuatu (RBV): Financial literacy is a crucial skill for any entrepreneur, and RBV recognized how this show could be a powerful tool to educate and inspire. 
• MFAT (New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade): Sharing a similar vision as DFAT, MFAT came on board to help expand the reach and impact of the show, ensuring more people across the Pacific could be inspired by the stories and lessons from our contestants.
• Vodafone Vanuatu: More than just a sponsor, Vodafone truly integrated into the competition. Not only did they provide communication support and reach, but they also played a hands-on role by lending phones to contestants for the marketing challenge, pushing them to think creatively about digital promotion.
• Vanuatu Ferry: They were not just funders; they were active partners, even integrating their Noanoa soap product into the challenges.
• Calorite Graphic Printers: Calorite provided high-quality printing services for the show. Their support includes printing branded materials such as banners, backdrop sets and promotional materials. Their contribution ensures that the show has a strong visual identity, reinforcing its professional look and making it more engaging for both contestants and audiences.

Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur – From Kava Talk to Reality
What started as a casual kava conversation has turned into something much bigger. With the support of VBTC, and our incredible sponsors, Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur is now a full-scale reality show, shining a spotlight on Vanuatu’s boldest business minds.
From fashion and music to eco-friendly packaging, our nine contestants are proving that entrepreneurship in Vanuatu is diverse and dynamic. With three expert judges and two dedicated coaches guiding them, each challenge pushes their creativity, decision-making, and resilience—just like in real business.
Filming has taken us to several locations, adding depth and richness to the show. While some segments are shot in the VBTC studio, many challenges take place in various outdoor locations, capturing the essence of Vanuatu’s vibrant entrepreneurial landscape. The premiere of the first episode was a spectacular event, held at Fatumaru Bay, Port Vila under the open sky, bringing the community together to witness the launch of something truly special. In the coming weeks, we will be taking the show even further—visiting four different communities to screen the episodes and ensure that Canoe Race reaches and inspires as many people as possible.

Looking Ahead
As Canoe Race: The Ultimate Entrepreneur unfolds; we cannot wait to see the impact it will have. This show is more than just a competition—it is a movement, a celebration of Vanuatu’s entrepreneurial spirit, and a platform that encourages innovation, resilience, and growth.
Moreover, this is just the beginning. We are already dreaming of Season 2, Season 3, and beyond. Even more exciting, we hope to see other countries in the region take on this concept and create their own versions.
Our biggest hope? That this show inspires people to take that first step—because anyone can become an entrepreneur if they have the passion, the commitment, and the courage to chase their dreams.

​In developing countries, the concept of capacity development has long been seen as a critical element of any sustainable growth and advancement process.

Capacity development refers to the process through which individuals, organizations, and societies strengthen, and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time. This process encompasses enhancing skills, improving institutional structures, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.

For businesses and community organizations in developing countries, capacity development is not merely a theoretical construct but a practical necessity. It is the engine that drives innovation, efficiency, and resilience, enabling entities to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global economy. In the business sector, capacity development translates into improved management practices, better financial planning, enhanced product quality, and stronger customer relations. These improvements are critical for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are often the backbone of local economies but frequently lack access to the resources and knowledge required for growth.
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Community organizations, on the other hand, rely on capacity development to build robust structures that can effectively address local challenges. Whether it's a non-governmental organization (NGO) working on health initiatives, an educational institution striving to improve literacy rates, or a community cooperative aiming to boost agricultural productivity, the enhancement of organizational capacities is vital. It ensures these entities can operate efficiently, mobilize resources, engage stakeholders, and sustain their impact over the long term

​Capacity development is at the heart of V-Lab’s action and approach and everything we do is ultimately about capacity development. This approach is not only reflected in the way we support our beneficiaries, but also in the manner we recruit and build our team.

 1. Developing the capacities of our beneficiaries
​Whether V-Lab supports business men and women or local organizations, our approach is similar and stems from the recognition that building sustainable businesses or organizations takes a lot of time, energy and resources.
With that in mind, V-Lab has always favored quality Vs. quantity. Concretely, this means that V-Lab only runs intensive support programs that span over long period of times. With the exception of our nakamals programs which offer short and targeted learning cycles, all our programs extend over period of 6 to 12 months.  
V-Lab also recognizes the importance of adopting an “all inclusive” support approach under which the people and organizations we support benefit from a comprehensive package of support that includes, as a minimum training, personalized coaching and access to our network. Most of our programs also include financial support. It is only by combining these forms of support that we feel we can make a real and sustainable change in the lives of the people we support. 

2. Developing the capacities of our team
​Capacity development is also at the heart of our approach to build the best team in Vanuatu and in the entire Pacific region.

This starts with employing young Ni-Vanuatu graduates from the University with little or no experience in the different functions and role required in a charitable association (incl. communication, administration, finance, project management, etc.). When V-Lab recruit staff, we do not look at their experience. Only at their motivation and potential !

As a consequence of this, the average age of V-Lab employees is 27. Once onboarded, these young employees are then systematically trained and mentored by their peers to become rapidly, after a few months only, highly skilled professionals capable of successfully implementing the various tasks and responsibilities that are assigned to them.
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The same goes with our team of coaches and trainers. V-Lab now has a team of 15 coaches and trainers, all Ni-Vanuatu men and women with experience in running businesses who have all been extensively trained, by Chris Elphick from Breadfruit consulting in particular, to become successful business coaches. 3 of these coaches are now fully accredited with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) while the rest of the team is now going through the accreditation process. A first in the entire Pacific region !

The importance of capacity development should not be underestimated, as it fosters an environment where continuous improvement and innovation can flourish. By empowering individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge, capacity development creates a ripple effect that stimulates economic growth, social cohesion, and improved quality of life. ​

​On 11th and 12th of December last year, the Vanuatu Innovation and Digital Economy Association (IDEA) organized a 2-day visit in Port-Vila of a high-level delegation from New Caledonia which was led by Hon. Vaimua Muliava, member of the New Caledonian Government in charge notably of innovation on this territory. The objectives of this visit were to share experience and lessons learned between the two islands on how best to promote and support innovation on their respective territories as well as to enhance the cooperation between key actors of the two nations. The New Caledonian delegation included innovative entrepreneurs, and representatives from various organizations involved in innovation, such as French Tech, New Caledonian University, business incubators and Clubs (Adecal, Open NC, Initiative NC, NCT&I, Pépite NC).
According to Vanuatu IDEA’s President, Marc Gérard, “The reason why we invited such an important and high level delegation is that New Caledonia successfully implemented a strategy to support entrepreneurship and innovation those last 10 years. Vanuatu stakeholders wanted to understand the key success factors, and to start collaborating with those motivated and experienced Caledonian partners”.
This event provided an opportunity for many organizations and entrepreneurs from both Vanuatu and NC to showcase their innovative products and services. These included: mobile payment solutions (Vodafone’s m-vatu) geo spatial case studies (INIGHT NC), use of Artificial Intelligence (APID), connected bee hives (La Case du Miel), marketplaces (Salem Nomo), E-commerce programs (PIFS). But innovation in not necessarily about Tech, it can focus on social or environmental impact, as showcased by v-Lab, Engineers without borders (washing machine without electricity), Piloblong (local production of pillows), Arbotech (layering), Catamarine (bamboo boats), and Yelden Empowerment (mediation). Besides, Burnet Institute presented its activities in the Health sector, as an illustration of Research’s role in innovation.

​The “Social Impact Incubator” Program will follow the social change actors who will be working on the ground to improve the lives of more people in their communities through initiatives in health, sanitation, waste management, youth, and women empowerment.

Ms. Eslyn Aru who is involved in transforming coco-based products said, “I am looking forward to the commencement of training and I believe that there is so much I will learn in this program.” Ms. Aru empowers women in her community by encouraging them to create more local products.

​Another successful participant who runs a non-profit organization focusing on awareness and prevention of Cervical and Breast Cancer Mr. Max Albert said, “This is such a unique opportunity for me to grow my organization. Through this program, I hope to develop my managerial skills and be able to connect with a wide range of partners who will help me to reach out to as many people as possible.”
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Their contributions in the development of countries should therefore not be underestimated, particularly in times of crises such as the COVID one.’’ ​

UNDP is supporting the development of the Social Impact Incubator program. UNDP’s Inclusive Growth Deputy Team Leader Mr. Patrick Tuimalealiifano said, “For a sustainable future and to accelerate progress towards the Global SDGs, it is very important that development partners and decision makers invest in unlocking the potential of our youth as leaders and as innovators, especially in social entrepreneurship.”

The 20 ‘Champions of Change’ were identified through a selection process undertaken by V-Lab and UNDP following a call of application that was released in March.

About V-LAB Association: V-Lab has been created to support innovation and social entrepreneurship in Vanuatu and seeks to provide access to facilities, services and mentoring to young entrepreneurs - with a view to help them develop and grow their businesses and ideas as well as to promote entrepreneurship in the country.
About UNDP: UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. The UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji provides country and regional support to 15 countries in the Pacific, as part of the 177-country office UNDP network and offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.pacific.undp.org

For more information, please contact:
Emma Hivo from V-Lab [email protected]
Rita Tamton, Programme Management and Monitoring Support, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji.
E: [email protected]

Everything that V-lab has been doing for the last 2 years aligns with one vision, and that is to develop the local's capacity. From creating and launching projects to training participants to mentoring coaches; Our style of teaching and getting information across is through a mixture of training and coaching - Which we believe we are the only association that is doing this in Vanuatu. 

So far we have around 11 local In-training coaches. Our method of choosing a potential coach does not stem from the idea that they are a good person or has done a lot of great things, but is more to do with their business background. One thing that if not all, but most of our coaches have in common is that they are involved in business and management. Either they are managing a business, running one, or both. V-Lab is confident in its team and has created balance in terms of age and gender, with its coaches possessing numerous hard-skills, including but not limited to :

• Financial skills,
• Marketing and Management skills 
• Agricultural skills
• Customer service and 
• Leadership, Team-work and strategic planning.

When interviewing an in-training coach, Joel David, he summarizes his experience with a quote,
"Our goal as business coaches is to empower entrepreneurs in a way where they can move by themselves and be confident in their own ability and journey."​

Moving Forward.
2021 was all about getting the team to feel like a team. Lots of team bonding activities, including a retreat which was held in December. The objective behind the retreat was to engage the team in discussions to reflect on what we have achieved together so far and what more we can do to be better in delivering our services and providing only the best for our incubees.