UTech, Jamaica Student Innovator Angel Pinnock’s ‘Gully Guard’ Wins Sagicor Innovation Challenge 2025

Professor Sean Thorpe, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, presents Angel Pinnock, a standout student from the School of Computing and Information Technology at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Ja.) poses with the first place winner’s cheque of $ 1M following her victory in the final pitch round of the 2025 Sagicor Innovation Challenge held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Angel Pinnock, a standout University of Technology, Jamaica student from the School of Computing and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Computing who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science took home the grand prize of JMD $1,000,000 at the final pitch round of the 2025 Sagicor Innovation Challenge held on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, hosted by the University of Technology, Jamaica in collaboration with Sagicor Group.

Pinnock’s innovative solution, Gully Guard will provide cutting-edge flood-sensing technology that promises to revolutionize the way Jamaica tackles devastating gully flooding and dumping. Gully Guard, the core solution of her business, FloodSense, addresses the urgent and recurring problem of gully flooding across Jamaica, a hazard that causes severe property damage, loss of life, and billions in recovery costs each year. This will also address the problem of illegal dumping. By using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Gully Guard is smart, a modular barrier system that moves with the flood, preventing debris from obstructing the gully bed and ensuring optimal water flow.

Gully Guard works by preventing debris and blockages from entering the gully bed, ensuring optimal water flow and protecting infrastructure. It features a rope-pull net closure system with automatic sealing powered by magnets, making cleanup easier. Each unit can hold up to 3,000 pounds of litter. The real-time data collected by these sensors is integral to the system’s ability to monitor environmental conditions, track potential flood risks, and issue early warnings to communities and emergency response agencies. This critical early warning system allows residents and responders to act proactively and avoid disaster. The solution also provides gully management tools designed to help reduce the government’s annual flood-related expenditure, estimated at JMD $2.5 billion, by up to 50%.

Now in its fifth year, the Sagicor Innovation Challenge is a joint initiative between the Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited and the University of Technology, Jamaica through the Sagicor Innovation Lab created to engage students at the University in innovating problem solving and developing impactful solutions. The Challenge is designed to equip young innovators with tools to transform bold ideas into viable, scalable businesses. Each year, the competition highlights tech-powered solutions that tackle Jamaica’s most pressing real-world challenges across sectors like education, healthcare, finance, and public safety by leveraging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Internet of Things (IoT).

This year’s Sagicor Innovation Challenge began on March 3, 2025, attracting over 20 teams. After rigorous workshops, prototype development, and business validation, ten teams delivered fast-paced elevator pitches in the first round of the finals. Following this round, four teams were selected as finalists and were invited to present a second, more detailed investment pitch to the panel of judges.

Angel Pinnock was awarded JMD $500,000 in cash, with an additional JMD $500,000 to support the development of her business through UTech, Jamaica’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC). The Faculty of Engineering and Computing will also receive JMD $100,000 to pursue an innovative project.

Her journey to victory was as bold as her innovation. During the first-round elevator pitch, she captivated the audience and six-member panel of judges not just with her pitch but with a dramatic garbage bag prop, symbolizing the debris found inside Jamaica’s gully systems and once again during the investment pitch round where she played an engaging video showing the impact of the garbage in the gullies. After being announced winner, Angel reflected on her journey: “I came to the Pegasus with a garbage bag, and I’m leaving with impact.”

Dr. Kevin Brown, President, University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Ja.), delivers the opening remarks at the 2025 Sagicor Innovation Challenge finals, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, inspiring participants and highlighting the importance of innovation in national development.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Kevin Brown, President, UTech, Jamaica, emphasized that the university's role is to serve the country’s future workforce. Speaking to the partnership with the Sagicor Group, he shared, “our university cannot do it alone, we exist to serve you, we exist to provide your workforce” underscoring the importance of partnerships in driving innovation. Praising the five-year collaboration with Sagicor as “exceptional”, he shared that the university plans to renew the Memorandum of Understanding with Sagicor for another five years to continue strengthening innovation among students.

Dr. Brown also commended Mr. Ray-St. Michael Williams, Director, Sagicor Innovation Lab at UTech, Jamaica, noting his success in deeply engaging students with the lab and highlighting his broader ambitions to use technology to transform the postal services.

Dr. Brown announced UTech, Jamaica’s plans to mobilize JMD $15 million in cloud services, training, and technology to improve Jamaica’s postal service, explaining that many Jamaicans still lack formal addresses and that “through digital capability in the modern era that we all live in, there are improvements that we can have.”  The initiative aims to digitize mail notifications in five (5) non-delivery post offices by 2026.

Speaking passionately about the need for institutions and individuals to keep up with technological change, Dr. Brown shared that “we’re living in a technological era, a fast-moving era. Every day something new is announced. Companies and the university have to adapt.” To meet this challenge, UTech, Jamaica has introduced new academic programmes to prepare students for the digital age and, as he emphasized, fostering a culture of lifelong learning.

Mr. Willard Brown, Chief Technology and Insurance Operations Officer, Sagicor Group praised the growing scale, diversity, and boldness of the Sagicor Innovation Challenge each year as well as the courageous students who step forward to “create something transformative.” Mr. Brown expressed immense pride in the competitors, calling them “Jamaica’s future,” and highlighting that “this kind of transformative brainpower that you collectively bring to the table this morning and beyond is what we need in this country and the world.”

Encouraging the students to think big, he said, “You are a big deal.” He also noted how the range of ideas across sectors “speaks to the real-world relevance of this challenge and reflects your commitment as students and future leaders to solve the problems that matter most in our society.”

He noted the importance of the Sagicor Innovation Challenge in training future entrepreneurs to “understand the problem, to communicate the value of your solution, and to bring others along with your vision.” He explained that even the best idea won’t succeed if it can’t be effectively communicated.

Proudly receiving their cheque and trophies from Professor Sean Thorpe (right), Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, are second-place team, Blue Print Innovators at the 2025 Sagicor Innovation Challenge finals held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Smiling from left are Garvain Campbell, Jada Howard, Chae Francis, and Kamilla Garrick.

StreetGuard by Blue Print Innovators, a team of students from the Faculty of Engineering and Computing earned the second-place title. Their solution is a LiDAR-based smart surveillance system designed to improve public safety, monitor infrastructure, and enhance emergency response efforts. StreetGuard integrates high-precision LiDAR sensors with AI analytics to detect crimes, monitor traffic conditions, identify road hazards, and provide real-time alerts to both law enforcement and emergency services. Key features include crime detection, accident and traffic monitoring, pothole reporting, flood and fire detection, and geotagged emergency notifications. The system represents a powerful step toward creating safer, smarter urban environments. Blue Print Innovators took home JMD $250,000 for their second-place finish.

Team Jana proudly accepts their third place cheque and trophies from Dr. David White, Head, School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT)at the 2025 Sagicor Innovation Challenge finals held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Pictured from left are students from the Faculty of Engineering and Computing Jamar Plummer, Najay Green and Natalya Murray.

Third place was awarded to Team Jana, from the Faculty of Engineering and Computing, for their mobile app and data analytics system aimed at transforming Jamaica’s public transportation experience. Their app is designed to act as a real-time travel companion for commuters, showing the status of bus and taxi stops, including estimated wait times and crowd sizes. Commuters can also indicate when they are waiting at a stop, while vehicle operators are provided with a tailored interface to view the same data, helping them optimize routes and schedules. The system addresses widespread challenges in the sector, including unpredictable vehicle arrivals, poor scheduling, and the lack of operational data—benefiting not just commuters and drivers, but also the government.  Team Jana was awarded JMD $150,000 for their third-place finish.

The event also featured two high-level panel discussions on national development through technology. The first, titled “Modernizing Jamaica’s Postal Service: How Can We Digitize Mail Notifications for Non-Delivery Post Offices by 2026 Using Low-Cost Technology?”, was moderated by Dr. Kevin Brown (left), President, UTech, Jamaica. The panellists (from left) wereMs. Natalie Bennett, Chief Product Officer, Y Smart Data, Mr. Christopher Brown, Programme Manager, BIGEE (Development Bank of Jamaica), Mr. Kevin McIndoe, Senior Director of Operations, Postal Corporation of Jamaica and Mr. Carey Brown, Deputy Postmaster General.