First Reflections from Cuba

Country Manager Orlando Zambrano updates us on his progress in the second of his Cuba dispatches

Last week, I boarded a plane in North Carolina enroute to Havana to begin the first phase of Alter’s Cuba launch. The historical weight of taking a direct flight from the United States to Cuba is undeniable. After decades of being the physical manifestation of “so close, but yet so far,” Havana is now within easy reach of Charlotte, Miami, Houston, and a host of other US cities.

The passengers skew Cuban or Cuban-American, but scrambled among them are tourists with no heritage or family connections, but an eagerness to learn about the island that in some ways has been shrouded in mystery and, at the very least, has had a mystical allure.

Upon reaching Havana’s airport what stands out the most is the very apparent “Samsonite trade.” The lack of wholesale importation means that an incredible volume of goods flows into Cuba via checked baggage on flights from abroad. The baggage claim was littered with massive suitcases, plastic wrapped bundles, and even cartons for bicycles and LCD TVs.

This pipeline to the US and other countries is what keeps AirBnBs (Casas Particulares) furnished, non-state restaurants (Paladares) stocked, and tech start-ups wired. It’s astonishing, but it seems to work.

In the next few weeks I’ll be meeting with the Cuban entrepreneurs who are navigating this environment. I’m working to find the ones with the greatest potential to scale and become entrepreneurial success stories — and role models — in the long run.

Despite a relatively short history, entrepreneurship is booming in Havana. The statistics show it and now I’ve sensed it from a few days here. The challenges to scale are significant, but I believe we’ll find some truly compelling entrepreneurs whom we’ll be proud to join. We’re looking forward to bringing them into the Alter network and aiding them on their journey.