We most recently travelled to Havana, Cuba for the first time. Talk about the impact of technology (or lack there of!) User interfaces are much different in the context of such a place. At dinner or lunch, you actually have to speak and interact face-to-face as smart phones are so expensive to use and are even illegal for the locals.

Yet the pull of technology is strong. Cubans don’t have internet access, but they have developed an offline version of the net. It allows access to a censored Wikipedia. The Cubans have found ways to bring culture particularly from the US via thumb drives. You can get a happy user experience here if the thumb drive fits!

They also have interesting offline versions of Uber, OK Cupid and Netflix/Hulu (the last example being pirated and illegal).

For the Uber replication, they gather on certain areas of a street where an ancient set of cars wander around — much like a municipal bus. The natives know if they go to the right spot, which is unmarked, a car will be along quickly. It’s quite remarkable and inventive, but it works as a known way to access services. In this way, it’s truly intuitive in design. 

For dating, if the Cubans head to certain parts of particular streets, they can find the type of person they are looking for — EMO's on one block followed by rock-and-rollers on another. Then there is the Malecon — the famous sea wall along much of old Havana. On any given evening you will find hundreds of teenagers and young adults walking along and buying food from the vendors making it easy to meet new people. This is a timeless process of human interaction that is well known in many parts of the world.

There are no real financial services in the country, and all transactions take place in cash. As we were touring, our guide heard from her sister that there were mattresses available in a government store (apparently a rare occurrence); so we detoured so that she could give her sister money to buy two mattresses. It’s almost impossible to believe that such a place still exists. It's not PayPal or Venmo but it works.

Through it all, there is growing demand for services and open technology. We can only imagine the possibilities when an educated society opens its doors. We hope it becomes a reality sooner rather than later for the Cuban people. 

For Vestigo, this is not a place to invest, but it was extremely helpful to experience and observe the contrasts to what we see everyday and how entrepreneurs think. Watching ambitious Cubans opening paladars (private restaurants) or private dance schools is encouraging, and shows that even in the most oppressed societies, creative ideas will push to the surface.

This trip also reinforced the need for investors and entrepreneurs to persevere against all odds. At least in America, we can get the internet and binding legal contracts. Try that as a founder in Havana. 

- Mark