Innovations & Inspirations

It is perhaps the greatest honor of my professional career to be embarking on my current trip. Less than 2 weeks ago, I was invited by the White House to attend a series of events in Cuba.  It is the first trip by a sitting US President since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

I will be leading a roundtable Monday with Cuban entrepreneurs, all of whom are hungry to access investments from a country that has blocked them off since the embargo signed by JFK.  They have asked me to speak on accessing capital and the importance of entrepreneurship for Cuba, but I’m pretty sure they already know that the companies they create will have an impact not just on the future of their families, but on the future of their country.

With every passing day as a venture capitalist, my awe, respect, and appreciation for entrepreneurs grows.  Often everything is against them: incumbents, families, capital, employees and, in some cases, governments.  In fact, Snapdeal, the first investment of my VC career, was founded by entrepreneurs who wanted to stay in America but we denied them a visa.  Those who proceed, perspire, and ultimately prevail should be celebrated.  What they create can, in some cases, touch more lives than any government.

Thanks to my partners at New Enterprise Associates who come to work every day trying to fight the status quo to make the world just a little bit better.  And most importantly, thanks to all the entrepreneurs I get the privilege of working with for teaching me far more about failure, courage, and tenacity than they will ever know.

I’ll try and impart some of their collective teachings in Havana, but what will likely happen is what always happens: I will learn far more from the Cubans than they will from me.