Postcards in real time: A partnership between Port Au Prince Startup week & pennypost

Brooklyn native David Pierre-Louis was born into a house whose first language was Haitian-Creole but as a child living in New York City he could only imagine what his homeland looked like. In 2004 he traveled to Port Au Prince and left feeling connected with his roots. Then, in 2010 the earthquake struck. David jumped on a plane and left to find his mother who had recently moved back to Haiti and who was now unreachable.

After a tireless search David exultantly found his mother alive and well — video here. But to his surprise there was little or no relief effort to help those in need in his mothers community. With a bag of limited supplies he had brought with him from his home in Seattle, he was able to provide some medical attention but it was not enough. It was then that he realized that he wanted to be a part of the change that was happening in Haiti.

Haiti was once known as the jewell of the Antilles and even admired as the wealthiest country in the Western Hemisphere during its height. Decades of political unrest, natural disasters, and an infrastructure left to its own demise have disadvantaged the near 11 million people who live there now. In an attempt to help Haiti, international aid has flooded into the country in the last 20 years. Change on the ground and in communities, however, has been slow to take root and an equitable economy has yet to come to fruition.

For nearly a decade, David had fostered communities in Seattle. His popular art and music venue, Lucid Lounge, became a Seattle establishment and community nexus for creativity. Having experienced the power of community first hand, David sought to establish a permanent model specific to Haiti that could be replicated. After receiving the American Spirit Award for his fundraising and relief work in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, David founded Kay Tita (Tita’s house) named after his mother.

“For me, the freedom to create and the community that it takes to do something important is what drives me as an entrepreneur. I don’t like to talk about the problems of Haiti because I see bright horizons. Where people have the ability to create through entrepreneurship the future they want.”

Beyond his community work, David has developed products for American consumers that source goods from Haiti. In short time, his proprietary Haitian Cold Brew Coffee has created a buzz around Seattle. As coffee with a purpose that benefits communities in Haiti, it has connected Seattleites to the Caribbean island from which the coffee is sourced. At the same time it has inspired productivity at the various wework locations where it is served on tap and in high demand. Now, David is bringing his and Seattle’s rare blend of technology and non profit experience to the first startup week hosted in Haiti.

“The communities I know in Haiti are full of resilient, passionate, and creative people. Founding Startup Week Port Au Prince was the perfect opportunity to bring people together that wouldn’t normally operate in the same space. With the global presence of Startup Week we envisioned being a part of a bigger conversation about social entrepreneurship and the future.”

Port-Au-Prince Startup Week is a 7 day celebration of the Haitian community that builds momentum and opportunity around entrepreneurship. Local entrepreneurs will be hosting over 35 events from May 15th to the 22nd. Become a sponsor and join the journey here. In return you will receive pennypost cards using photos taken by David showcasing Startup Week as the events take place in real time — like this one. Your support will go to Port Au Prince Startup Week and to replanting trees in Haiti.

Check out the published article here - https://blog.pennypost.me/haitian-cold-brewed-change-e44d3316c2a8