How Africa News
The Haitian diaspora sends over $3 billion home each year. The money sent home by the diaspora accounts for roughly 20% of Haiti’s GDP, but the diasporan community remains underserved.
Following the 2010 earthquake, Rudy Rocourt returned to Haiti to lead Citibank Haiti’s Treasury department, where he realized the enormous impact of Diaspora remittances on the Haitian economy.
As a result, he founded Jetli Transfer, an e-commerce company that allows the Haitian Diaspora to send goods and services to their loved ones in Haiti. His company aspires to be the “Amazon of the Caribbean.”
“We wanted to build a platform that allows the diaspora to gain greater control of their purchasing power, and connect them with local businesses, farmers and entrepreneurs. We want to provide excellent customers and building trust within the community,” he told Lunionsuite.
According to Lunionsuite, the e-commerce services offer “cheap products and bundles ranging from food, beverages, electronics, and appliances.” Jetli, according to the platform, connects the Diaspora to local companies, farmers, and importers in Haiti.
When Rocourt first started his venture, he had no money. In 2019, he stated that he was bootstrapping and reinvesting profits back into the firm. Growing organically and offering outstanding customer service are critical for the Haitian-American entrepreneur. Nonetheless, he has not ruled out the possibility of finding outside investors.
Jetli, he claims, is built on three pillars: low prices, exceptional customer service, and trust. “We believe that if our foundation’s roots are strong, our customers will remain loyal to us and recognize Jetli as the leading platform for any on-demand items back home in Haiti,” he said.
The fact that Jetli delivers within 48 hours or less is critical to his company’s credibility. He also recently revealed that he was assembling a strong logistics and supply chain management team in Haiti, as well as an excellent customer service team in case something went wrong.
Despite his relative success, Rocourt admits that creating a firm in two nations is difficult. He stated that Haiti’s political situation had been his most difficult challenge. Nonetheless, his greatest strength has been his perseverance.
Rocourt advises diasporans interested in investing in Haiti to be patient and to think big yet act small. Most essential, he wants potential investors to understand how the country works and when to accelerate or slow growth.
