Over the last few months Macondo Club has been building a movement within Venezuela. The core ingredients of which are books and Trust, both currently in short supply.

We know that to create Trust, and to bring books to Venezuela; we must meet certain community expectations. For each stage that Macondo grows we need feedback and validation from the users, that our product is delivering its’ promise. Each stage of grow also provides the insights for building the next stage of solving some of Venezuelans’ most pressing wants and needs.

Incremental Improvement

Macondo iscurrently at the Minimum Viable Product(MVP) stage; which is…

The first question that any person that wishes to undertake an innovative project should ask themselves is ‘What problem are we trying to solve?’.

Dreamers that get carried away by their grandeur plans (or by greed) are often frustrated when virtually everyone else they cross paths with, particularly those in the entreprenurial ecosystem they are seeking help from, bring them crashing to the ground by asking that simple question.

If you are unable to articulate clearly and concisely what the problem is, chances are you are creating a solution for a problem that does not exist.

Tech trends

Technology has been reshaping…

In recent years Venezuela has become the source of the cheapest skilled labour in the world. An Indian worker charging $4 an hour is expensive as that amount is an entire month’s minimum wage in Venezuela.

The internet is the only market the government hasn’t been able to intervene and destroy. Going online is a way to log out of Venezuela and all of its problems. A digital realm where people can offer their services and work with projects all over the world.

Ironically, lack of government intervention in the provision of digital services has created simultaneously the cheapest labour…

Over the last few months, there has been an ever-increasing hype about the rise of blockchain technology (Web 3.0!)

To predict when mass adoption of any blockchain technology might occur we have to be able to understand what problem we are trying to solve and how this technology solves that problem.

Venezuela has a real problem. The Government. Outdated policies, corruption and incompetence create significant conflicts of interests and a myriad of issues so complicated that even the locals who endure them every day and scholars who dedicate their time to analyse them can have a hard time articulating.

While…

An analysis of the last few decades show that there is a cyclical nature to developments in technology. Each decade an epoch occurs where a technology consolidates itself and becomes the source for the next epoch.

The first of these epochs can be said to be Microsoft in the 1990’s. Microsoft wins the PC race, becoming the dominant player in the market.

As Microsoft succeeds in their stated mission of putting a computer on everyone’s desk, new markets emerge.

The next technological epoch is that of a ‘battle’ for the internet. In this realm (the 2000’s) ‘Google’ is the victor…

“But I complain about the police the way the rich complain [never ending stream of bribes and payouts]; not the way the poor complain [total impunity at the mercy of whoever pays the bribe of the day]. The difference is everything.”

‘The White Tiger’ is a savage portrayal of contemporary India. An India divided into two separate, very different countries intertwined in a way that is beyond most people’s imagination and understanding, and that only a literary master like Adiga could pull off with such ease.

The White Tiger (Balram), a self-made Indian entrepreneur, upon finding out that the Chinese…

In late 2017 a small South American country that must not be named passed a Law Against Hate. Its citizens are only allowed to love the government, publicly, and any sign of ‘hatred’ in public or social media will be punishable by law. The real intention of the law is to silence any and all dissent so the regime can continue in power happily ever after.

The resemblance with George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984’ is uncanny. …

Every law ball is the same, but you are not.

Last week I attended my last Law Ball. On the surface most things were identical — same venue, same food, same music, even the same people in attendance.

However, attending as a recent grad I realised the life cycle of the law student throughout their journey.

Many years of challenges, struggles and achievements were playing out in front of me like a dramatic documentary disguised in beautiful dresses and bow ties.

Younger students are drinking heavily and partying like they just got into Law School. Older students are also drinking…