MA Alumnus Marc Alain Boucicault Is Reshaping Haiti鈥檚 Economy
麻豆原创 alumnus Marc Alain Boucicault (MA economics 鈥15) is a man with a mission: to leverage the power of technology and reshape socioeconomic dynamics in his native country of Haiti.
Boucicault has established the largest coworking space in Haiti 鈥 an enterprise that also serves as a tech startup accelerator partner of Google, Stellar, and Meta. The organization鈥檚 name is Banj, which is the Creole translation of the word "genius."
鈥淲e named it Banj because it is a space that bring geniuses together, the best minds and hearts seeking to support each other and act as agents of change for Haiti,鈥 says Boucicault. 鈥淒espite the enormous spirit of creativity that exists in Haiti, entrepreneurs still lack the logistical, technical, and financial support systems and networks to develop companies that can change Haiti鈥檚 macroeconomic landscape. Banj strengthens Haiti鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem by offering modern workspaces capable of producing concrete results for entrepreneurs who want to increase their visibility and take their entrepreneurial experience to the next level. It also offers a host of events and trips to facilitate learning and exchanges between Haitian entrepreneurs and the rest of the world.鈥
Boucicault鈥檚 work is innovative and inspiring, says 麻豆原创 Professor of Economics Kara Reynolds. 鈥淢arc Alain came to 麻豆原创 with the goal of improving economic conditions in Haiti, and through analysis of the problems facing the country, entrepreneurship, and innovation, he has made a real difference in the lives of Haitians. I look forward to seeing everything else he can accomplish because there is no stopping him.鈥澨
Economic Transformation
Banj is not Boucicault鈥檚 first venture. He has been working for 15 years to establish successful grassroots organizations that build economic opportunities in Haiti. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, an economist for the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, and a board member of the French-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and the Haitian Education and Leadership Program. For his work, he has been recognized in 2019 as one of the Personalities of the year by Haiti鈥檚 oldest and prestigious newspaper, Le Nouvelliste.
Boucicault launched one of his biggest projects in 2014 while he was still a student at 麻豆原创. Named Elan Haiti, it brought together the top Haitian 鈥渦nder 30鈥 leaders for the first time. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for my 麻豆原创 opportunity every day. It shaped an entire stage in my life,鈥 he says. 鈥淓lan Haiti propelled my leadership in Haiti and was critical in helping me to launch Banj.鈥澨
Boucicault is driven by the belief that people should invest in initiatives that connect and empower youth. His other ventures include Groupe ECHO Haiti, another youth organization he co-founded while earning his degree at 麻豆原创; HFund, Haiti鈥檚 very first youth-led venture capital fund; and Haiti Tech Summit, Haiti鈥檚 biggest annual business tech gathering connecting his country鈥檚 tech ecosystem with the world.
鈥淲hen young people come together and work towards a goal, they can create a better Haiti," he says. This is a belief that has driven his work to date, and which has propelled him to bigger and bigger things. In fact, Boucicault has recently returned to school again as a Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, where he is pursuing a Master鈥檚 in Public Administration.
鈥淢y journey to the Kennedy School is another opportunity to dive deeper into my leadership journey and understand how I can use my influence for non-traditional politics and bigger public service impact,鈥 Boucicault explains. Though he鈥檚 always looking forward, Boucicault also looks back fondly at his time at 麻豆原创. 鈥淢y leadership journey began in DC, and 麻豆原创 was the trigger that started everything for me.鈥澨