Tech entrepreneur builds bridges between U.S. and Cuba youth

Tech entrepreneur builds bridges between U.S. and Cuba youth
by Kristina Puga, @kristinapuga
5:00 am on 08/15/2013

Felice Gorordo is only 30 but he's already worked at The White House,
co-founded a non-profit, helped organize Juanes' groundbreaking "Peace
without Borders" concert in Cuba and received multiple awards for his
leadership and business expertise. He was even been named as one of
CNN's "Young People Who Rock" list in 2009.
Based in Miami, he spends his days being a dad to his 3-year-old
daughter and 4-month-old son while working as vice president of
Clearpath Immigration — a venture-backed tech company which aims to
revolutionize the confusing, costly, paper-based immigration filing
process, and also spearheading the new initiative of his nonpartisan
non-profit — Roots of Hope — which promotes entrepreneurship in Cuba.
"I always had a passion for service," says Gorordo who got a degree in
government from Georgetown University and naturally progressed to
different roles of service in his young, but already impactful, career.
He says he was always entrepreneurial and his passion for Cuba pushed
him to co-found Roots of Hope, when he was still a college student.
"I was 18 and going through an identity crisis," says the
Cuban-American, whose dad came to the U.S. as a boy through Operation
Peter Pan, and his mom came to the U.S. in the 1970s. "I didn't know
anything about Cuba except the stories they shared and photos they
showed me."
He says it was hard convincing his parents, but he finally received
their blessing to visit their native island for the first time at age 19.
"That was for me was a transformative experience," says Gorordo. "The
people I met felt that freedom was something you had in your heart."
He used that inspiration to co-found Roots of Hope in 2003. He wanted to
bridge meaningful exchanges between young people in the U.S. and young
people in Cuba. Currently, he says the network consists of more than
4,000 students and young professionals from 60 university groups across
the country.
"The American government and Cuban government have opened up in tech and
economic reforms, and we used those windows to demand for more change,"
says Gorordo. "We collect used phones and send them to our counterparts
on the island. A couple of years ago cellphones were illegal in Cuba, so
it's one way they can connect with the outside world."
He is now on his way to launching an online platform to help Cubans
start their own businesses.
"You can now send remittances to not only family members in Cuba, but
also to individuals who are promoting private sector activity. We are
going to take advantage of that opportunity," says Gorordo. "The
government is still restrictive on the types of businesses you can
start. We're talking about micro enterprises like beauty salons, barber
shops, small bed and breakfasts – this has been outlawed for decades,
and we want to help anyone pursue their dream."
The past few months Gorordo says he's been working on another issue
close to his heart: Immigration. He was part of the team that launched
Clearpath Immigration this year.
"We are trying to be the TurboTax for immigration," says Gorordo about
the multilingual online service which empowers immigrants to fill out
immigration documents themselves instead of having to pay an expensive
attorney. "An attorney can cost approximately $12,000. Our price is $5
to $200 dollars — a fraction of the cost."
He says what motivates him in his work every day is really the story of
his grandparents not knowing the language when they immigrated to the
U.S. from Cuba. They started anew in their search for freedom and
opportunity.
"Till this day, my grandfather still speaks with a heavy Cuban accent,
but he considers the U.S. his home as much as Cuba," says Gorordo. "I
want to help offer the same opportunity to folks who come here and seek
a better life and want to be a part of the American dream."

Source: "Tech entrepreneur builds bridges between U.S. and Cuba youth" -
http://nbclatino.com/2013/08/15/one-man-bridges-youth-from-the-u-s-and-cuba-while-simplifying-the-immigration-process-for-all/