Still, although there has been a surge of interest about Cuba among U.S.

-based companies, “except for the travel sector, we don’t

see any new money going into Cuba,” Lewis said. But a multitude of companies, especially those already active in the Caribbean
region, are monitoring conditions carefully, and preparing to jump in with investments and export contracts after the embargo
becomes history.

Although foreign companies will invest in the Mariel free trade zone and elsewhere around the island, U.S. capital will play a more
crucial role in Cuba’s eventual integration into the global economy.

“The trick to improving your chances in Cuba is to align (your initiatives in Cuba) with the Cuban government’s priorities, which have
more to do with the real, basic economy than with the bells and whistles of advanced high-tech,”

Although optimistic about Cuba’s prospects, Jean-Sebastian Charron, Caribbean regional manager for Export Development
Canada, Canada’s export credit agency, cautions newcomers to expect such challenges as a complex bureaucracy and a lack of
legal transparency.

“This is not an economy that is for profiteering in any way; or for get-rich schemes, or getting in, and then getting out (quickly),”
Entwistle cautioned. “This is a long-haul, strategic, patient market that is evolving in front of our eyes — at a very Cuban pace. You
need a longer-term vision. The companies that have been successful in Cuba have that long-term vision that allows them to ride the
fluctuations of the daily ups and downs of doing the actual business. My advice: Do less pitching and more listening, and if your
business is in areas where they are Cuba’s priorities, then you have a real good chance.”