// startup autopsy

TouristechCU

Cuba tourism tech founded during Obama's détente and killed when Trump reinstated travel restrictions

regulationMarket Exit

Fatal mistake: Cuba tourism tech founded during Obama détente (2014-2016). Trump administration reinstated Cuba travel restrictions 2017-2018. Airbnb was separately operating through US Treasury OFAC license. TouristechCU could not access US payment processors or US investment. US tourism to Cuba collapsed 2018.

Founded	2016
Closed	2019
Country	Cuba
Sector	Traveltech

// the model, blind

Evaluating only TouristechCU’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Regulation as the #1 likely cause. That’s exactly how it died.

Key Events Timeline

2016

FOUNDING

2017

CRISIS

2019

SHUTDOWN

Full Analysis

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Documented cause

TouristechCU built Cuba tourism tech during Obama détente. Trump reinstated restrictions 2017. US payment processors suspended. US tourists (70% of TAM) stopped. Market exit.

Lesson

“Cuba tourism tech must be capitalized and operated from European jurisdictions (Spain, Italy) with European payment infrastructure — US market dependency is a single-policy risk that cannot be managed by commercial strategy.”

Failure anatomy

Collapse type

Market Exit

📉 MEDIUM

Hype cycle

None

Moat type

Technology

Fatal mistake

Cuba tourism tech founded during Obama détente (2014-2016). Trump administration reinstated Cuba travel restrictions 2017-2018. Airbnb was separately operating through US Treasury OFAC license. TouristechCU could not access US payment processors or US investment. US tourism to Cuba collapsed 2018.