In January 2011, the Cuba Study Group and the Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International sponsored a Cuba Small Business Summit in collaboration with Americas Societyband Council of the Americas in New York. The summit brought together experts in the fields of microfinance, business education and economic development to identify ways to support entrepreneurship and self-employment in Cuba.

The goal of the summit, and this paper, is to identify specific steps that private-sector leaders, foundations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the governments of Cuba and the United States can take to improve conditions for micro and small businesses. One product of the summit was a set of recommendations for public- and private-sector leaders and foundations.