Prélakay: How I decided to build the digital infrastructure Haiti was missing
Haiti receives over $5 billion in remittances every year. And yet — nobody knows where to buy local.
A few months ago, I had a conversation that haunted me.
My cousin in Montreal wanted to send money to her mother in Port-au-Prince. Not dollars through Western Union. She wanted to buy her something specific — an electronic device, a particular product. She wanted to support a Haitian seller. She wanted the money to stay in the local economy.
She didn't know how.
Not because the money wasn't there. Not because the will wasn't there. Because the infrastructure wasn't there.
The problem everyone ignores
My name is Marc-Karlin SAGET. I'm a computer science student at UNEPH in Les Cayes, and founder of Prélakay.
I'm Haitian. I live in Haiti. And I see the problem every day.
$5 billion flows into Haiti every year in diaspora remittances — one of the country's largest sources of income, growing +20% between 2024 and 2025. That's massive. That's real. That's transformative… in theory.
In practice? A large portion of that money ends up on Amazon, Walmart, AliExpress — for lack of a simple way to find a reliable local equivalent.
The problem isn't the money. The problem is trust and discoverability.
Here's what people actually experience:
- Google Maps in Haiti: incomplete listings, inaccurate addresses, zero verified ratings. You search for a pharmacy in Pétion-Ville — you find a place that closed in 2019.
- Locals still discover businesses through word of mouth. In 2026. In a country where 65% of internet connections happen via mobile.
- The diaspora (3.5M+ Haitians abroad) has no reliable directory to help their family find a trusted service, product, or provider.
- Existing platforms — Yonsel, Rapidd — have virtually zero active users. Not because the need doesn't exist. Because no one has built the habit yet, or the infrastructure of trust.
This is a problem of missing data, absent trust, and nonexistent interface.
And that's exactly where I decided to build.
What I built — and why it's different
Prélakay — the name comes from Haitian Creole: prè lakay, "close to home."
It's a geolocated Haitian web directory. Its goal is simple: allow anyone — whether they're in Port-au-Prince, Miami, or Montreal — to easily find a reliable Haitian business, near them or near their family in Haiti.
Here's what makes it different from everything out there:
1. Precise geolocation — not "in Haiti," but in your neighborhood
We don't tell you "there are restaurants in Port-au-Prince." We tell you there's one at Delmas 33, open now, rated 4.2 by real people. That's the difference between a postcard and a GPS.
2. Anti-manipulation ratings — the first trustworthy rating system
One vote per verified account. Mandatory email verification. Delay between votes. It's not sexy to explain, but it's fundamental. Without it, any business can inflate its ratings. With it, you finally have something you can actually trust.
3. The feature that exists nowhere else [Phase 2]
Upload a screenshot of an Amazon product. The AI — powered by Claude Vision API and Google Vision — finds the equivalent at a Haitian seller, with location and rating. No competitor on the market offers this. It's the bridge between diaspora desire and local supply.
4. Built for both — diaspora AND locals simultaneously
This isn't a tool for Haitians abroad watching from a distance. It's not a local tool that ignores the diaspora either. It's both at the same time — because that's the only way to build an ecosystem.
What we built, and with what
I'm a student. Resources are limited. But the stack is solid:
- Frontend: React + Vite + Tailwind CSS — lightweight, mobile-first, because 65% of Haitians browse from their phone
- Database & Auth: Supabase
- Geolocation: Google Maps API
- Vision AI (Phase 2): Claude Vision API / Google Vision
- Deployment: Vercel
Every technical choice was made for a specific reason: broadband penetration in Haiti is 35% versus 78% regionally. The app must be lightweight, fast, and work on average connections.
Where we are — and where we're going
Here's the honest roadmap:
| Phase | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 0 | Name + positioning + brand guidelines | ✅ Complete |
| Phase 0' | Field validation + social presence | In progress |
| Phase 1 | MVP: first 20 businesses, open registration, ratings, geolocation | Coming — 6 weeks |
| Phase 2 | AI screenshot feature (photo → Haitian equivalent) | After traction |
We're not chasing features. We build trust first, then technology follows.
What this really represents
Prélakay is not just a directory.
It's a trust infrastructure for the Haitian local economy.
The $5 billion in remittances is there. The economic energy is there. The will to support local is there — I see it in diaspora conversations, in WhatsApp groups, in the "do you know a good...?" questions that never get a reliable answer.
What's missing is the digital bridge.
Haiti's digital future doesn't start by creating what doesn't exist. It starts by connecting what already does.
What's next — and how you can help
We're at the beginning. And that's exactly why this moment matters.
Investor, accelerator, or impact fund (IDB Lab, Orange Corners, Catalyst Fund)?
We're looking for partners to accelerate the MVP and fund Phase 2. Our profile: student founder, proven unoccupied market, solid stack, long-term vision.
Developer, designer, or believer in the project?
Follow the project. Share this article. Every share is a market signal.
Haitian — in the diaspora or on the ground?
Sign up for the waitlist. Be among the first to try it. Your feedback will build V1.
Find Prélakay
🔗 All our links (socials, waitlist, contact): linktr.ee/prelakay.ht
Marc-Karlin SAGET — Founder & CTO, Prélakay
Computer Science Student, UNEPH — Les Cayes, Haiti · May 2026
Prélakay — The Haiti you've been looking for, finally found.
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