VRIVenezuela Reconstruction InstituteJoin us

We, Venezuelans,
want to rebuild
the country we call home.
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Now that Maduro is gone, we have a chance – but we need your help.Draft

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Nicolás MaduroHugo Chávez

In 1950, Venezuelans were the fourth richest people in the world. Richer than Australia, Canada, Denmark and Norway.Draft

GDP per person in 1950, in 1990 dollars. Maddison Project Database 2013, University of Groningen.

So Venezuela became home to many seeking a better future. In the 1940s and 1950s came more than 300,000 Italians and some 190,000 Spaniards.Draft

Italy: more than 300,000 arrivals (check). Spain: 192,923 arrivals, 1951–60, Spanish Ministry of Labour.

Then, in 1999, Hugo Chávez took power, and in 2013 Nicolás Maduro after him. They took over the courts, the oil company and the vote.Draft

Draft copy. Chávez was president from 1999 to 2013, Maduro from 2013. Portraits: official portraits, Presidency of Venezuela, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 2013, this glass was our whole economy. Each dot is a small part of it. By 2021, three in every four dots were gone.Draft

GDP per person, in 2011 dollars: $18,484 in 2013, $4,897 in 2021, down 74%. Maddison Project Database 2023.

So Venezuelans started to leave. Almost 8 million have gone: one in every four of us.Draft

7.9 million Venezuelans abroad (UNHCR, December 2024). Country figures: R4V, August 2026, rounded. *Chile: sources disagree (check). “One in four” (check).

Now Maduro is gone. Millions of us want to come home and rebuild it.Draft

Draft copy. Jorge to edit.

Who we are

The initiative is led by young Venezuelans with distinguished professional track records in sectors strategic to the country’s reconstruction, from finance and technology to telecommunications and energy.

01

Working groupsDraft

Build technical groups working on practical solutions to Venezuela's main economic and institutional challenges, drawing on new technologies, proven business models, and international best practices.

02

High-level meetingsDraft

Convene policymakers, business leaders, and technical experts through high-level meetings to advance strategic projects and turn policy proposals into concrete reforms.

03

Talent networkDraft

Identify and connect 3,000 qualified professionals interested in contributing to Venezuela's reconstruction, creating a network of talent capable of strengthening Venezuela’s institutions and building the strategic sectors of the economy.

See our programs

The team

  • Jorge JraissatiExecutive Director
  • César DagerDirector of U.S. Government Relations
  • Ángel AlvaradoDirector of Public Policy and the Economic Council
  • Martin Rodriguez RodriguezDirector of Commercial Diplomacy
  • Rafael StruveDirector of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
  • Armando ArmasDirector of Venezuelan Political Affairs
  • Jesús LanderDirector of Finance
  • Barbara de JesusSocial Media Coordinator

Meet the team

Why you should care

Venezuela has a lot to offer.

Energy and minerals

303 billion barrels

The largest proven oil reserves in the world. Plus bauxite, nickel and tantalum, on the EU’s list of critical raw materials.

OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2026, reserves at end 2025. European Commission, critical raw materials list, 2023.

People

Almost 8 million

Venezuelans living abroad, with the skills and the will to help rebuild.

7.9 million, UNHCR, December 2024.

Investment

$183 billion

The investment needed to bring oil output back to 3 million barrels a day over 15 years. Six firms already hold licenses: BP, Chevron, Eni, Repsol, Shell and Maurel & Prom.

Rystad Energy, 2026. Licences: US Treasury, OFAC (check).

Draft copy. Jorge edits; the three numbers stay.

Help us rebuild Venezuela.Draft

Draft copy. The next generation of Venezuelans wants democracy, the rule of law and an open economy, so they can come home and live well. We need your help to make that happen.

We write for

CoinDeskMartens CentreThe Wall Street JournalNational ReviewThe GuardianThe National InterestLe FigaroForeign Policy