20 Refugee Entrepreneurs Whose Drive to Innovate Against All Odds Will Inspire You

On World Refugee Day, we take a look at 20 refugee entrepreneurs who are valiantly innovating to create new realities, while crafting new lives. From disruptive blockchain startups, to fashion empires; from Healthtech innovations to online communities, these entrepreneurs all have one thing in common: their unstoppable courage.

Blockchain Entrepreneur Tey Al-Rjula Launches His Book “The Invisible Son”

The entrepreneur is launching his book at the Quarantine Sessions on World Refugee Day. Titled ‘The Invisible Son,’ the book tells the true story of a hero’s journey in 9 chapters, from Tey ElRjula losing to reclaiming his identity. 

Startups in the Netherlands: Apply to the Global Everis Awards and Run Up for €70,000 in Prizes

Everis is looking for the best Dutch entrepreneur to compete on the XIX edition of the Global Everis Awards. The competition is open for high-impact tech projects that improve the quality of life of people or promote environmental care.

If You Have a Startup in the Netherlands and You’re Impacting Developing Countries, There’s €125,000 Up for Grabs

The second edition of the Finture Solutions competition aims to support startups working on Clean Tech, Health, and Agritech in emerging markets. 5 winners will get up to €125,000 to scale their solution. 

7 European Startup Accelerators You Can Apply to This Summer

From Smart City, to BioTech, FoodTech, CleanTech, or simply founders with bold startup ideas, we’ve listed 7 European startup accelerators that have opened rounds these coming months. By SWB Team…

Amsterdam’s Hack Your Future Opened Applications for their Free Coding School for Refugees

Based in Amsterdam but open to candidates from all over the Netherlands, Hack Your Future has just opened applications for the next cycle of their free coding school for refugees. …

From a Refugee Camp to a $1.2 Million Investment: Tykn Raises New Funding Round

The blockchain startup, founded by Syrian entrepreneur Tey Al-Rjula, has just scored a $1.2 Million Investment from Dutch IT entrepreneur Johan Mastenbroek. By SWB Team Tykn, a tech startup founded by Syrian…

Refugees Forward Opened Applications for Newcomers in Amsterdam and Rotterdam

The program provides high quality entrepreneurship training and individualised coaching to newcomer entrepreneurs in order to ensure that their business plan is solid and the enterprise is ready for launch….

11 Brilliant Startup Accelerators and Incubators for Migrant Entrepreneurs to Kick-Start

In the last couple of years, several organizations have emerged to fill the the gap in providing incubation, mentorship, and pitching competitions for migrant entrepreneurs. We’ve compiled 11 of the…

SPARK’s Ignite Conference Kicks Off In Amsterdam, And Here’s 10 Speakers You Should See

The 6th edition of the international IGNITE conference ‘Rebuilding Futures’ by SPARK, is kicking off on November 28th in Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw, gathering key players in the refugee entrepreneurial startup ecosystem to…

These 10 Syrian Startups are Heading Off to Pitch their Businesses in Amsterdam’s Ignite Conference

10 Syrian-led businesses based in Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Istanbul and Gaziantep are taking off to pitch their ideas to an international jury at the SPARK Ignite Conference: Rebuilding Futures next November…

5 Things I learned Interviewing 13 Refugee Changemakers

While writing her book ‘Refugee Changemakers,’ Apoorva Mittal embarked on a journey to encounter newcomers across the Netherlands. This is what she learned. By Apoorva Mittal What if we took a…

Inside Amsterdam’s Only Arabic Bookstore Cafe: Meet the Syrian Entrepreneur Behind ‘Pages’

Yasmeen Smadi meets the relentless award-winning publisher who brought Arabic literature to the city of canals. By Yasmeen Smadi In the heart of Amsterdam, amongst one of its three main…

How 10 Years in a Dutch Refugee Camp Prepared Sina Azizi for Trading Cryptocurrency

The Iranian entrepreneur began trading penny stocks to learn about the stock market. Today, he advices firms through his startup. By SWB Team Trading on the stock market is a…

A Walk Through The Netherlands’ Brimming Refugee Startup Ecosystem

Azrin Rahman takes us on a walk through The Netherlands’ refugee startup ecosystem, listing accelerators, incubators, and bootcamps for bold go-getters. By Azrin Rahman Boasting 20% of migrants amongst its…