Syrian Anti-Car Theft App AWI and Smart Marionette Win the Startup Roadshow in Gaziantep

SWB Team  Syrian-led startups AWI-Car Secure and Smart Marionette have just won the pitching competition at the Startup Roadshow in Gaziantep, Turkey, after a 5-day bootcamp where 20 teams of…

Saleem Najjar, The Syrian Entrepreneur Building the Artisans’ Gateway to Global Markets

Yasmeen Smadi meets the Syrian entrepreneur giving artisans in Jordan access to market with Sharqi Shop. By Yasmeen Smadi Brought by: Jusoor and Spark It’s Monday evening and I’m driving…

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…

Inside TEDx Roma Salon: Innovation By and For Migrants Takes the Stage at Porous Borders

By Valentina Primo Inside a packed auditorium in Rome’s MAXXi Museum, we get to meet the changemakers behind Arian Teleheal, Mygrants, and Re-future Project. It was a packed room at…

E-Commerce Startup Sharqi Shop and HealthTech Fadfeth Championed the Startup Roadshow in Amman

Amman. Syrian-led e-commerce platform Sharqi Shop, and Fadfeth have won the Startup Roadshow competition in Jordan, held on October 11th. The Startup Roadshow, organised by Jusoor and SPARK, is in…

Refugee Entrepreneurs Are Using Facebook to Sell their Products. What Can Facebook Do for Them?

By Valentina Primo “Learning is key – not only for refugee entrepreneurs but also for us,” says Facebook’s Vice President in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey Ari Kesisoglu. “We’re here…

Peer-to-Peer Logistics and AgriTech Startups Win Big at the Startup Roadshow in Erbil

Shiffer, a peer-to-peer, online logistics platform for express shipping, and Agri-Answer have won the Startup Roadshow competition, held in Erbil on October 4th. This is the second round of the…

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…

Home Chef Lebanon and Loop Just Won the First Prize at the Startup Roadshow in Beirut

The startups, a home-made meals delivery service and a peer-to-peer platform for exchanging and commercializing second-hand toys, will compete at the finals in Amsterdam next November.  It’s October, but it…

7 Migrant Entrepreneurs Going from Dreamers to Founders in Cairo

What makes someone a founder? We speak with 7 refugee entrepreneurs turning their ingenious ideas into concrete business plans. Last summer, 20 bold entrepreneurs met as the SWB Coaching Competition…

“Instead of Being Helped, Refugees Are the Ones Doing the Helping”

What if we turned the tables and started looking at refugees for the talent they have, instead of the things they they need? We meet Mursal Hedayat, founder of the…

The Startup Roadshow Has Begun in Lebanon – and You Can Still Apply!

The competition for Syrian entrepreneurs in the Middle East has just started the first of its startup bootcamps in Lebanon, as 20 teams of brave startups battle it up to…

Could This Be the Middle East’s Own Lush?

Yasmeen Smadi meets Samah Kheir El-Zein, the Syrian entrepreneur pioneering locally-made organic skincare products in Egypt. by Yasmeen Smadi Samah pours the green mixture into the small, heart-shaped moulds as…

This Entrepreneur Invented a Device that Helps Parents Track their Children through a Chip in their Shoes

Syrian entrepreneur Raafat Hantouch turned a dramatic childhood experience into an innovative tech solution that is now making waves in Germany. By Valentina Primo and Maysaa Ajjan That day, the…