Access and Opportunity with Carla Harris | Displaced Entrepreneurs: Supporting New Beginnings Away from Home

Around the world, over 80 million individuals are displaced according to the UN Refugee Agency, with many forced to flee their homes for prolonged periods of time due to protracted internal crises. While emergency aid may provide for their immediate basic needs, it in no way supports their quality of life nor does it create a pathway to building a future in a foreign country. On this episode, we discuss the unique challenges that exist for founders uprooted from their home countries. First we hear from a displaced entrepreneur in Iraq who shares how he started an agritech business called Green Shovel. Forced to flee his home country due to civil war, he found support for his new entrepreneurial pursuits in Five One Labs, a startup incubator dedicated to supporting displaced individuals with operations in Iraq and now Colombia. Carla sits down with the founders of Five One Labs, Alice Bosley and Patricia Letayf. They discuss the hurdles that exist for refugees looking to start their own business abroad and how supporting their endeavors benefits us all. Through education, access to a local network and grant seed funding, Five One Labs seeks to give displaced persons the tools and on-the-ground support to not only survive, but thrive.