From Charity to Strategy: The Business Case for Migrant and Refugee Entrepreneurship

Event ID: PP1150053

Sun, Mar 15, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Venue: Salon C (JW Marriott)

View on Official SXSW

Summary

What if the next wave of high growth companies is emerging from founders on the move? From refugee camps in the Netherlands to Cairo’s Little Damascus and innovation hubs in Iraq’s Kurdistan, migrant and refugee entrepreneurs are transforming overlooked markets into engines of growth. Valentina Primo has helped unlock over $10 million in investment and create 50,000 jobs across 17 countries as founder of Startups Without Borders. Victoria Kuketz has designed corporate strategy and led public policy efforts on workforce development, productivity, and economic inclusion at Catalyst and the Public Policy Forum. In this panel, they reveal how corporate and nonprofit partnerships can turn economic inclusion from a social initiative into a competitive innovation strategy.

Contributors

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