About
Ventures Beyond Borders

Our Story

2023
Building Our Pilot

2024
Going Global

2025
Launching Ventures Beyond Borders

2023
Building Our Pilot

Launch of Afghan Future Fund’s Pilot Program: Empowering Refugee Entrepreneurs

In fall 2023, the Afghan Future Fund started a pilot program in collaboration with Antler and Schmidt Futures to support refugee entrepreneurs. We hosted a week of programming for 6 refugee entrepreneurs in New York.

2024
Going Global

Empowering 100 Entrepreneurs Across New York, Toronto, and Berlin

As part of the Afghan Future Fund, we launched the Refugee Entrepreneurship Program. After a competitive application process, we selected 100 entrepreneurs for a one-month virtual program. 30 finalists were invited to join a one-week training program in New York, Toronto, and Berlin. We matched all finalists with mentors and organized a series of educational workshops.

2025
Launching Ventures Beyond Borders

Launch of Ventures Beyond Borders: Expanding Support for Refugee Entrepreneurs Worldwide

We launched Ventures Beyond Borders to continue and expand the work of the Refugee Entrepreneurship Program. VBB is a non-profit venture fund that will train, support, and invest in refugee entrepreneurs around the world.

Our Mission

Refugees are natural entrepreneurs. In the United States, refugees are 40% more likely to start a business than native-born Americans. But refugees face systemic barriers to accessing the financial and social capital required to build scalable ventures.

Ventures Beyond Borders addresses this gap between skills and opportunities by providing a pathway to economic empowerment through entrepreneurship.

We bet on extraordinary refugees using the power of entrepreneurship to create lasting change in their communities and the world.

Our Achievements

At Ventures Beyond Borders, we believe in real, measurable change. Our programs have empowered refugee entrepreneurs by providing the skills, funding, and support they need to build successful businesses and create lasting impact.

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