The Human Safety Net by SINGA incubator in Strasbourg: The first groups of refugee entrepreneurs graduate

Tailor-made, local support

Launched in July 2022, the incubator's opening was made possible thanks to a complete ecosystem of local partners, public, private, and NGOs, working on integrating refugees in Strasbourg through work and entrepreneurship. These include The Human Safety Net France, the City of Strasbourg, the Strasbourg Maison de l'Emploi, the Foyer-Notre-Dame association, Kodiko, the SNCF foundation, BNP Paribas, France Active Alsace, the Rhein-Stiftung/Fondation du Rhin and SINGA. 
Each refugee entrepreneur benefited from 6 to 9 months of support, covering all the steps of setting up a business and helping them to refine their projects (learning how to pitch their project, drawing up a business plan, applying for funding, etc.).

A rich range of projects and profiles

The refugee entrepreneurs supported have developed a wide range of projects, from technology and culture to gastronomy and crafts. 

Ibrahima Barry, originally from Guinea, has developed "DSPAY", a money transfer solution between Guinea and France. Leonel Barrios, a Venezuelan refugee, has launched an IT consulting business. Abdul-Hadi Yasuev, a 23-year-old Chechen, has created his art project KARMA. Stas Fekete, Iryna Petrovska Duvarry and Ruslan Shirokov fled the war in Ukraine in 2022 and found hope and a new life in Strasbourg. Musicians in Ukraine created the group "Anticello" to continue living their passion in France. Thanks to the support they received, they were able to develop their business and contacted a record label. They now perform at various venues in Strasbourg. Ivanka, a Ukrainian refugee, has found hope and a new life in Strasbourg. She wanted to showcase the art of her homeland; she now sells Ukrainian handicrafts throughout the region. Each entrepreneur can continue their activities and count on the incubator's support, which will continue to assist them ad hoc.    

The triple benefit of intercultural support

Benoit Hamon, Director of SINGA Global: "In Strasbourg, the entrepreneurs supported by SINGA illustrate the triple benefit of intercultural support. They create businesses, which create jobs and wealth. They create activities that are often socially useful. Finally, their success is changing the narrative about migration".

Elise Ginioux, President of the Generali The Human Safety Net France Foundation, said, "We are delighted to see the progress made by all the entrepreneurs supported by The Human Safety Net by SINGA incubator. Since the creation of our Foundation, which works on the professional integration of refugees, we have supported more than 800 people in France in their incubation or return to employment. By the end of 2023, 380 will have completed the incubation process and 170 structures - companies or associations - will have been launched. We aim to support more than 1,300 refugees with all our partners by 2024.