Evaluation and analysis of good practices in promoting and supporting migrant entrepreneurship : guide book.
Date: 2016-08-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Subjects: aid to undertakings, business start-up, economic integration, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, integration of migrants, labour market, migrant worker, user guide

Evaluation and Analysis of Good Practices in
Promoting and Supporting 
Migrant Entrepreneurship

Guide book
August 2016

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs 
Directorate F — Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing 
Unit F.2 — Clusters, Social Economy and Entrepreneurship 
E-mail: GROW-F2@ec.europa.eu 

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

i 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Evaluation and Analysis of 
Good Practices in Promoting 
and Supporting Migrant 
Entrepreneurship  

Guide book 

ii 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers  
to your questions about the European Union. 

Freephone number (*): 

00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 

(*) 

The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone 

boxes or hotels may charge you). 

LEGAL NOTICE 

This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the 
authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information 
contained therein. 

More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2016 

ISBN 978-92-79-60865-0 
doi: 10.2873/696365 

© European Union, 2016 
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. 

Printed in Belgium   

iii 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 10 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................................................ 12 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 12 

Methodology and Benchmarking tool ........................................................................................................... 12 

Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 12 

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 15 

1.1 Purpose and objectives of the guide book ............................................................................................... 15 

BENCHMARKING TOOL ..................................................................................................................................... 17 

INTRODUCTION TO THE BENCHMARKING TOOL ................................................................................................... 25 

3.1 Practical instructions ............................................................................................................................... 25 

THE TEN DIMENSIONS IN ACTION: A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE CASE STUDIES ............... 27 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

4.4 

4.5 

4.6 

4.7 

4.8 

4.9 

Dimension 1: Visibility ...................................................................................................................... 27 

Dimension 2: Networking ................................................................................................................. 28 

Dimension 3: Legal and regulatory advice ......................................................................................... 30 

Dimension 4: Individual business support ......................................................................................... 31 

Dimension 5: Group business training .............................................................................................. 33 

Dimension 6: Mentoring ................................................................................................................... 34 

Dimension 7: Access to finance......................................................................................................... 36 

Dimension 8: Facilities provision ...................................................................................................... 37 

Dimension 9: Language and cultural sensitivity ................................................................................ 38 

4.10 

Dimension 10: Impact ....................................................................................................................... 40 

5 

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 42 

5.1 

5.2 

Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 42 

Practical suggestions ........................................................................................................................ 44 

Visibility 

 ....................................................................................................................................... 46 

Networking ...................................................................................................................................... 46 

Legal and regulatory advice .............................................................................................................. 47 

Individual business support .............................................................................................................. 47 

Group business training .................................................................................................................... 47 

Mentoring 48 

Access to finance .............................................................................................................................. 48 

Facilities provision ............................................................................................................................ 48 

Language and cultural sensitivity ...................................................................................................... 49 

Impact 

 ....................................................................................................................................... 49 

6 

GOOD PRACTICE CASE STUDIES .......................................................................................................................... 51 

1. 

Singa (France) ................................................................................................................................... 51 

iv 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 51 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 53 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 56 

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 57 

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................................. 59 

2. Intercultural Incubator for Migrant Organizations (Poland) ....................................................................... 60 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 60 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 61 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 63 

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 64 

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................................. 66 

3. Entrepreneurs Without Borders – UoG (Germany) .................................................................................... 67 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 67 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 69 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 71 

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 72 

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................................. 74 

4. MINGO (Austria) ....................................................................................................................................... 75 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 75 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 76 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 78 

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 78 

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................................. 80 

5. Ruta CECE (Spain/Portugal) ....................................................................................................................... 81 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 81 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 83 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 85 

CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 87 

6. Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation – NSFV (Norway) ....................................................... 90 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 90 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 91 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 93 

CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................... 94 

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................................. 96 

7. Barcelona Activa (Spain) ........................................................................................................................... 97 

OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................. 97 

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 99 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 101 

v 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 102 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 104 

8. CNA World (Italy) .................................................................................................................................... 105 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 105 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 106 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 108 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 109 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 111 

9. ENPower (the Netherlands) .................................................................................................................... 112 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 112 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 113 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 116 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 116 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 119 

10. Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs (Portugal) ............................................................................ 120 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 120 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 121 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 122 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 124 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 126 

11. Ethnic Business Coaching (Denmark) ..................................................................................................... 127 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 127 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 128 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 130 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 131 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 133 

12. Enterprising Libraries (United Kingdom) ................................................................................................ 134 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 134 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 136 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 139 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 140 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 143 

13. Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship – PEI (Portugal) ..................................................... 144 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 144 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 145 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 147 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 149 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 151 

vi 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
14. Eliemental (European Union) ................................................................................................................ 152 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 152 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 154 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 156 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 157 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 159 

15. Enterprise and Diversity Alliance - EDA (United Kingdom) ..................................................................... 160 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 160 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 162 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 164 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 166 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 168 

16. Macken (Sweden) ................................................................................................................................. 169 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 169 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 170 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 173 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 173 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 175 

17. Ester Foundation (Sweden) ................................................................................................................... 176 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 176 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 178 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 180 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 181 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 183 

18. FAIE (France) ......................................................................................................................................... 184 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 184 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 185 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 187 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 189 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 191 

19. RAISE (Serbia) ....................................................................................................................................... 192 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 192 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 193 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 196 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 197 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 200 

20. Kompass (Germany) .............................................................................................................................. 201 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 201 

vii 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 202 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 205 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 205 

21. Canada – National Network of Economic Development and Employability (PEI) .................................... 208 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 208 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 209 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 211 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 212 

SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 214 

22. Australia – Ignite Small Business Start-ups ............................................................................................ 215 

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 215 

IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................................ 217 

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 220 

CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 221 

ANNEX 1: INTERACTIVE SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL........................................................................................................... 224 

ANNEX 2: LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 225 

viii 

                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
Glossary 

Glossary for the guide book 

Benchmarking  

Entrepreneurship 

Process of comparing the performance of different support 
schemes, based on explicit criteria. 

Capacity and willingness to develop, organise, and manage a 
business venture. 

Indicator 

Criteria used in the benchmarking. 

Legal expertise 

In-depth knowledge of the law either through education, 
training, and/or professional experience. 

Mainstream support scheme 

Activity or service to support entrepreneurship without focusing 
on a specific target group. 

Migrant 

Third country national legally staying in the host country. Second 
or third generation migrants are also included. 

Migrant entrepreneur 

Multidimensionality 

Migrant (including refugee) legally residing in the EU with 
ambitions to become an entrepreneur, or with experience in 
entrepreneurship.  

Feature of those measures that provide a variety of different 
services in parallel. 

Support scheme 

Activity or service helping beneficiaries become entrepreneurs. 

Targeted support scheme 

Activity or service targeted specifically at migrants, which aims to 
help them become entrepreneurs. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
List of abbreviations  

ACM 

BA 

Alto Comissariado para as Migrações (High Commission for Migrations) 

Barcelona Activa 

BAME 

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic 

BBA 

B2B 

CAP 

CNA 

British Banking Association 

Business-to-Business 

Community Access Point 

Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato e della Piccola e Media Impresa (National 
Confederation of Craftsmanship and Small and Medium Enterprises) 

CNAI 

Centro Nacional de Apoio ao Immigrante (National Support Centre for Immigrants) 

CREME 

Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship 

CRM 

EDA 

ELIE 

ERDF 

ESF 

EU 

FAIE 

FAQ 

Customer Relationship Management 

Enterprise and Diversity Alliance 

Employability: Learning through International Entrepreneurship 

European Regional and Development Fund 

European Social Fund 

European Union 

Favoriser, Accompagner les Initiatives Économiques (Facilitate and Accompany the 
Economic Initiatives) 

Frequently Asked Questions 

GAEM 

Gabinete de Apoio ao Empreendedor Migrante (Office to Active Migrants in Portugal) 

IDP 

IFS 

IOO 

IP 

LEP 

MIOI 

NGO 

NSFV 

OAE 

OECD 

PEI 

RAISE 

Internally Displaced Person 

International Entrepreneur Association 

Integration Outreach Officer 

Intelectual Property 

Local Enterprise Partnership 

Inkubator Międzykulturowy (Intercultural Incubator for Migrants Organizations) 

Non-governmental Organisation 

Norsk senter for flerkulturell verdiskaping (Norwegian Center of Multicultural Value 
Creation) 

Oficina de Atenció a las Empresas (Business Support Office) 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 

Projeto Promoção de Empreendedorismo Imigrante (Project Promoting the Immigrant 
Entrepreneurship) 

Ruralna i poljoprivredna integracija u podržavajućoj okolini (Rural and Agricultural 
Integration within a Supportive Environment) 

RDÉE IPE 

National Network of Economic Development and Employability – Prince Edward Island 

SFEDI 

Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative 

10 

 
 
SPI 

SME 

SSI 

Swedish for Foreigners 

Small and Medium Enterprise 

Settlement Services International 

UNHCR 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

UoG 

Unternehmer ohne Grenzen (Entrepreneurs Without Borders) 

11 

 
 
 
 
Executive summary 

Introduction  

The focus of this study is to: 

  Gather  data  and 
entrepreneurship. 

identify  good  practices  among 

initiatives  supporting  migrant 

  Disseminate  lessons  learned  from  these  successful  initiatives  in  Europe  and  beyond  and  to 

encourage replication of good practices.  

  Provide  a  self-assessment  tool  to  be  used  by  service  providers  to  assess  their  services  and 

identify concrete ways to improve them.  

  Enable policy makers to assess the current performance of migrant entrepreneurship support 

schemes and feed any lessons learned into the next round of decision-making.  

Methodology and Benchmarking tool  

The study is based on three main methodologies: theory-based evaluation with standard evaluation 
criteria, benchmarking, and case studies.   

The  scope  of  the  study  covered the  EU,  its Member  States  (EU28),  Norway,  and  signatories of  the 
COSME programme.  Information on these  countries is gathered at the national, regional, and local 
level, and includes actors from the public, private, and the third sectors. In addition, good practices 
beyond  Europe  were  included  to  provide  inspiration  and  perspectives  from  different  contexts.  The 
result of the first phase was a database of 193 support schemes across Europe and beyond. Among 
these 193 schemes, 38 were selected, taking into account the effectiveness of each initiative, the range 
of services offered, as well as the geographical representation of Member States across the sample. 
These 38 initiatives were benchmarked and 22 were selected as case studies for this guidebook based 
on their scoring, geographical location, and activities coverage. 

Conclusions and Recommendations  

This study confirms the importance of offering comprehensive support to migrants who are willing to 
start  up or scale up a business  in their host  countries. Migrants  face  a set of specific challenges to 
establish and manage entrepreneurial activities in their receiving countries. These challenges are often 
interlinked and typically stem from limited host-country specific human capital, lack of familiarity with 
the functioning of local labour markets and with local business regulatory frameworks, difficulties in 
accessing local business networks, and, crucially, start-up capital and business facilities. The study has 
demonstrated that the measures which address these  difficulties  holistically, by providing migrants 
with a combined offer of training and regulatory advice, social capital, and facilitated access to business 
funding  and  working  spaces,  are  best  suited  to  support  migrant  entrepreneurs  in  a  cost-effective 
fashion and help their businesses to thrive. This is consistent with the findings of the existing literature 
on the subject. 

The study also shows, however, that the provision of such a holistic, multidimensional support cannot 
be used consistently across all types of organisations, as this tends to be too resource-intensive for 
small  to  medium-sized  organisations  operating  at  the  local  level,  which  are  the  most  common 
providers of migrant entrepreneurship support measures. Each of these organisations can rarely rely 
on both business trainers and regulatory advisers specialised to serve the immigrant population, while 
at  the  same  time  leveraging  networks  to  provide  mentoring  opportunities  and  facilitate  access  to 
funding and facilities.  

Against this background of fragmented offers of migrant entrepreneurship support services, the study 
suggests  that  comprehensive  and  multidimensional  support  to  migrant  entrepreneurs  may  still 
become  available,  provided  that  synergies  and  co-operation  among  different  service  providers  are 

12 

 
 
 
 
stimulated. In the case of organisations operating in the same locality or region, co-operation could 
take the form of a concrete pooling of resources – be these specialised trainers and advisers, networks, 
or working facilities, for instance – so as to allow the partner organisations collectively to offer holistic 
support to their clients. When structural co-operation and resource sharing would not be an option – 
as in the case of organisations operating across borders – looser forms of co-operation, such as mutual 
learning  mechanisms,  might  still  help  service  providers  to  offer  a  broader  and  improved  range  of 
support measures, by facilitating a cost-efficient allocation of resources. The study has also pointed to 
the limited sustainability over time of many migrant entrepreneurship support schemes – due largely 
to financial constraints. The fact that many such schemes have traditionally relied largely – when not 
exclusively – on project funding, has meant that a number of initiatives have not continued after the 
inception phase, triggering a “pilot and crash” phenomenon. Alongside helping to expand the range of 
support measures  that  each  service  provider  is  able  to offer  to  migrant  entrepreneurs,  greater  co-
operation  may  contribute  to  fostering  the  sustainability  of  migrant  support  schemes  over  time. 
Resource pooling comes with the key asset of generating economies of scale, though even “lighter” 
models of co-operation may favour a more efficient allocation of resources.          

More generally, the study recommends that in designing migrant entrepreneurship support measures 
service providers and funders alike take into account the existing instruments of support available in a 
given  region  or  country  that  might  help  to  tackle  some  of  the  specific  obstacles  faced  by  migrant 
entrepreneurs.  Bridging  to  mainstream  support  schemes  may  foster  migrant  integration,  provide 
entrepreneurs  with  access  to  a  wide  range  of  services,  and  benefit  from  non-targeted  support 
measures.  The offer of networking measures tasked with helping migrants to access local networks of 
entrepreneurs,  service  providers  (including,  crucially,  credit  institutions)  and  clients  can  provide 
opportunities for the migrant entrepreneurs and contribute to the success of their businesses. This 
study  has  demonstrated that  the  extent  to which migrant  entrepreneurship  support  initiatives  can 
facilitate access to mainstream networks primarily depends on the links that the organisation providing 
support  is  able  to  establish  with  the  broader  business  community.  Mutual  learning,  co-operation, 
resource  sharing  and  referral  to  complementary  support  offers  are  not  the  only  instruments  to 
improve the long-term sustainability of (small) migrant entrepreneurship support schemes over time. 
In  this  respect,  the  study  makes  some  additional  original  suggestions  for  service  providers,  and 
designers. These include:  

 

leverage  volunteering  and  corporate  sponsorship  – 
including  by  successful  migrant 
programme alumni – to expand the resources (both financial and human) available for each 
migrant entrepreneurship support scheme;  

  diversify  the  sources  of  funding  for  each  support  scheme  as  well  as,  when  possible,  the 
activities  carried  out  by  the  service  provider  (for  instance  by  blending  not-for-profit  and 
profitable activities), so as to foster resilience of the scheme over time and if/when one source 
of funding is discontinued; 

  make use of the most recent information technology tools when these may appropriately help 
to reduce the costs of service provision, while reaching out to a broader pool of clients. More 
specifically, the study suggests that an extensive use of social media may be a cost-effective 
strategy  to  raise  awareness  about  the  availability  of  migrant  entrepreneurship  support 
measures. Some training modules as well as general regulatory and legal advice (for example, 
on business registration, tax, and social security compliance etc.) might also be offered through 
web-based  tools,  provided  that  the  materials  are  adapted  to  the  specific  needs  of  the 
immigrant audience, for instance by using simple plain language and/or translation tools.     

The  study  has  demonstrated  that  the  provision  of  multilingual  information  (including  multilingual 
websites) and the recourse to role models from the targeted migrant community can facilitate take-
up  of  the  existing  support  initiatives,  particularly  among  newcomers,  and  encourage  them  to 
participate in the activities. Similarly, a strategy to raise awareness about migrant entrepreneurship 
support initiatives among the immigrant communities may need to involve  the recourse, alongside 
mainstream media, to ethnic media and networks, as well as specific grass-root initiatives.   

13 

 
 
Migrants and migrant entrepreneurs are by no means a homogeneous group. This requires a careful 
assessment  of  the  professional  and  personal  needs  of  each  client  at  the  beginning  of  the  support 
process,  and,  when  necessary,  the  use  of  highly  specialised  trainers to  serve  specific subgroups.  In 
addition,  it  is  advised  that  advisers  working  with  newly-arrived  refugees  receive  training  in 
psychological support and/or have experience in dealing with vulnerable people. 

The  success  of  mentoring  initiatives  depends  largely  on  the  quality  of  the  matching  between  each 
migrant  entrepreneur  and  the  mentor  (along  shared  interests,  prospected  sector  of  activity, 
background  or  location),  as  well  as  the  mentor’s  and  mentee’s  regular  availability.  The  study 
recommends that the design and implementation of mentoring measures strikes an optimal balance 
between the need of structuring the mentoring relationship along clear commitments, schedules and 
duration - so as to set an appropriate framework that can drive concrete results - and the necessary 
flexibility and tailor-made approach to leave room for the engagement of both the mentee and the 
mentor.    

The study also confirms the finding from existing literature that, while difficulties in accessing funding 
from  host  countries’  credit  institutions  and  lenders  are  among  the  most  stubborn  obstacles  that 
migrants  face  to  start  up  or  expand  a  business  in  their  host  country,  only  very  few  migrant 
entrepreneurship support schemes directly provide funding to their clients – in the form of microloans 
and  grants.  While  this  is  a  result  of  these  schemes  being  carried  out  largely  by  NGOs  with  tight 
resources  rather  than  financial  institutions  themselves,  the  study  suggests  that  the  provision  of 
guidance and training on how to develop and present a bankable business plan, and, when possible, 
loan guarantees, can increase the opportunities for migrant entrepreneurs to receive funding for their 
business  ventures. Raising awareness among credit  institutions about  the  specific characteristics of 
migrant lenders is also a promising approach. 

Overall, the study points to the pivotal importance of the “quality” of trainers, advisers, mentors, and 
their  constant  commitment  to  the  provision  of  a  quality  service,  for  building  tailored  and  reliable 
migrant entrepreneurship support  schemes. Thus, for instance, it is recommended that the staff in 
charge of providing regulatory and legal counselling hold relevant qualifications or experience in the 
field of business legal advice and/or legal migration advice.  

Overall, the study concludes that, to be effective, migrant entrepreneurship support schemes need to 
be outcome rather than process-focused, and should therefore measure and monitor their impact. The 
provision of training, mentoring, funding and other services is not a goal in itself, but should translate 
into concrete results in terms of business creation and growth, the economic and social integration of 
migrant  entrepreneurs  in  the  host  community,  and  the  benefits  for  the  community.  Hence,  it  is 
important  to  monitor  the  entrepreneurial  activities  run  by  migrants  who  graduated  out  of  the 
supporting  programmes  and  collect  both  qualitative  and  quantitative  data  to assess  the  success of 
these activities, their added-value for the receiving community as well as, when possible, the linkages 
between these outcomes and the service provided.  

Monitoring and data collection are pivotal both for service providers and funding institutions to make 
informed decisions, respectively, on service design and delivery, and on funding. Yet, as the extensive 
review  of  migrant  entrepreneurship  support  schemes  carried  out  through  this  study  has 
demonstrated,  systematic  monitoring  of  the  outcomes  of  such  schemes  upon  the  completion  of 
service delivery is not frequent, particularly when these are implemented on a project basis. In light of 
this, the study recommends that grants and other funding mechanisms for migrant entrepreneurship 
support schemes provide for the earmarking of a share of the total budget for follow-up, monitoring, 
and  data  collection  upon  the  delivery  of  the  services,  so  that  feedback  can  be  collected  and 
improvements made to the scheme.     

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1  Introduction 

1.1 Purpose and objectives of the guide book 

The promotion of entrepreneurship is incorporated in the Europe 2020 Strategy which aims to create 
the  conditions  for  “smart,  sustainable,  and  inclusive  growth”.  Within  that  framework,  the 
Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan sets out a number of actions, under three different action pillars: 

1.  Entrepreneurial education and training; 

2.  An environment where entrepreneurs can flourish and grow; 

3.  Role models and outreach to specific groups. 

One  particular  commitment  in  the  Action  Plan  is  to  facilitate  entrepreneurship  among  migrants 
already present and residing in the EU based on best practices from Member States. This guide book 
aims to disseminate the lessons learned from successful initiatives in Europe and beyond. 

Through their participation in the labour market, including as entrepreneurs, migrants can add value 
to  society  in  their  adoptive  country.  However,  migrants  often  lack  knowledge  of,  and  information 
about,  the  cultural  business  and  regulatory  environment  of  their  host  country.  Furthermore, 
administrative and socio-cultural difficulties may hamper the potential of migrant entrepreneurs and 
impact on the sustainability and growth potential of the businesses they set up. As a consequence, 
effective and targeted business support schemes have an important role to play in supporting migrant 
entrepreneurs.  

This  guide  book  provides  advice,  good  practices,  and  a  self-assessment  tool  to  be  used  by  service 
providers to improve their services.  

First,  to  assist  the  evaluation  of  migrant  entrepreneurship  support  schemes,  ten  key  assessment 
dimensions were identified: 

Table 1: Dimensions for assessment of support measures promoting migrant entrepreneurship 

1.  Visibility 
2.  Networking 
3.  Legal and regulatory advice 
4. 
Individual business support 
5.  Group business training 
6.  Mentoring 
7.  Access to finance 
8.  Facilities provision  
9.  Language/cultural sensitivity 
10. Impact  

In a second step, out of 193 identified effective support schemes across the EU and beyond, 38 were 
selected.  A  benchmarking  tool  was  developed  to  refine  the  selection  of  good  practices  to  provide 
concrete outstanding examples and guidance for organisations and service providers running support 
schemes,  as  well  as  for  policy  makers.  The  selection  of  good  practice  cases  took  into  account  the 
effectiveness  of  each  initiative,  the  range  of  services  offered,  as  well  as  the  geographical 
representation of Member States across the sample. A small number of relevant good practices from 
outside the EU were also included in the sample for inspiration. 

The first part of this guide book describes the benchmarking tool and provides practical instructions to 
use it (Chapters 2 and 3). Following this, the ten dimensions are described in detail and examples from 
the 20 European good practice cases are provided to demonstrate how the success indicators in the 
benchmarking tool can be applied in practice (Chapter 4). Chapter 5 provides practical tips for each of 

15 

 
 
 
the ten dimensions to be considered by current and future service providers.  Finally, Chapter 6 then 
presents the 20 European good practice case studies in full, followed by the two international ones 
coming  from  countries,  Canada  and  Australia,  with  a  longstanding  tradition  of  promoting  and 
supporting migrant entrepreneurship.  

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
2  Benchmarking tool  

The table on the following pages presents the benchmarking tool.  

Click here to access the full benchmarking tool provided in Annex 1. 

17 

 
 
Dimension 

Indicator 
number

Sub-indicators

Yes/No

Ideal example

Score

Online presence and visibility

Dimension 

1- Visibility

1.1

1.2

Is there a webpage dedicated to this specific scheme?

the

Is
alternatively is a mobile application available?

above-mentioned webpage mobile-friendly,

The scheme promotes its activities through a website. It contains a main home page where the scheme is presented and the business environment in the 
host country is described. The main home page is completed by additional pages that describe each service of the scheme in further detail. Information 
about how to apply for the scheme and about the organisation itself and what kinds of other services they offer is also provided.
A calendar of all the networking events is provided, as well as modules of business training and downloadable course materials in a number of languages. 
There is an intranet that only the participants have access to where additional materials and information can be found. Through this intranet, participants 
may also exchange experiences, ideas and thoughts.
Answers to most common questions about the scheme are provided. In addition, the website provides information and additional website links regarding 
other areas that might be of interest to migrant entrepreneurs, such as information on visa requirements, work and residence permits, health insurance or 
education systems (for example compulsory attendance of children in the last year of pre-school or language assistance in schools). 

or

 The scheme has a mobile application and its website is also compatible with internet browsers on smartphones and tablets. The mobile application offers 
the same information available on the website in a more concise form, it also includes a translation folder where the users of the application can find 
business terminology in the  language of the host country with translations into the languages most spoken by migrants in the host country. The application 
also has a real-time chat service through which the users can communicate with the scheme’s service providers, for instance to ask for contacts, or quick 
legal or business questions.

Are there links or mentions of the webpage in other media?

The scheme is mentioned on other websites, including local authorities or government websites, leaflets of employment agencies and other organisations 
which support migrants or entrepreneurs and NGOs targeting minorities, refugees or asylum seekers.

Is the information available on the service provider's webpage
accurate and up-to-date?

The website of the scheme provides most of its information in languages most likely to be spoken by the migrant population in the host country. All this 
information is checked regularly to make sure it is up-to-date and accurate.

Are the contact details of relevant insitutions listed on the
website?

Are grassroot events organised to raise awareness of this
scheme?

The website includes contact information for all the relevant institutions, authorities and organisations that the migrant entrepreneurs might need. These 
include the local employment office, local and national chambers of commerce, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Justice, Interior Ministry and its dedicated local 
departments where migrants have to register/apply for residence permits, and others, such as contacts for NGOs that provide free-of-charge services to 
migrants. For each of these entities, correct and complete contact information is provided (with regards to national authorities it includes the specific 
departments) together with a short informative paragraph that describes what these entities do in the area of migration and migrant entrepreneurship by 
giving specific examples on the problems they can help with.

Local events and use of migrant networks

The organisation participates in local, regional and minority festivals/festivities where it has a stand through which it promotes the scheme and provides 
general information about entrepreneurship. 
During festive periods connected with traditions and beliefs of migrant and minority communities, the scheme also has a promotional stand in the vicinity of 
frequently-visited gathering places.
The scheme organises events to commemorate World Refugee Day, such as special visits to refugee and asylum seeker centres where past participants talk 
about their life stories and how the scheme has helped them establish their own business and integration into the host country's society.
These events also include entrepreneurial competitions, such as quizzes designed to test the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of those participating, and 
at the same time educate them about entrepreneurship and the business environment in the host country.

Does the service provider physically go to areas where migrants
live to reach out to them?

The scheme uses local Community Access Points (CAPs) to reach its target audience and to spread awareness about its services, these localities include local 
barbershops, community centres and other socialising spaces, such as centres providing after-school activities for children or launderettes and bakeries. The 
scheme also organises introductory talks in refugee and asylum seeker centres, and local cultural centres for minorities providing information on the scheme 
and its services, entrepreneurship, business environment in the host country and topics pertinent to the particularity of migrant entrepreneurship.

Are migrant networks engaged in the outreach campaign of
this scheme?

The scheme closely cooperates with a number of migrant and minority communities (such as local schools, cultural/sporting centres, but also migrant 
business associations and other types of migrant networks) to reach its target group by giving talks in the community centres and by networking within the 
different communities.

0

0

Is this scheme promoted at public events?

Is this scheme marketed through newspapers and newsletters
(including community publications and publications available
online)?

The scheme participates in local and regional festivals and a number of national, business and other fairs, such as Christmas fairs, book or food fairs. It 
attends large events that attract media attention and a lot of participants to give talks that can either provide information about the scheme or concrete tips 
about entrepreneurship or migration, as well as network with the audience.

The scheme has an integrated communications campaign. It advertises its services in local newspapers and cooperates with local communities on 
information dissemination through community (online) newsletters and ethnic publications.

Integrated communication campaign

Is the service provider active on social media to raise
awareness of this scheme?

The support scheme is very active on all forms of social media, it uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for information dissemination about the 
scheme and its events. In addition, information about entrepreneurship that is useful for the target audience is distributed through these channels, namely 
advertisement of available office spaces, workshops organised by other entities on business and entrepreneurship, new laws/decrees about 
entrepreneurship, national support schemes for entrepreneurs etc.
Awareness is also raised through the use of a YouTube channel with short instructional videos about a number of topics, such as an introduction to business, 
what is entrepreneurship, how to become an entrepreneur, or a step-by-step guide to filling in necessary licence permits or migration forms. Participants, 
interested migrants and natives may contact the organisation through these channels as well.

Has the service provider appeared on TV or on the radio to
raise awareness of this scheme?

The scheme’s staff, including trainers, have been interviewed for national and international media and short TV news reports about the services offered have 
been broadcast. A documentary about the support measure was broadcast on a national television channel. The scheme is exploring the possibility of 
cooperating with a local radio channel to host weekly interactive Q&A sessions.

Are testimonials of entrepreneurs with a migrant background
used for outreach and to raise awareness of the scheme?

Are leaders of migrant communities involved in outreach
activities for this scheme?

Total

Reaching out to role models

Testimonials of past participants and their stories are published on the website and on promotional materials, such as information leaflets. Previous 
participants that have become entrepreneurs are often invited to give talks at different types of events to inspire and encourage potential participants to 
join.

The practice cooperates closely with migrant communities and their leaders, who are actively involved in disseminating information through talks, written 
materials and by word of mouth. This information is both integrated within the scheme's own communication methods, but is also conducted through the 
leaders' own channels.

Network provision

Has the service provider built a network?

Since its establishment, the scheme has been building its network of contacts and partners through an active collaboration with different relevant actors in 
the private and public sector, such as national authorities or NGOs. These actors are generally incentivised to collaborate with the scheme, as they also 
benefit from the events and activities, for example, through new partnerships and mutual knowledge exchange.

Do the migrant entrepreneurs benefit from these contacts?

Does the network include most of the relevant stakeholders?

Are the members of the network from a range of different
professions?

Beneficiaries have access to the network at events, but also on request or if the need is identified during the consulting or training. They can then be directly 
referred to different organisations or people from the network. A lot of networking activity also takes place through the various organised events, such as 
business fairs (national and local), workshops, seminars, business breakfasts, theme nights, guest lectures, job and educational fairs, and many others. 
Chambers of commerce and business associations are also part of, or organisers of, these events and beneficiaries have, therefore, the opportunity to 
network with these actors. The events are open to different audiences (including both native and migrant entrepreneurs). The scheme also cooperates very 
closely with mainstream support measures for entrepreneurs and such actors may also be part of the organised events. In addition, visits to local 
municipalities, financial institutions and local businesses and large enterprises are organised on a monthly basis.

Variety of actors involved in the network

The network is comprised of a variety of public and private stakeholders: local/regional/national authorities, associations, suppliers, local businesses, banks 
and other financial institutions, chambers of commerce, migrant and minority associations, trade associations, universities, local start-up hubs, NGOs 
providing free legal services, local European and international representations, educational institutions, language institutions, cultural centres, sports clubs 
and many others.

The network members come from a variety of areas and sectors relevant to business and entrepreneurship, including craftsmanship, chambers of commerce, 
business associations and education entities. Representatives of different business sectors and specific associations are also included in the network, for 
example, the Association of Street Food Vendors or High Street Business Association. Visits to local financial institutions are also arranged together with a 
mock loan decision process.

1.3

1.4

2.1

2.2

0

0

0

0

2- Networking

2.3

2.4

3.1

Are there opportunities to network with other migrant and
native entrepreneurs,
including potential business suppliers
and clients? 

Networking opportunities with entrepreneurs

The scheme’s participants have opportunities to network through various events, like business breakfasts and business fairs. Within these events, specific 
activities are organised so that migrants and native entrepreneurs can interact with each other and exchange experiences. There is a “tandem” activity where 
beneficiaries are paired with a local native entrepreneur to provide support to each other with real business issues. On many occasions this pairing has 
turned into a business partnership. The support scheme also facilitates exchanges where a migrant entrepreneur might spend a couple of days with an 
already established migrant or native entrepreneur or in a medium-sized enterprise to gain first-hand experience of how a business operates and what the 
day-to-day challenges are. In addition, the scheme hosts an annual "networking cruise" - an event intended to build connections between immigrant business 
owners and the broader business community on a cruise.

Networking opportunities with chambers of commerce and business associations

Does this scheme help participants access the services provided
by chambers of commerce and business associations?

The scheme organises events and visits to chambers of commerce and various business associations. Additionally, beneficiaries are encouraged to participate 
in events held by these organisations, such as lectures or theme nights as they provide good opportunities for networking. 

Total

Provision of legal and regulatory advice

Is legal and regulatory advice provided, including both advice 
related to setting up a business and to immigration regulation?

The scheme offers legal and regulatory one-to-one advice sessions that are tailored to the specific needs of the migrant receiving this support. It can include 
legal and regulatory advice on business setup (for example, taxation, licences, bookkeeping) and/or areas regarding migration law, legal status, residency or 
naturalisation. These sessions are available on request when needed.

Is information regarding legal and regulatory advice available 
on the service provider's webpage?

Exhaustive information is available on the website on all legal aspects of migration and business creation in different sectors, including links to relevant 
authorities and service providers. Legal and regulatory information is also available in a concise form through the scheme’s mobile application where real-
time chat with specialist staff is available. The scheme’s profiles on social media also provide legal information and advice.

3- Legal and regulatory advice

3.2

Is legal and regulatory advice delivered in a personalised way 
to answer the specific needs of individuals?

Legal advice is provided through one-to-one sessions where the advisers adapt the services provided to the specific needs of the migrant entrepreneur. 
Group information sessions, such as workshops or seminars, on more general legal and regulatory topics are also organised.

3.3

Is legal and regulatory advice provided by legal experts?

3.4

Are relevant professionals and administrations involved either 
to update the legal advisers on new developments or to engage 
directly with the migrant entrepreneurs?

Total

4. Individual business support

4.1

Are individual needs assessed and an individual action plan 
agreed on?

Professionals providing this advice have a law background or significant experience and in-depth knowledge of entrepreneurship and the legal aspect of 
business creation in the host country. Should a beneficiary of this support require more specialised services, legal advisers can refer them to more competent 
entities in the particular area that needs addressing.

Legal advisers receive training from authorities when legislation changes. Relevant professionals and authorities are frequently invited to provide guest 
lectures to migrant entrepreneurs on the legal aspects of business creation and legal migration.

Provision of individual business support

The scheme provides a highly-personalised service where advisers agree the course of action with each individual participant depending on their needs and 
goals. This type of support can be provided at every stage of entrepreneurship, such as when migrants are thinking about opening their own business, when 
they already have a specific idea/plan in mind, when they are in the process of putting this idea into practice or when they have already established a 
business. This support is also provided as a complementary activity to business training.
The assessment of individual needs includes going over the business plan in detail point by point and discussing what particular action is needed for each 
step and for the migrant to achieve his/her business idea. For example, when a participant’s plan is to acquire a food truck business, the business adviser can 
focus on the requirements of this particular area and can go over the possible challenges with the beneficiary, such as where a person can get a vehicle 
suitable for this kind of enterprise, what the necessities of its upkeep are (foe example, where it will be parked when not in business, how will it be cleaned), 
what kind of permits are necessary, what are the health and safety regulations regarding food distribution, how will the supplies be obtained, or what are the 
regulations on street vending/parking among others. Referrals to other more specialised services, like a culinary workshop on food presentation, can also be 
given.
After each and every point is examined, a plan can be outlined on how to tackle every one of these challenges.
The individual business advice is also available for already established migrant entrepreneurs that would like to discuss business growth strategies, the 
market possibilities or just brainstorm possibilities to update their enterprise. 
In addition, the advisers also provide advice to develop communication skills and assertiveness, as well as assistance regarding mental health and family 
situations that might have an impact on the business.

Is business support provided on a one-to-one basis?

The support is provided through individual face-to-face meetings and when the participant's situation requires it through telephone and email. The advisers 
often give participants some assignments pertaining to their business plans to develop for the next session.

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4.2

4.3

4.4

5.1

5.2

Is advice and support on the host market as well as on all the 
main steps of entrepreneurship (including developing ideas, 
mobilising resources, financial literacy, business planning and 
management, coping with uncertainty and risk) provided 
through business advisers or coaches?

The services provided include support at every stage of business development including the main steps of entrepreneurship, such as: brainstorming at the 
idea phase (finding the right idea/area of business); discussing business ideas (is the business idea achievable/suitable in real life); establishing the business 
plan and budget (how will the business idea be achieved, what are the necessary means to achieve this idea); and registration of the company (necessary 
licences and permits); advice about regulations (tax, social security, etc.) together with information on local, national and European markets; day-to-day 
operations of running a business (for example, end of a day inventory of stock and takings); or growth strategy for the future development of the business. 
During the sessions participants are encouraged to express their fears and doubts so that they can be addresses by the advisers and constructive solutions 
can be found.
For example, should a migrant entrepreneur come for advice about expanding his business into online sales, the adviser may propose participating in a 
computer literacy class specialising in design and infrastructure or can put the beneficiary in touch with start-up companies in his community working in this 
area or a local entrepreneur providing similar services to the ones the beneficiary is aspiring to provide.

Is feasibility assessment conducted for the ideas of each of the 
potential migrant entrepreneurs?

The advisers go through each individual business plan to assess its feasibility to see if the plan is based on a real situation of the target market and abilities of 
the participant and address any deficiencies. This is done in collaboration with the migrant entrepreneur and also takes into account the national context and 
the labour market. Role playing may also be used to see how the participant would react in stressful situations.

Do the business advisers or trainers have experience with 
business set up and administrative procedures?

The advisers have entrepreneurial experience and are thus familiar with all the procedures entrepreneurship entails in the host market. They have experience 
in different sectors and know the local area and administration really well.

Total

Provision of business training

Is business training provided?

Is the number of training hours provided and the length of
training adequate for comprehensive training?

Does the group training cover knowledge and skills specific to
the host market in addition to modules covering most aspects
of entrepreneurship (including developing ideas, mobilising
resources, financial
literacy and access to funding, planning
and management, coping with uncertainty and risk, and the
legal and administrative aspects of setting up a company)?

Does the service provider provide a range of training related to
the idea (seed) stage all the way through the business creation
and growth stages?

The scheme offers two business training courses depending on the participant’s business development stage. There is a course for beginners that targets 
migrants thinking about opening a business, those who already have a specific idea in mind and those that have previous experience with running their own 
business, but that for various reasons are not in entrepreneurship at the moment. The business training for beginners includes four modules. The four 
modules are – business environment (local/national/European/international), how to set up a business, day-to-day functioning of the business, and growth 
strategy. To achieve a balance between information provided and applying it in real life, each module in the beginners course lasts about four weeks.
The second course is an advanced course for migrants who own a business but would like to develop it further. The advanced course offers the first and the 
last module of the beginners course but participants may voluntarily participate in sessions of the other two modules. The fact that the advanced course 
participants may not have too much availability given their work commitments is taken into account, therefore, the modules for the advanced course are 
spread across eight weeks each.

Each of the courses consist of group and one-to-one sessions and every two weeks there is an evening lecture where participants from the two courses 
interact with each other and exchange ideas and experiences.
The beginners course is the more comprehensive of the two and, therefore, two group sessions per week and an individual advice session every other week 
take place.
The advance course consists of a one group session per week and one individual session every other week.
During each group session participants receive homework, related to their business idea, to be developed for the next session (for example, in the module on 
business environment if a participant intends to open a small repair business he is asked to do research into this area of the local market).

Breadth of training content

The overarching topics are how to best mobilise one’s personal resources (such as skills, knowledge or savings) and elevate financial literacy together with 
information on various forms of financial aid. Given the usage of practical exercises and assignments to be developed at home, the participants obtain and 
develop their managerial skills. Through the practical exercises, participants are also taught how to cope with stressful situations.

The training is divided into four modules. In the first module, participants receive introductory information about the business environment in general, in the 
host country and in each sector, such as laws, regulations, licence requirements, business etiquette, or among others differences between various cultures.
The second part focuses on developing a viable business idea to set up a business, this requires more practical information regarding specific business sectors 
(those that are relevant to participants), it goes over the necessities required to open a business (licences, permits, registration), necessary funding, 
marketing, etc.
The third module revolves around the everyday workings of a business, such as taxation, re-stocking of shelves (if relevant), purchasing supplies, closing 
down the till, health and safety regulations and others.
The last section focuses on developing the business further including the development of additional skills (such as comprehensive advertisement strategies) 
and growth strategies.

0

0

0

0

0

5- Group business training

Is there a balance between theoretical and practical training?

Theoretical information and exercises are supported by the provision of specific success stories and by using the participants' ideas as mock examples to 
provide more targeted advice. The emphasis is on participants to participate in as many practical exercises as possible where they hone their entrepreneurial 
skills, such as role playing of various stressful scenarios or mock shopping exercises/meetings with clients. 
The courses consist of modules that contain an extensive amount of information that is invaluable for the participants in their quest to set up a business. 
Modules 2, 3 and 4 specialise particularly on topics pertaining to developing a business idea, putting the idea into practice and possible future developments 
of the idea/business. On top of various exercises and homework focused on the areas taught, participants have to develop a viable business plan/growth 
strategy throughout the course that the trainer assesses periodically. The business plan includes the set up stage of the business, its maintenance and growth 
strategy for the future.
Visits to start-up hubs and other entities, such as banks or national enterprises, are also organised within the framework of the course. Additionally, the 
course participants may attend numerous specialised events, like workshops, seminars or guest lecturers, that the scheme organises and that provide 
additional support/inspiration/information/advice to them in the area of business creation.
During the course, participants are encouraged to try out their ideas in practice through a pop-up shop set up by the scheme or the scheme’s 
kitchen/cafeteria, and approach potential clients/suppliers either on their own or through the networking events organised by the scheme.

Is the training timetable flexible?

5.3

Flexibility of training and availability of didactic material

The time when the group classes are held is agreed before the beginning of the course taking into account the needs of the majority of the participants. 
Therefore, it is possible for the beginners group session to occur every Tuesday morning and Friday evening and for the advanced course group sessions to be 
held on Saturday afternoons. Trainers have a flexible schedule and can adapt the timetable to the needs of the participants with regards to the one-to-one 
sessions.

Is the training material available online? Is it available for
offline use through downloading?

The training material is available in print and online in an easily downloadable format and with further details on specific topics, such as health and safety 
regulations, social security or taxation, bookkeeping or information on incubators and available funding.

5.4

Are trainers experienced in the field of entrepreneurship?

Trainers are former or current entrepreneurs in the local area and receive regular training to keep their knowledge up-to-date.

Total

6.1

Is mentoring provided?

The scheme matches participants with mentors. The mentoring partnership in the area of administrative and business guidance should last at least 6 months. 
Mentoring is available as a complementary service to the business training or as a separate activity, however, it is advised that the recipients of this support 
participate in at least one or two individual business advice sessions for the scheme’s staff to be able to assess their mentoring needs.

6.2

Is a mentor/mentee matching procedure in place?

The matching procedure assesses each individual participant and mentor to try to find the best match possible based on business sector, background, 
interests, personality and other decisive factors, such as mobility.

6. Mentoring

7- Access to finance

6.3

6.4

7.1

7.2

Assess the nature of the mentoring (frequency, length, type of 
interactions, etc.)

There are no set rules for this activity, frequency, length and type of interaction are to be designed on a case-by-case basis. In fact, the mentor/mentee build 
their own relationship and decide on the frequency and form of communication in order to adapt to the needs and availability of the persons involved. The 
mentorship should last at least until a couple of months after the business has been established so that mentees can take full advantage of this support 
structure and discuss and address with mentors their observations/problems previously not foreseen, planned for, in their business plans. 

Are objectives and success indicators set for the mentoring 
activity? 

Total

Is information about the different options to access finance 
provided?

Is support to develop a bankable business plan provided?

Objectives of how the mentorship should help the participant’s business are established during the first meeting and are reflected upon regularly. Indicators 
are agreed to evaluate the progress made (for example, finding the right workspace/shop area, or developing the final product to be sold or it can be 
something smaller, such as finalising the business idea) and to encourage the migrant entrepreneur to reach particular goals (opening the business on time, 
securing funding, hiring a first employee, etc.).

The trainers and advisers provide information and advice on all forms of financial support, such as loans, microcredit, grants, crowdfunding, leasing etc. and 
provide contacts to relevant credit institutions as well as banks, loaning institutions, organisations providing microcredit, crowdfunding platforms, business 
angels, co-operatives etc.

Support to develop a financial plan

Participants work on creating a bankable/feasible/viable business plan through the support they receive, for example, in the beginners business course each 
group session has portion of its time devoted to discussing the business plan with other participants to brainstorm ideas. These can be further developed in 
the one-to-one sessions where more detailed and delicate parts of the business plan are discussed (such as, where will the financing come from, if the 
participant will borrow from his/her family how will the payments be set up to avoid unpleasant situations). There are individual activities and practical 
exercises pertaining to this goal included in the business course.

Once the enterprise is set up, are follow-up sessions to oversee
the business's financial fitness carried out (in particular cash
flow and profitability)?

The practice holds follow-up sessions for its past participants at least once every three months up to two years after the business has been established where 
additional information and fitness checks can be provided (this timeline was devised from experience and feedback of past participants). The aim of this 
follow-up is to oversee the business's financial fitness and to address (either in the follow-up session or in a series of individual business advice sessions) any 
specific issue encountered in this regard.
Participants are welcome to contact the scheme more often should they need more regular support.

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Do banks and/or credit institutions collaborate with the service
provider in the context of the scheme?

Funding provision and involvement of banks/credit institutions

Financial institutions participate regularly in events organised by the practice and there are specialised sessions with these institutions ensuring an exchange 
and understanding of the needs of both the migrant entrepreneurs and the credit institutions. Furthermore, there is a specific collaboration with a partner 
providing microcredit (see below). Visits to these institutions are also organised regularly for training and exchanges between the banks and the migrant 
entrepreneurs.

Is microcredit provided by or via the service provider? If not, is
it provided by a partner organisation?

The practice cooperates with a partner that provides microcredit and has specific initiatives based on the particularity of migrant entrepreneurship (such as 
longer repayment periods and multiple guarantors) and where business training courses' participants can take out loans in a less costly way and with lower 
risks. The partner has set up an account which guarantees 80% of the loan of each entrepreneur. The scheme may pose as a participant’s guarantor.

7.3

8.1

Apart from microcredit, are other forms of funding provided
(including alternative finance like crowdfunding platforms)?

Total

Is free or discounted working space provided?

8.2

Are additional services provided alongside the working space?

Participants receive information about alternative fund raising and advisers may provide support in the form of advice or technical assistance with the 
creation of crowd funding profiles or can refer the participants to other institutions that pursue this kind of support. The scheme also prepares its 
participants to fulfil the necessary requirements for salary subsidies (before and after opening a business) offered by the employment office and provides 
information and support on other mainstream financial initiatives.
For participants from a specific background (such as refugees or asylum seekers that may not have an established support system, i.e. family, in the host 
country) the scheme can, in cooperation with some of its partners ( a bank and charity), provide start-up grants of up to 2,000 EUR per beneficiary. The sum 
of the start-up grant is intentionally kept small in terms of scale and value, so that individual beneficiaries can handle them. In order to receive this grant, 
beneficiaries that fulfil the requirements have to present their business plan in front of a committee that consists of representatives of the scheme, 
partnering organisations and NGOs specialising on support provision for migrants, the committee then assesses the preparedness of the beneficiary based on 
the feedback from trainers and from other support measures the beneficiary receives.

Support to rent or buy working space

The scheme offers a number of office spaces available for migrant entrepreneurs to lease out for a small fee. There are also desks with computers and an 
internet connection on its premises available for the scheme’s participants to use, for example, to work on their course homework and develop their business 
idea.

The scheme organises fairs where participants can promote and sell their products and businesses. The scheme also regularly organises pop-up shops where 
migrant entrepreneurs may sell and advertise their products/services. Furthermore, a kitchen area and a cafeteria are located in the building of the working 
space for entrepreneurs in the catering sector where they can try out their ideas and experience in practice what it entails to run their own business (through 
the communal cafeteria) or how one has to adapt their cooking (time, preparation etc.) when cooking for larger quantities of people.
The scheme regularly uses the services of its past participants when organising an event (such as contracting them as caterers, digital support providers, 
entertainment or sanitary services). It also acts as a bridge between migrant entrepreneurs and local/regional authorities in public procurement.

Is support to find (co)working space, shop floor or workshop 
room provided?

Trainers and advisers provide information on securing contracts and can help with finding a (co)working place, shop floor or workshop room. The training 
also covers this area in the modules by explaining the usual contractual obligations and liabilities and other necessities, such as property and content 
insurance. Additionally, the advisers can visit the location of the prospective business and assess its suitability for the participant's enterprise.

Can the service provider help the migrant secure a contract at 
rates that he can afford?

The practice has many partners that provide (co)working facilities and have agreements in place to provide more favourable rates. If the participant has 
found a space outside of these agreements, the legal staff and business advisers can go through the contract with the participant explaining the terminology, 
obligations and commitments and may also participate in the negotiation of the price. The scheme can also function as a guarantor on lease agreements.

8- Facilities provision

8.3

Total

Is written and oral information provided in the languages 
commonly spoken by migrants in this specific area (including 
on the website)?

9- Language and cultural sensitivity

9.1

Are the services (e.g. business training, advice, or mentoring) 
provided in the different languages commonly spoken by 
migrants in the specific area?

Provision of services and information in other languages

The information provided through the scheme and its website is in the host country's language and languages most commonly spoken  by the migrant 
population in the area.

Some rounds of the beginners business course are bilingual since some of its participants have not been in the host country long enough to confidently use 
their basic knowledge of the host country’s language. The trainer provides information in the participants’ native language and includes terminology and 
important business expressions in the host country’s language. The advanced course is provided mainly in the host country's language with some specific 
information provided in multiple languages since the participants are established entrepreneurs who are integrated in the host market. The individual 
business support is more specialised and can be provided in the native language of the migrants. The legal and regulatory advice can be provided in both 
migrant’s native language and the language of the host country (usually the advisers use both languages, the former to explain the content of the 
terminology that is used in the latter language).

Is the number of languages available adequate?

The number of languages reflects the composition of the migrant population, and covers almost all the languages spoken by migrants in the local area.

9.2

Can the migrant entrepreneurs learn the language of the host 
country through the service provider?

The organiser of the scheme provides language courses and business language courses in the language of the host country.

0

0

0

0

0

0

Does the personnel receive training in interacting with and 
supporting people from different cultural backgrounds?

9.3

The service providers receive training on interacting with different cultures and migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The scheme actively recruits its staff 
from migrant communities and many of the employees have a migrant background which provide an added value both for language coverage and for the 
understanding of the specific needs of the migrants.

Are trainers experienced in working with people from different 
cultures?

Most of the staff have experience of working with people from different cultural backgrounds, in particular the migrants from different communities in the 
local area.

Trainers' background

Total

10.1

What proportion of scheme's participants has created a 
business as a direct result of their participation?

Most of the participants receiving this support either open their own business or find employment in an already established enterprise or chose additional 
education, training or apprenticeship. About two thirds open their own business, and one quarter find other forms of employment or continue with further 
education, training or apprenticeship provided by other partnering entities, such as universities, vocational training schools or crafts apprenticeship. The 
remaining number accounts for a leeway in participants setting up businesses together with other participants, working as a freelancer or other.

Growth of businesses

10- Impact

10.2

10.3

10.4

Two years later, what proportion of these businesses has 
demonstrated their long-term viability?

More than half of the businesses opened are still in operation after two years. Additionally, some businesses merge with other businesses or are bought out 
or change ownership.

Have these companies generated significant additional 
employment?

On average, these businesses created additional 1.5 jobs within their first year of functioning.

Do these businesses have a growth strategy?

Growth strategy is part of the initial business plan for participants in the beginners training course. Through the follow-up sessions after they open their 
business, advisers can go over the strategy periodically with the beneficiaries and can help with its more detailed development.
Advanced training course includes help with creating and implementing a growth strategy. Migrant entrepreneurs interested in this area of business can also 
be referred to other partnering organisations, like business accelerators, that may provide additional services.

Can the participants receive certificates or recommendations
after completion of the programme? What proportion of the
participants
or
recommendation?

certificate

actually

receive

does

a

Bridge to employment

Participants receive certificates after the completion of the course (provided that they participated in more than 70% of the sessions) and those with a viable 
business plan receive a recommendation letter. On average more than 80% receive the certificate and about 60% receive the recommendation letter.

Is this scheme a bridge enabling the migrants to benefit from
mainstream support for entrepreneurs?

Information about mainstream measures is provided and upon successful completion of the business training, participants can be referred to mainstream 
support measures for further help and networks. Established contacts with such service providers exist, and migrants do not need to file another application. 
Representatives and beneficiaries of mainstream schemes are invited regularly to workshops and other events organised by the scheme.

Have the participants who did not become entrepreneurs
found other forms of employment?

Participants who decide not to open their own business are encouraged to find employment in other areas and can receive support or be directed to support 
services to this end (for example, help with CV structure, interview preparation etc.). Most of the participants who did not set up their own business found 
employment or started a course at university or in vocational education. 

Has there been evidence of wider positive socio-economic 
impact?

Have other initiatives replicated this one? Has learning been
shared and lessons applied? 

Total

Positive spill overs

Successful migrant entrepreneurs have been integrated into their host community through their links with customers and suppliers, and their active 
participation in the labour market. Half have even hired new employees (not only from migrant/minority communities) after two years, and are looking to 
scale up. Depending on the area of participants’ businesses it can lead to the renewal of lost occupations and professions, such as artisanal handicraft and 
mending or hand-made leather accessories.

The service provider cooperates closely with other national/foreign practices providing similar support. The staff exchanges knowledge regularly with and 
provides support to other entities that are replicating this support programme. Following the establishment of this scheme, a number of similar support 
measures have been set up in neighbouring regions. The organisation readily shares its material and practices to facilitate replication, shares lessons learnt 
and networks with similar organisations.

0

0

0

0

0

3  Introduction to the benchmarking tool  

3.1 Practical instructions 

This  section  provides  guidelines  for  the  use of  the  interactive  self-assessment  tool with the  aim of 
enabling service providers to assess their own support initiatives, and to identify areas of strengths, as 
well as areas for improvement.  

The benchmarking tool is structured along ten dimensions (see Table 1 in Introduction). Eight of these 
represent types of activities, while the remaining two represent overarching dimensions (language and 
cultural sensitivity and impact). In order to evaluate the success of practices against each dimension, 
a number of indicators were developed. An initial set of indicators was developed based on a literature 
review and expert consultation. Over 80 interviews with service providers and beneficiaries, and a pilot 
benchmarking exercise looking at 38 practices in detail, resulted in the final version of the tool provided 
in this guide book.  

The  table  below  outlines  the  five  steps  to  follow  to  use  the  tool  effectively  as  a  means  of  self-
assessment. These instructions have to be read in conjunction with the benchmarking tool itself which 
is provided in Annex 1.  

Table 2: Step-by-step instructions for the interactive self-assessment tool 

Step-by-step approach 

1.  The ten dimensions are listed in the tool (“Dimensions” column) to enable a quick evaluation of 
areas of activity in which you are active. By checking this list, you will quickly identify your main 
activities.  

2. 

In the column titled “Sub-indicators”, a number of indicators and sub-indicators are listed for each 
dimension to enable you to assess your own activities and the services you provide. In a first step, 
the list of sub-indicators can be used as a check list with a simple yes/no answer in the next column 
(“Yes/No” column). There is also space provided for any comments/justifications or further details 
explaining your answer (“Description/Justification” column). 

3.  Next to the descriptions/justifications column, there is an exemplary model (column called “Ideal 
example”)  to  illustrate  the  tool.  Please  note  that  these  examples  are  imaginary,  but  based  on 
extensive data collection.  

4. 

In a further step, you can use the benchmarking tool in Annex 1 to assign scores for all indicators 
that you answered yes to as a means of self-assessing your activities (“Score” column). The scores 
are assigned on a scale from 0 to 5, with the following meaning: 

0= no, this is not the focus of our scheme 

1= no, and my organisation has limited knowledge and information about providers of this service  

2= no, but my organisation can provide information upon request 

3= my organisation does not provide this service directly, but systematically signposts beneficiaries to the 
right providers 

4= yes, my organisation provides this service 

5= yes, and my organisation is excellent in this domain 

Here,  it  is  important  to  note  that  some  indicators  (highlighted  in  yellow  in  the  tool) have  been 
assigned double weight as they are considered particularly important. 

Based on the scoring per indicator, an overall percent score is automatically calculated (taking into 
account also the double weighting of some indicators).  

25 

 
 
 
 
Step-by-step approach 

5.  Once you have assigned a score to each indicator in the benchmarking tool in  Annex 1, you can 
move on to the third tab to see a spider chart with a visual overview of your services, indicating 
strengths and areas of improvement for your activities.  

26 

 
 
 
 
4  The ten dimensions in action: a close examination of their 

implementation in the case studies  

The  sections  below  are  structured  according  to  the  ten  dimensions.  Each  section  provides  an 
introduction to the dimension and a cross analysis of relevant practices identified as good examples 
within each dimension. While each dimension can be considered separately, it must be specified that 
several schemes enable entrepreneurs to benefit from different services in parallel. Indeed, a single 
support scheme may include a number of different dimensions (for example providing services related 
to training, mentoring, and access to finance). The more aspects the scheme entails, the more support 
the entrepreneur is likely to receive relative to the time he/she invests in seeking help. There is also 
evidence  that accompanying the  migrant entrepreneur throughout the different  stages of business 
creation  and  integration  is  most  effective.  Indeed,  the  migrant  entrepreneur  can  thus  build  the 
relationships needed to succeed and the service provider can get to know the beneficiary’s skills and 
project and tailor its services to these. 

4.1 Dimension 1: Visibility 

Creating awareness of existing support services and relevant institutions and organisations among the 
migrant population is a challenge for service providers who are not necessarily used to engaging in a 
targeted manner with this population.  

While online communication can be effective, community organisations are better placed to ensure 
that the right target is reached, notably through local and grass root events such as festivals, fairs or 
markets. These events can provide the opportunity to disseminate information about existing services 
and  meet  potential  beneficiaries.  Building  on  existing  networks  and  partnerships  with  community 
organisations and migrant associations is important in this context to find out about local events or 
activities through which information can be disseminated.  

One way of reaching out  is through mobile  units, i.e. sending out a team of representatives  of the 
support scheme to provide information about the service provided in public places such as a shopping 
mall or market where it is known that there is a large community of migrants. These activities are best 
combined with an integrated communication campaign, conducted through different media such as 
events, newspapers and newsletters, TV and radio, as well as social media. Such campaigns should 
focus on local and community-based media (for example ethnic publications, newspapers in minority 
languages,  local  and/or  minority  languages  radio  channels).  Influential  community  leaders  or 
testimonials from existing migrant entrepreneurs should also be associated to the campaign to inspire 
potential entrepreneurs. Having an example of a migrant entrepreneur who has been part of a support 
scheme, and successfully set up a business as a result, can be encouraging to someone else from the 
same  community.  In  the  same  way,  an  influential  community  leader  promoting  a  specific  support 
scheme may attract the attention of the community. Implementing all the awareness-raising activities 
outlined here will maximise visibility among the target audience. 

Empirical research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, four main indicators should be 
taken into consideration, namely:  

  Online presence and visibility;  
 
 
  Reaching out by using role models.  

Local events and use of migrant networks;  
Integrated communication campaign; and  

Based on these indicators, four schemes are considered exemplary and are briefly presented below: 
Singa (France), Intercultural Incubators for Migrant Organizations (Poland), and the EU funded project 
Eliemental. 

The French practice Singa, which started its activities in 2012, provides an interesting example with an 
important  and  multilingual  online  presence,  and  an  integrated  and  comprehensive  communication 
campaign. The campaign is a combination of social media, text messages, and blogs, in addition to a 

27 

 
 
strong media presence through TV, radio, and newspapers. For instance, Singa featured in the press 
109 times in 2015 (print, radio, and TV) and 30 000 text messages are sent out every week to advertise 
events.  Furthermore,  role  models  (successful  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  that  have  become 
entrepreneurs) are used as inspiration at the beginning of the start-up process or to pass on a positive 
message to other migrant entrepreneurs, as well as the host community. Finally, refugee networks and 
organisations are used for the dissemination of information. The number of participants and interested 
migrants indicate that Singa is successful in reaching out to its target audience. Another interesting 
aspect of Singa’s awareness-raising activities are the efforts being made to change the perception of 
migrants through the targeting of the host community, in particular by showcasing the entrepreneurial 
and  professional  talent  of  the  refugee  community  in  France  through  the  launch  of  a  collaborative 
media called Trait d’Union in which members of the community (including refugees) can write articles 
that  are  then  translated  into  various  languages.  Furthermore,  events  are  organised  to  target  both 
refugees and the host community, rather than being migrant/refugee specific. Such activities aimed at 
the  improvement  of  the  dialogue  enable  a  better  understanding  of  migrant  entrepreneurs’  needs 
among actors who can provide them with support and/or collaborate with them. 

Another  interesting  example  is  the  Foundation  for  Somalia  in  Poland,  which  set  up  the  project  
Inkubator Międzykulturowy (Intercultural Incubators for Migrant Organizations)  (2014-2015). The 
foundation  has  significant  experience  in  reaching  migrant  communities  by  building  on  its  already 
existing extensive network. The Foundation for Somalia has one the largest network of NGOs in Poland 
which is used for outreach and awareness-raising activities. Various public and grass roots events were 
organised  involving  both  native  and  foreign  residents,  as  well  as  role  models  that  have  positively 
inspired potential beneficiaries to take part of the services offered (for example culinary workshops, 
multicultural Christmas party, multicultural breakfasts, women in culture,  Neighbour’s Day, Turkish 
Day, International Career Days, Cancer Day Event, Migrant Women's Day, Picnic with the Foundation 
for Somalia, etc.). Such events were often organised in partnership with other migrant associations 
from the network. Such collaboration ensures a wide outreach and dissemination of information about 
existing services, also at the local level and in migrant communities.  

Additional  practices  of  interest  include  the  EU  project  Eliemental  which  actively  disseminates 
information  but  also  provides  their  services  in  places  where  migrants  would  go  in  their  daily  life 
(laundrettes and bakeries for instance), referred to as Community Access Points (CAPs) by Eliemental. 
The  use  of  public  spaces  for  awareness-raising,  visibility,  and  service  provision  has  shown  to  be 
successful.  Migrants  might  not  actively  search  for  mainstream  support  schemes  due  to  the  lack  of 
knowledge regarding institutional set-ups, while they would attend these public spaces in any case, 
and therefore take in the information provided. Eliemental conducted extensive research in a previous 
EU-funded project to understand how to reach out to this specific target group. The conclusion was 
that CAPs represented the most efficient way. To implement this in a successful way, the gatekeepers 
analysed through extensive research where the target people would usually go in their day-to-day life, 
and based on this information, the service providers contacted these places to start working from the 
CAPs.  At  first  for  promotion  only,  but  thereafter  these  places  were  also  used  for  the  provision  of 
training etc.  

4.2 Dimension 2: Networking 

Many migrants lack a business network in the new host country and this dimension includes support 
in accessing relevant business networks and in establishing contacts with business associations, as well 
as with suppliers and potential customers. This dimension is of key importance to the success of the 
scheme and it is interlinked with other dimensions because the involvement of, and referral to, other 
relevant actors can provide added value to the support scheme in general. Networking is also relevant 
to create a bridge between targeted schemes for migrants and schemes for the general population, 
because networking will broaden the possibilities for migrant entrepreneurs both in terms of access 

28 

 
 
to  a  wider  variety  of  support  services,  but  also  in  terms  of  potential  partnerships,  suppliers,  and 
customers. Furthermore, networking may open up other possibilities, such as the identification of new 
financial  sources.  In  order  to  maximise  the  number  of  potential  connections  for  the  migrant 
entrepreneur, the number and variety of actors involved in the network is important. Existing empirical 
research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, four main indicators should be taken into 
consideration, namely:  

  Whether the organisation nurtures connections with other organisations;  
  The variety of actors involved in the network; 
  Whether networking opportunities with entrepreneurs are available for beneficiaries; and  
  Whether  beneficiaries  have  the  opportunity  to  network  with  chambers  of  commerce  and 

business associations.  

Based on these indicators, two schemes have been particularly effective in this domain and are briefly 
presented below.  

The  aim  of  the  Enterprise  and  Diversity  Alliance  (EDA)  (United  Kingdom)  is  to  collaborate  and 
exchange  knowledge  with  business  associations,  businesses,  banks,  and  academics.  This  is  done 
through a long-standing relationship with a network of minority community groups, banks, and other 
institutions.  One  example  is  the  partnership  with  the  British  Bankers  Association  (BBA)  which  has 
successfully  led  to  the  development  of  a  programme  of  seminars  and  outreach  events  aiming  to 
strengthen the mutual understanding between banks and minority firms. Other events are organised 
to  disseminate  research  on  minority  entrepreneurship,  for  example  an  annual  conference  which 
usually  has  a  variety  of  minority  networks  in  attendance.  Other  partners  include  the  Chartered 
Certified Accountants, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Business in the Community, and the Equality & 
Human  Rights  Commission.  These  networking  opportunities  are  particularly  effective  as  they  are 
organised  through  a  peer-mentoring  scheme,  as  well  as  through  seminars,  outreach  events,  and 
conferences enabling migrants to benefit from a number of actors. EDA also encourages participants 
to network with each other and provides contact to potential suppliers and clients. EDA has helped 
widen the collaborative network of migrant entrepreneurs beyond their immediate community which 
may  be  key  for  business  success.  In  addition,  the  exchange  between  institutions  and  minority 
businesses  also  has  a  positive  impact  on  the  institutions  as  it  increases  the  understanding  of  the 
specific needs, as well as advantages, of minority businesses.  

The  French  support  scheme  Favoriser,  Accompagner  les  Initiatives  Économiques  (Facilitate  and 
Accompany  the  Economic  Initiatives  -  FAIE)  also  provides  a  relevant  example  in  this  dimension. 
Specific networking activities are organised to enable encounters with both chambers of commerce 
and business associations that may be able to contribute to the migrants’ business project, as well as 
with other migrant entrepreneurs. One event planned for the end of 2016 is for migrants who have 
set  up  a  business  with  the  objective  of  generating  an  opportunity  for  exchanges  between  migrant 
entrepreneurs,  professionals,  and  other  business  leaders,  as  well  as  to  mobilise  both  experts  and 
migrant  testimonials.  Interestingly,  the  planned  event  will  take  into  account  the  current  economic 
situation: for instance, one event is dedicated to migrants’ business creation in the context of the crisis 
in Europe. In consultations conducted with FAIE’s participants, these kinds of networking events and 
fora to discuss specific topics in the presence of experts have been indicated as particularly useful by 
the migrant entrepreneurs.  
Some other interesting examples to mention under this dimension include the French practice Singa 
which holds events where migrants can showcase their products in front of strategic partners with the 
possibility of finding an investor or business partner; and the cross-border practice Ruta CECE which 
created  networks  of  contacts  between  Spain  and  Portugal,  allowing  participants  to  benefit  from 
networking events in both countries. 

29 

 
 
4.3 Dimension 3: Legal and regulatory advice 

Part of setting up and running a business requires dealing with legal questions such as registering the 
enterprise, obtaining permits, filling out tax reports and others. For a migrant who has no previous 
experience in the area and is also not used to the administrative system and institutions in the host 
country, this might be a significant obstacle and a migrant entrepreneur may face greater difficulties 
than a native counterpart in navigating regulations and administrative red tape. Migrant entrepreneurs 
may also need advice regarding immigration regulations (for example concerning permit renewal and 
status change).  

This dimension adds value to more general individual business support services because it provides in-
depth legal advice. However, it tends to be most effective when combined with, for example, group 
business  training  or  individual  business  support  because  more  general  assistance  might  be  more 
important initially.  

The provision of legal advice on licencing and intellectual property, start-up regulations, tax and labour, 
as well as on migration legislation, from qualified advisers is key to support migrant entrepreneurship. 
To evaluate the provision of legal advice the following aspects should be examined:  

  The provision of tailor-made and personalised advice;  
  Whether such advice is provided by qualified experts; and 
  Whether coordination takes  place with other organisations (professionals or administrative 

offices) when needed.  

Three practices are particularly successful in securing effective legal and regulatory advice: CNA World 
in several cities in Italy, as well as Barcelona Activa and Ruta CECE in Spain. CNA World was established 
in  2009  within  the  Italian  National  Confederation  of  Crafts  and  Small  and  Medium  Enterprises 
(Confederazione  Nazionale  dell’Artigianato  e  della  Piccola  e  media  Impresa  (CNA))  and  it  aims  at 
integrating  migrants  in  Italian  society  by  supporting  those  that  intend  to  become  or  are  already 
entrepreneurs. Through a permanent helpdesk, the support scheme offers personal and tailor-made 
legal and regulatory advice adapted to the specific needs of the migrants which are very different from 
one  person  to  another.  The  personalised  approach  has  facilitated  the  establishment of  permanent 
relationships of mutual trust between the entrepreneurs and the organisation. Helpdesk queries may 
vary from business set-up to questions about migrant status and residence permits. In order to cover 
all possible topics, CNA World has put in place a referral mechanism. Where information/expertise is 
not  sufficient  in-house,  non-EU  citizens  are  referred  to  relevant  actors,  for  example  ministries, 
chambers  of  commerce,  other  organisations,  or  consultants  to  provide  them  with  more  advanced 
support.  

Similar  to  CNA,  one  of  the  core  activities  of  the  Spanish  practice  Barcelona  Activa  (BA),  the 
development agency of the city founded in 1986, is providing legal and regulatory advice, which may 
take the form of a wide-range of different services depending on the needs of the users. Legal advice 
may be offered within other services provided by the one-stop-shop (OAE - Oficina de Atenció a las 
Empresas (Business Support Office)), as BA offers legal courses and personal assistance through them. 
The list of services regarding legal information may be provided personally or by phone by relevant 
experts in the field. One of the key strengths of the scheme is that advisers providing this support have 
robust legal expertise, relevant in-depth experience in the business and taxation area, and are up to 
date  on  regulatory  developments.  Satisfaction  has  been  expressed  by  the  final  beneficiaries  with 
regard to the online facilities provided by BA. In particular, the tax calculator1 that allows enterprises 
to  save  some  time  when  dealing  with  taxation  is  considered  helpful.  In  addition,  all  relevant 
information is uploaded onto the website and is accessible to anyone interested. Legal information in 

1 Online tax calculators are web-based tools that allow the income tax and contribution that a worker/entrepreneur 
is  expected  to  pay  on  his/her  income  or  revenue  to  be  estimated.  Normally  these  tools  are  provided  by 
government agencies and are free to use.  

30 

 
 
                                                 
English considering migrants’ barriers has been produced specifically, and not merely as a translation 
of the information from one language to the other. Again, the translation of the material has been 
adapted due to the experience acquired through several years of working with migrants, and learning 
from the problems they face when dealing with the administrative procedures.  

The innovative use of the internet is a key success factor for the diffusion and the accessibility of legal 
and regulatory advice provided by Ruta CECE in some of the border regions of Spain and Portugal. In 
the  context  of  this  support  scheme,  the  partner  cities  collaborate  to  support  e-commerce 
entrepreneurs, also providing special assistance for immigrants. In practice, more than 80 business-to-
business  groups  were  created  on  an  online  platform,  where  40  expert  service  providers  using  an 
intranet have given legal advice individually or in groups. Moreover, since the information is stored on 
the online platform, other users can benefit from this information. It is calculated that around 1,200 
registered users benefited from useful information delivered also through newsletters.  

Additional good examples of legal and regulatory advice presented include Kompass (Germany) and 
RAISE (Serbia). The activities of Kompass in this area are provided by experienced experts and some of 
the legal information is also accessible online through their website. The specific characteristics of the 
RAISE  project  in  Serbia  meant  that  legal  experts  were  included  from  the  beginning  of  the  support 
programme and provided particular advice regarding property, civil and agricultural law. 

4.4 Dimension 4: Individual business support  

Opening  a  business  is  a  demanding  task  even  for  someone  who  is  familiar  with  the  business 
environment.  Fulfilment  of  administrative  procedures  in  setting  up  a  business  can  entail  complex 
procedures and processes. For example, registration of the business, business management, design of 
a business model, finding customers, and adapting the product, can prove challenging. Therefore, the 
provision  of  individual  business  support  for  migrant  entrepreneurs  at  each  step  of  the  process  is 
essential.   

This dimension mainly relates to the provision of one-to-one tailor-made advice to help the migrant 
entrepreneur with specific difficulties he/she may encounter, and provides important added value as 
it enables assistance at various stages of the entrepreneurship journey. One important aspect with this 
dimension is assistance and advice with regard to the business idea and the development of a business 
plan. A feasibility assessment of the business plan is very valuable for the migrant entrepreneur, as 
well as the provision of advice on specific aspects, and brainstorming around the viability and added 
value of the product/service proposed in the business plan. In some cases, business training and an 
approved  business  plan  by  a  trainer/adviser  are  conditions  for  receiving  financial  support.  The  key 
aspects of individual business support are: 

  Whether individual business support is provided;  
  The breadth of help available on a one-to-one basis;  
  Whether the feasibility of the migrant's business idea is assessed; and 
  The experience of the personnel providing the service.   

Several of the practices presented in this volume emphasise individual business support either as a 
core  activity  or  as  linked  to  business  training.    Here,  the  two  schemes  whose  main  activity  is  the 
provision of individual business support are presented:  Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs in 
Portugal and Business Coaching for Ethnic Minorities in the municipality of Vejle in Denmark.  

Established in Portugal in 2015 within the framework of the High Commission for Migrations, the Apoio 
Especializado aos Empreendedores (Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs) provides support and 
guidance to migrants for all aspects and at all phases of business activity: from the development of the 
business idea, to its implementation and continuation, and in required cases, also to the dissolution of 
the business. The advisers of this scheme thoroughly review every detail of the business plan during a 
meeting with the scheme’s participants. If the advisers find that some parts are unfeasible, they work 

31 

 
 
together with the migrant to improve these parts until the business plan can be deemed viable. It is 
the adviser’s job to remain firmly realistic and to consider all the aspects of the business and not be 
swept away by participant’s enthusiasm. 

The analysis reveals that the key success factors of the service are the high investment (both in terms 
of time and engagement) of the advisers and their ability to keep the beneficiaries in check with reality 
and personal abilities. Additionally, the advisers of this service have a good knowledge of all the topics 
pertinent to business creation (taxes, regulations, marketing, accounting etc.) and to other areas that 
might interest the migrants as well (such as residence permits, health care, and others). The coverage 
of a range of topics, like those mentioned above, is also a contributor to the successful opening and 
running of a business venture. This support is not only limited to business advice, but includes also 
moral and emotional support. Based on empirical evidence, this aspect is considered effective as it 
combines two types of support in one, and enables a strong and comprehensive relationship between 
the  adviser  and migrant  which  may  have  a  positive  effect  on the  development  of the migrant  and 
his/her achievements. Furthermore, it identifies potential consequences that may emanate from the 
personal circumstances. The advisers keep in touch with the beneficiaries of this support and tend to 
follow-up with them at their own initiative without being prompted by the migrants’ enquiries.  

Similar  to  the  Portuguese  practice,  highly  individualised  support  is  provided  by  Etnisk  vejledning 
(Business Coaching  for  Ethnic  Minorities).  The  practice  was  established  in  2005  in  Vejle,  Denmark 
where the municipality provides entrepreneurship advice to anyone who is interested in setting up a 
business. In addition, individual ethnic entrepreneurship support is provided with the aim of helping 
migrant  entrepreneurs  overcome  specific  obstacles.  To  this  end,  an  entrepreneurship  coach  with 
migrant  background  and  knowledge  of  Danish  business  culture  works  both  as  an  adviser,  cultural 
interpreter, or mediator between the migrant entrepreneur and Danish society/business culture. In 
fact,  besides  providing  a  feasibility  assessment  of  the  individual  business  idea  together  with  the 
migrant  with  the  aim  of  preparing  the  migrant  entrepreneur  for  potential  difficulties  and  to  help 
evaluate the growth potential of his/her business, the analysis reveals that one of the strengths of this 
initiative is the consideration given to the national and local business environment and labour market 
in coordination with the personal circumstances of the (potential) entrepreneur. In practice, the coach 
assesses each of the business plans individually, taking into account the personal situation and abilities 
of  the  beneficiary,  as  well  as  the  market  situation  in  the  area.  The  coach’s  ability  to  relate  to  the 
beneficiary’s problems and uncertainties given that he himself comes from a migrant background is to 
be considered a particular strength of this scheme.  

Other good examples of individual business support provision include the Ester Foundation (Sweden) 
which offers  individual  business  support  that  includes  a  feasibility  assessment  of  the  business  plan 
performed as part of the training programme. Upon successful assessment of the business plan, the 
beneficiary  is  supported  in  applying  for  the  start-up  grant  provided  by  the  Swedish  Employment 
Agency. The Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation (NSFV) provides individual business 
support which is focused on the national economy and labour market, and it even advises participants 
against opening a business in an already overcrowded sector, if needed. The  Project Promoting the 
Immigrant  Entrepreneurship  in  Portugal  has  a  very  practical  approach  and  may  take  the  form  of 
assistance with filling in licences and forms needed, assistance with securing a work space/station, or 
perusing  contracts  with  participants  and  explaining  language/obligations.  Finally,  Entrepreneurs 
Without Borders in Germany provide a feasibility assessment or follow-up sessions on financial fitness 
where requested by the migrant entrepreneur. Such assessment or follow-up is based on the analysis 
of the business plan by two consultants. 

32 

 
 
4.5 Dimension 5: Group business training 

The provision of group business training plays a key role for the development of entrepreneurial skills 
and  should  include  concrete  steps  to  set  up  and  run  a  company.  Furthermore,  the  inclusion  of  an 
introduction  to  specific  characteristics  of  the  national  business  environment  that  might  be  new  to 
migrant entrepreneurs is of great value. Indeed, support schemes targeting migrants in particular often 
have  a  focus on  the  national  context  and  business  environment  of  the  host  country  as  part  of  the 
training, in order to prepare the migrant entrepreneur for specific characteristics of the labour market. 
While  training  is  a  key  dimension,  it  can  be  successfully  complemented  for  example  by  legal  and 
regulatory  advice  to  enable  individual  in-depth  assistance  on  specific  (legal)  issues,  or  individual 
business support. 

In the context of group business training, the establishment of a course plan is considered important 
as a way to ensure that the content of the training is the same from one round of training to another, 
and  also  to  ensure  that  all  essential  elements  to  the  business  set-up  are  included.  However,  the 
possibility of adapting the content to the needs of the participants is equally helpful, as the background 
and competence of the course participant may vary considerably. Developing a variety of skills and 
the  provision  of  different  didactic  modules  with  a  focus  on  different  aspects  and  phases  of 
entrepreneurship  are  valuable  in  providing  the  migrant  entrepreneur  with  as  comprehensive  a 
preparation  as  possible.  The  balance  between  theoretical  and  practical  training  content  is  also 
essential  as  some  of  the  beneficiaries  might  not  be  used  to  long  or  theoretical  lectures,  while  a 
balanced combination may facilitate the intake of information. The coverage of knowledge and skills 
specific  to  the  host  market  are  also  important  to  prepare  the  entrepreneurs  and  may  include 
development of business ideas, mobilising resources, financial literacy and access to funding, planning 
and management, coping with uncertainty and risk, and legal and administrative aspects. The analysis 
has indicated that the division of the course content into different phases is a successful approach as 
certain issues are limited to for example the start-up phase.  

The provision of training material in the form of print-outs is considered positive as this enables the 
training participant to continue the studies outside of the course hours. While this may also be done 
online, empirical evidence indicates that print-out material is more effective since the migrants might 
not have a computer, internet connection, and a printer at home. Furthermore, adaptability of the 
training  schedule  to  the  needs  of  the  participants  is  a  positive  aspect  as  part-time  jobs  or  other 
activities are often conducted in parallel to the course by the migrant entrepreneurs. This might imply 
training provided during weekends or evenings and in some cases, the schedule is adapted for each 
specific  course/class  depending  on  the  needs  of  the  participants.  This  adaptability  may  prevent 
participants from dropping out and instead encourage them to complete the training. A final essential 
aspect is the background and experience of the trainers in regard to entrepreneurship. Trainers may 
be  experts,  professionals or  trained  in  the  field of  business  establishment  and  entrepreneurship  in 
order to ensure the required knowledge in setting-up a business and all related matters.  

Empirical research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, four main indicators should be 
taken into consideration, namely:  

  Whether business training is provided;  
  The breadth of areas the training covers;  
  The flexibility of training and availability of didactic material; and  
  The experience of trainers in the field of entrepreneurship. 

The examination of these indicators reveals that three schemes have been particularly effective in this 
domain. The schemes are presented below.   

The  Portuguese  Projeto  Promoção  de  Empreendedorismo  Imigrante  (Project  Promoting  the 
Immigrant  Entrepreneurship  -  PEI)  is  a  successful  example  in  many  aspects  concerning  business 
training. The training consists of both group sessions and one-to-one coaching sessions organised over 
ten weeks (in total 62 hours), and the topics covered include the business environment in Portugal, 
the  European  Single  Market,  accounting,  regulatory  environments,  market  research,  and 
management. The time allocation of the sessions is agreed in the beginning of the course, adapting to 

33 

 
 
the  needs  of  the  participants  and  the  trainer.  The  individual  sessions  tailored  to  the  needs  of  the 
migrant  entrepreneurs  are  much  appreciated  by the participants.  Having one  person  following  the 
participant from the start of the course until the opening of the business venture both through group 
training and individual support, implies a deeper understanding about the particular enterprise and 
the  skills of  the  person  in question.  This  resulted  in the  provision  of  better  and  more  personalised 
training and advice to which the setting of successful and sustainable training can be imputed. During 
the  period  2009-2016,  PEI  has  helped  the  creation  of  about  120  businesses.  Another  element  of 
satisfaction for the participants is the fact that the course covers a variety of topics and includes both 
theoretical and practical exercises (for example role playing through scene setting such as customer 
relations,  administrative  procedures,  pitching  with  investors).  Such  a  set-up  enables  the  balanced 
preparation of the participants and also assists them in their work on the business plan. Indeed, the 
business ideas of the participants are often used as concrete examples during the training. 

The iStart course which is provided by Norsk senter for flerkulturell verdiskaping (Norwegian Center 
of  Multicultural  Value  Creation  -  NSFV)  in  Norway  focuses  on  highly  skilled  migrants.  In  terms  of 
content  and  length,  it  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  Portuguese  practice  even  though  the  training  is 
organised over a longer period of time (3-4 months), and the content is divided into two main areas: 
personal awareness and understanding; and business development. The business development part 
includes  information  on  how  to  build  the  business  concept,  business  plan,  budgeting,  pricing  and 
ethics. Norwegian business culture is also integrated with the  aim of preparing participants for the 
national business environment. The iStart course includes 14 different modules and some additional 
time for individual business support and advice. In addition, evening lectures are organised for the 
participants  where  a specific topic is discussed in detail and speakers from that  field are invited.  A 
pivotal  element  that  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  scheme  is  the  trainers’  qualification  and 
experience. NSFV trainers have a higher education degree in most cases focused on entrepreneurship 
or similar and often have many years of leadership experience within the private sector. They have all 
started their own business previously and are therefore familiar with the procedure. 

In  the  same  vein  of  the  NSFV,  the  German  practice  Kompass,  in  place  since  2000,  provides 
comprehensive business training. One of the key strengths of this practice is the 4+1 model including 
four different phases of the  entrepreneurial procedure, as well as a start-up simulation phase. The 
different phases encompass for example orientation on start-up risks and opportunities in phase 1, 
while phase 2 includes assistance in business and financial planning. Phase 3 is the post start-up phase 
and focused on business, tax, and VAT registration as well as networking assistance. It is only upon a 
successful completion of one phase that the entrepreneur can move on to the next phase, avoiding 
the situation where the entrepreneur is overwhelmed by too much information, and ensuring that 
he/she is well prepared to confront the challenges of the next phase. This ensures that the training 
content is adapted to the specific needs relevant to the phase of the business set-up. Specific tools 
have been developed for all four phases as a means of providing structure and accurate analysis of 
customers, markets, and financial planning considerations. This approach ensures from the start that 
an independent, successful company can develop and grow.  

4.6 Dimension 6: Mentoring 

It is common that migrant entrepreneurs encounter difficulties related to the lack of country-specific 
business skills and social capital in the new host country. Mentoring is a professional relationship in 
which an experienced entrepreneur assists another, often less experienced, entrepreneur, and can 
therefore provide valuable support based on practical experience. The mentorship includes skills and 
knowledge  development,  as  well  as  helping  to  access  a  network  that  might  enhance  the mentee’s 
professional and personal growth. Furthermore, a successful mentorship may have a positive impact 
on the motivation of the mentee, potentially leading to further growth of the business following the 
start-up  phase.  This  dimension  can  be  seen  as  particularly  impactful  as  it  combines  both  skills 

34 

 
 
development and knowledge exchange through a personal relationship with someone who has more 
experience. In that way, it can be seen as a dimension providing different types of support in one.  

 To ensure a positive mentorship, the matching is a crucial step and may be based upon a combination 
of  inter  alia  type  of  business  activity,  interests,  languages,  and  personality.  The  availability  of  an 
extensive pool of mentors is important for the success of such matching. In regard to the length of the 
mentoring, the period should be sufficient for a strong relationship to develop. Examples found in the 
good practice case studies indicate a few months, however, it has been indicated that it is very positive 
when  the  mentorship  continues  even  upon  the  official  completion  of  the  support.  Indeed,  the 
possibility  of  extension  of  the  mentoring  period  where  needed  can  be  positive  for  the  migrant 
entrepreneur. As an alternative to continued mentoring, the provision of follow-up after completion 
of  the  mentorship  allows  for  continued  support  and  guidance  for  the  migrant  entrepreneur  after 
completing the support scheme, and is also a way of identifying new obstacles and providing assistance 
to overcome those.  

The  mentoring  activity  tends  to  be  developed  after  the  migrant  has  received  some  initial  business 
training/advice with the aim to provide more personal and more sector specific support. The ways in 
which a successful mentorship is carried out (frequency and means/tools) will depend on the specific 
needs  of  the  mentee  and  the  availability  of  both  mentor  and  mentee.  Indeed,  flexibility  and 
adaptability to the specific needs can be considered success factors as they will differ depending on 
the  individual.  For  example,  some  may  prefer  physical  meetings  once  per  week,  while  others  may 
prefer the mentoring to be done mostly via email one to two times per month due to lack of time and 
other commitments. In order for the mentorship to be maintained, it is crucial that the mentor and 
mentee find a way of working together. While taking this flexibility into consideration, a provision of a 
framework  for  the  mentoring  activities  set  by  the  service  provider  is  helpful.  The  setting  up  of 
objectives and success indicators for the mentorship is a valuable way to establish guidance, and to 
measure the effectiveness of the services. However, in many cases mentorship is performed in a less 
rigid, but effective, way with an overall objective of developing a feasible business plan. A successful 
collaboration and strong commitment by the mentoring couple are central for such approach. 

Existing empirical research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, four main indicators 
should be taken in consideration, namely:  

  The provision of mentoring;  
  An effective mentor/mentee matching procedure;  
  A mentor with entrepreneurship experience and/or a migrant; and  
  The establishment of objectives and success indicators for the mentoring activity.  

Taken  these  indicators  into  consideration,  a  number  of  practices  active  in  mentoring  have  been 
identified. In particular, ENPower and Eliemental provide relevant examples and are further outlined 
below. 

The recently started Dutch practice ENPower provides mentoring to the participants for a period of 
six months, with the possibility of extending this period for another six or 12 months if needed. The 
mentoring should last throughout the development of the business plan as well as the start-up phase. 
The mentor/buddy is a member of the Dutch foundation Ondernemersklankbord, which has a large 
pool of former entrepreneurs from different fields that volunteer to mentor new entrepreneurs with 
their  start-up  businesses.  One  of  the  key  success  factors  of  the  initiative  is  the  mentor/mentee 
matching which is accurately conducted based on the business idea of the migrant entrepreneur and 
the experience of the mentor. The aim of the matching is to enable each migrant entrepreneur to have 
a mentor that is specialised in the relevant field. Mentoring activities tend to be interactive and are 
carried out in person as much as possible as physical meetings seem to result in a stronger relationship 
and thus more tailored advice. While mentoring meetings take place at least monthly, the frequency 
depends on the demand and needs of the migrant entrepreneur who is encouraged to contact the 
mentor for specific questions, problems, or general brainstorming.  

The second example considered is the EU practice Eliemental, which offers an innovative mentoring 
system  based  on  three  different  models  of  mentoring  and  advice,  creating  a  three  stage  system. 

35 

 
 
Through  this  system,  one  mentor  provides  assistance  during  and  immediately  after  the  business 
training given in parallel, ensuring support in the learning process and development of business ideas. 
An adviser assists with aspects related to the business set-up (for example legal, finance, taxes), and a 
third mentor provides support throughout the first year of the business. While a six week mentoring 
process was set as a minimum, several mentorships went beyond this and in some cases Facebook was 
used as a tool for the mentoring. Matching was made based on necessities and competence of the 
migrant entrepreneur, as well as the  background of the mentor and whether he/she was from the 
same community. A successful matching and similar background ensured a good understanding of the 
obstacles encountered by the mentee. This comprehensive mentorship providing support has been 
helpful for the migrant entrepreneurs as such assistance is both tailored and personalised, which also 
has  an  impact  on  motivation.  In  the  post-evaluation  of  the  service,  both  mentees  and  mentors 
indicated a high level of satisfaction. 

4.7 Dimension 7: Access to finance  

Access to credit is crucial for entrepreneurs as a lack of adequate financing is one of the main obstacles 
to  develop  a  business.  Migrant  entrepreneurs  without  sufficient  resources  often  face  difficulties 
accessing credit from mainstream institutions to finance their entrepreneurial ventures. Other reasons 
might include lack of credit history/non-transferability of credit history from other countries, lack of 
stable residence status, lack of collaterals, or more stringent criteria set up by credit institutions for 
loans  to  migrant  entrepreneurs.  Credit  institutions  may  encounter  other  issues  when  dealing  with 
migrant entrepreneur clients, related to a lack of knowledge and understanding of this specific group 
of clients. For these reasons, migrant entrepreneurs rely frequently on informal networks, like family 
or community, to obtain financial backing.  

This  dimension  includes  business-support  scheme  targeting migrant  entrepreneurs with the  aim  to 
provide  assistance  in  regular/mainstream  loaning  procedures  or  in  accessing  alternative  funding 
sources,  and  to  train  migrant  entrepreneurs  in  related  requirements  such  as  bookkeeping,  taxes, 
contacts with banks or credit institutions, or help with pitching to investors. One crucial aspect of this 
dimension is support provided to the migrant in developing a high-quality bankable business plan. This 
will  help  the  migrant  entrepreneur  in  his/her  applications  for  loans  and  funding  opportunities. 
Additionally, there are schemes that encourage financial institutions to build their knowledge about 
migrant entrepreneurship and help counteract discrimination. Other support schemes provide actual 
funding, for example, through microcredit systems or grants.  

This dimension is crucial to set up a business and its effectiveness depends on the types of service 
provided. Actual access to/provision of loans, grants, or microcredit by the support scheme are seen 
as effective and helpful, while a service limited to information provision about financing opportunities 
or assistance on the development of a bankable business plan imply several additional steps before 
the  migrant  entrepreneur  manages  to  access  finance.  However,  even  such  support  can  be  highly 
valuable. 

The indicators considered to identify good practice in this area are:  

  The provision of information about possible sources of finance;  
  Support to develop and write a bankable business plan; and 
  The provision of funding and involvement of banks/credit institutions. 

Two practices have been identified as good examples based on these indicators in the access to finance 
dimension: Ester Foundation in Sweden and RAISE in Serbia. 

Ester Foundation was set up in 2012 with the aim of supporting women coming from a non-European 
background in starting their own business. In order to do this, the foundation provides both financial 
support as well as skills development and social support. The project approach consists in education 
and  training  resulting  in  the  provision  of  knowledge  capital,  social  capital,  and  financial  capital.  In 
practice, in addition to information provision about financing possibilities and the support to develop 
a  bankable  business  plan,  the  Ester  Foundation  has  its  own  microcredit  system  through  which 
participants to the training course can take out loans in a less costly way and with reduced risks. This 

36 

 
 
is enabled through a collaboration with Swedbank (one of the Swedish banks) and Johaniterhjälpen (a 
charity organisation). The charity  has set up an account  which guarantees  80% of the  loan of each 
entrepreneur, and the loan should be paid back within three years. The amount of the loan may vary 
between 20,000 – 300,000 SEK (2,140–32,120 EUR). Furthermore, if the business plan of a participant 
has been approved by the Swedish Employment Agency, she can receive  financial start-up support 
from them and is allowed loans from Swedbank.  The collaboration with different  partners through 
formal and informal network has enabled this funding provision both through the microcredit system 
set up, and through the Swedish Employment Agency.  

Ruralna  i  poljoprivredna  integracija  u  podržavajućoj  okolini  (Rural  and  Agricultural  Integration 
within a Supportive Environment - RAISE) implemented in Serbia by an NGO in 2009 – 2011 and in 
2011-2012, supported refugees and internally displaced persons residing in collective centres to start 
up small businesses in rural environments, primarily in agriculture, livestock, and handicraft. The aim 
of the initiative was to resolve these households’ challenges of housing and economic dependency on 
the state and charitable organisations. Unlike Ester, bank loans or microcredits were not incorporated 
into project design. The start-up grants were intentionally kept small in terms of scale and value, so 
that individual mentors could handle them. Instead, a grant voucher of €2,000 to finance the launching 
of businesses were provided. The families developed business plans with the assistance of agronomists 
and  Integration Outreach Officers,  which were  then presented  to  the  RAISE  Committee. The  RAISE 
Committee consisted of permanent members of the UNHCR, the Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac, i.e. 
the two NGO implementing partners, the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, and a 
non-voting member from the UniCredit Bank. The purpose of the Grant Committee was to assess each 
case individually based on the business plan that had been developed, in order to decide whether to 
issue the grant voucher. This individualised approach allowed to calibrate the grant to the capacity of 
each beneficiary family.  

Other practices presented in this volume have their own microcredit such as Kompass (Germany) and 
CNA World (Italy). The analysis indicates that the provision of actual financial assistance through grants 
or microcredit is a positive aspect to a support scheme as it significantly helps the migrant in a very 
effective way. However, in the majority of the cases access to finance is focused on the provision of 
information on financial opportunities via specific campaigns (Spain’s Barcelona Activa), workshops, or 
referral mechanisms (UK’s Enterprising Libraries, French Singa and Austrian Mingo); on the support to 
migrants during the loan application phase (FAIE in France); and during the meetings with financial 
institutions (Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs in Portugal). This assistance is of great value, 
even though it often implies that the migrant has to turn to other support services or credit institutions 
to present an application. This may add administrative burden and delay the process of setting up a 
business for the migrant entrepreneur. 

4.8 Dimension 8: Facilities provision 

Migrant  entrepreneurs  might  have  additional  difficulties  in  finding  facilities  for  their  businesses  in 
comparison to native entrepreneurs. This may be due to for example a lack of knowledge about the 
ideal  location  for  their  business,  or  difficulty  finding  affordable  facilities.  This  issue  is  tackled  by  a 
number  of  service  providers  through  different  forms  of  facility  provision.  This  dimension  covers 
support to facilitate rent/acquisition of a working space, such as a shop floor or workshop space for 
the migrant entrepreneur. Such support may for instance include assistance in finding and renting a 
space, as well as with securing the contract at favourable rates. It might also imply the provision of 
discounted  or  free  working  space  (for  example  workshop  space,  desks,  etc.)  where  a  potential 
entrepreneur  can  start  setting-up  a  business  or  try  out  a  business  idea.  Many  business  incubator 
programmes host start-up companies on their premises for a limited period of time, also providing 
additional services (software, printer, copy machine etc.). The co-working and clustering environment 
which  is  typical  for  incubators  also  facilitates  spill-over  effects  in  terms  of  mutual  learning  and 
networking.  While  this  dimension  can  provide  important  added  value,  its  relative  importance 
compared to some of the other dimensions (training, business support, access to finance) is weaker. It 

37 

 
 
 
can also be said that this type of support is less effective if provided in isolation, while the combination 
of facilities provision with, for example, individual business support may be successful. 

Empirical research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, three main indicators should 
be taken in consideration, namely:  

  Support to facilitate the rent or acquisition of working space;  
  The provision of additional services in combination with the working space such as a printer, 

copy machine, or software; and  

  The provision of free or discounted working space.  

These  three  indicators  have  been  considered  in  the  identification  of  good  practices  within  this 
dimension. In particular, the following examples are considered relevant: 

The Swedish practice Macken offers, as part of their support activities, office spaces for rent to the 
practice’s beneficiaries on their premises with favourable prices. Macken also has kitchen and cafeteria 
facilities on their premises that are available for use by course participants developing food, catering 
or restaurant ideas. This means that the participants are able to try out and perfect their ideas at a 
lower scale in the beginning and without having to spend too much money and time in finding and 
renting  a  space/kitchen  area  that  would  comply  with  all  the  health  and  safety  and  hygienic 
requirements.  On  top  of  this,  Macken  assists  with  contract  negotiations  if  requested  by  migrant 
entrepreneurs and its staff spends a significant amount of time everyday looking at advertisements 
and trying to find the best fit for their beneficiaries. Macken also has a pop-up shop run exclusively by 
the practice’s beneficiaries where they can market their business and explore various sales techniques. 

The  UK  practice  Enterprising  Libraries  turns  library  spaces  into  incubators  for  business  ideas  and 
provides  coaching,  advice,  and  mentoring,  in  combination  with  desk  space,  Wi-Fi  connection,  IT 
support, and meeting rooms to people interested in developing a proposal and taking it to the market. 
Such facilities are provided within specific enterprise zones and working spaces in 16 library buildings 
across the UK. Furthermore, additional services such as a range of online resources, including software 
that helps businesses to map the types of businesses present in town centres for market research, 
business  databases  and  directories,  trade  publications  and  business  literature,  and  support  from 
library staff in how to use those  resources, are provided.  This unique  service, and in particular the 
assistance from the staff, offer a more efficient way of trying to find the right information as opposed 
to researching information through search engines which could be more time consuming. One of the 
successful aspects of this practice is that the libraries participating in the scheme utilise their existing 
resources, including library spaces, which are also public spaces that migrants may attend in any case. 
As such, the outreach of these services is facilitated. The fact that public spaces are used also facilitates 
the interactions with mainstream users and this may offer an added value beyond entrepreneurship 
support, for example, by enabling migrant and other minority groups to create useful networks beyond 
the immediate community.  

4.9 Dimension 9: Language and cultural sensitivity 

This dimension can be seen as a cross sectional dimension as it applies to all types of support schemes. 
Language  and  cultural  differences  are  among  the  main  barriers  preventing  migrants  from  actively 
participating  in  the  labour  market of  their  host  countries.  The  dimension on  language  and  cultural 
sensitivity refers to the analysis of a set of actions to understand and address the needs of migrant 
entrepreneurs whose cultural background is not the same as the general population. The provision of 
services  and  information  in  other  languages  is  pivotal  both  for  outreach  activities  and  for  offering 
services  to  as many migrant  entrepreneurs  as  possible,  even  when  knowledge  of  the  host  country 
language  is  limited.  This  may  be  particularly  useful  in  the  start-up  phase  and/or  for  newly  arrived 
migrants when language knowledge might be lower. However, it is important to consider whether the 
number of languages provided is adequate for the needs of the migrant population in that particular 
host country (for example in countries such as the UK, Spain, or France, there might be a reduced need 
for  providing  services  in  additional  languages,  while  in  other  countries  the  provision  of  services  in 
English may be of added value). The provision of language training as part of other support measures, 

38 

 
 
such as business training, is considered valuable as this will also have an impact on integration and the 
possibilities  for  the  migrant  entrepreneurs  to  navigate  the  institutional  environment  of  the  host 
country. In countries where language training is not provided by municipalities or other integration 
actions, the provision of language training as part of an entrepreneurship support scheme may be even 
more  valuable.  Finally, the  experience  of  trainers, consultants,  and/or  service  providers  in  working 
with  persons from  different  cultural  backgrounds ensures  a  better  understanding  of  specific  issues 
encountered by migrant entrepreneurs. Such experience may come from both intercultural training 
and  practical  work  experience.  Additionally, the  possibility  of  having  trainers or  consultants with  a 
migrant  background  themselves  can  be  considered  as  a  positive  aspect  as  they  may  have  a  better 
understanding of the cultural differences and the difficulties encountered.  

Empirical research suggests that when assessing a scheme in this area, three main indicators should 
be taken into consideration, namely:  

  Provision of services and information in other languages commonly spoken by migrants;  
  Provision of host country language training; and  
  Training  and  experience  of  personnel  regarding  support  for  persons  from  different  cultural 

backgrounds.  

Based on these indicators, two schemes have been particularly effective in this domain and are briefly 
presented below: 

The French practice FAIE that specifically targets North African migrant entrepreneurs, has a strong 
focus on language and cultural sensitivity. The advisers speak Arab, Berber, French (the most common 
languages spoken by the targeted population) and services can thus be provided in these languages. 
The  written  materials  are  in  French,  but  simple  language  with  basic  words  is  used,  taking  into 
consideration potential language difficulties of the migrants. In addition to the language coverage, the 
organisation provides business French classes, which have proven useful to ensure that the migrant 
entrepreneurs reach a satisfying level to successfully communicate with clients and suppliers, with a 
focus  on  more  sector-specific  and  formal  vocabulary.  Moreover,  the  staff  attend  seminars  on 
intercultural sensitivity and psychology resulting in a better understanding of cultural differences and 
needs  of  the  migrants,  and  are  therefore  well  prepared  to  assist  the  migrants.  Being  a  horizontal 
dimension, this extensive understanding of specific needs and comprehensive coverage of relevant 
languages have positive repercussions on all the services provided by the support scheme. 

Another example is the Austrian initiative Mingo, which provides for an interesting combination of 
language  sensitivity,  advisers  with migrant  background,  and  institutional  integration of  services  for 
migrant  entrepreneurs  in  the  Vienna  Business  Agency.  This  approach  ensures  relevant  economic 
competences, regarding start-ups, paired with knowledge on culture and language. Workshops and 
written information are available in 17 different languages (English, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Polish, 
Turkish, Russian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Czech, Spanish, Bulgarian, Romanian, French, Arabic, Farsi, and 
German).  As  a  high  share  of  the  staff  members  have  a  migrant  background,  they  are  able  to  give 
workshops in some of these languages. Otherwise, external experts are hired to ensure the language 
coverage.  Business  German 
language  workshops  can  be  attended  to  prepare  the  migrant 
entrepreneurs  with  regard  to  specific  vocabulary  needed  for  setting  up  a  business.  The  variety  of 
languages  and  the  involvement  of  personnel  from  migrant  background  have  proven  valuable  as  it 
allows  for  highly  personalised  services  with  a  strong  cultural  understanding,  making  the  migrant 
entrepreneurs feeling more at ease and comfortable being able to use their native language if needed. 

Migrant entrepreneurs are not a homogenous group and characteristics and cultural aspects may vary 
depending on background and experience. Thus, adaptability to individual needs (both cultural and 
educational) is crucial. Evidence demonstrates that it is not necessarily the adoption of a large number 

39 

 
 
 
  
of languages that will make a practice successful, rather the provision of services in languages that are 
relevant  to  the  target  group.  The  examples  above  are  both  focused  on  relevant  languages  to  the 
specific needs of the beneficiaries. In addition, for some groups, cultural sensitivity might be of greater 
importance (for example refugees) while it is less relevant to other groups who may have been living 
in the country for a longer period.  

4.10 

Dimension 10: Impact  

The impact dimension can also be considered as a cross-sectional element since it relates to all the 
schemes presented in this volume. First of all, the number and the sustainability of businesses created 
have to be considered as a first result of the intervention. Furthermore, the ability to connect migrant 
entrepreneurs with mainstream support schemes is included under this dimension. Such links enable 
migrant entrepreneurs to become aware of mainstream support and facilitates their access to such 
measures,  providing the  entrepreneur with  a  broader  selection  of  potential  support  schemes  from 
which to benefit. The growth of supported businesses is another central indicator which is linked to 
the importance of follow-up activities at the end of a service (for example training). The first years of 
entrepreneurship tend to be difficult, and the sustainability and potential growth of the business after 
a few years is central. This should also include the number of employees and the existence of a growth 
strategy. Impacts also include socio-economic integration of third country nationals, as well as long-
term results that were not initially planned, but that can be imputed to the implemented actions such 
as positive institutional spill-overs. The indicators to conduct the assessment are: 

  The number of businesses created (as a proportion of participants); 
  The extent to which these businesses have grown (i.e. by hiring new staff or increasing profit); 
  Whether business creating facilitated the migrants' integration; and  
  Other possible socio-economic spill-overs.  

The existence of an evaluation/monitoring system is crucial in order to gather this type of information. 
While this was a criterion for the selection of good practices, empirical evidence indicated that such a 
monitoring system is missing in many cases. A number of support schemes collect and keep monitoring 
data but sometimes this is very limited, with only a few service providers gathering more extensive 
information. In addition to monitoring and evaluation systems, some support schemes conduct surveys 
with the participants to gather their input on how to improve the services provided and to measure 
their satisfaction with the services. 

Taking into consideration the practices in the case studies, data related to the number of businesses 
created  is  quite  commonly  collected  and  kept.  However,  in  cases  where  support  is  limited  to,  for 
example, group business training, it may happen that the beneficiary needs additional time before the 
business is established (for example, Macken suggested that it sometimes takes another year) and if 
no follow-up activities are in place this might not be captured in the data. Data on growth, number of 
employees, and sustainability of the business is more complicated as this requires the existence of a 
follow-up system. 

A  better  integration  of  migrants  into  the  host  country’s  community  is  also  a  positive  spill-over  of 
entrepreneurship support schemes. A good example of this effort can be observed in the activities 
carried  out  by  Singa  in  France  where  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  are  encouraged  to  widen  their 
network to include as many native as well as migrant contacts. Events organised by Singa also serve 
for the migrants  to mingle with the  host-country’s general public while exchanging knowledge and 
experiences to bring these two groups closer together. However, data on possible integration and spill-
over effects is not commonly gathered or analysed by service providers. For instance, although not all 
participants  in  such  schemes  become  entrepreneurs,  the  skills  and  knowledge  they  gain  often 
enhances their employability, which is also a positive spill-over. 

Based on the feedback gathered during the research, data on possible integration and spill-over effects 
is not commonly gathered or analysed by service providers. It seems more common to have a survey 
to measure the beneficiaries’ satisfaction with the services provided, as well as to gather their input 
on how to improve or further develop the services. FAIE in France is one such example. In 2012-2012, 

40 

 
 
a survey was conducted to validate the type of actions conducted by the organisations and to involve 
the migrants in the shaping of the offer of services and actions in order to better adapt to their needs. 
The Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Portugal also conducted a similar survey in 
2014  and  used  the  results  to  adapt  the  activities  to  the  beneficiaries’  suggestions.  The  European 
project Eliemental, organised a survey and post-evaluation on satisfaction for its mentoring activities. 

Kompass  (Germany)  provides  for  an  interesting  and  successful  example  in  this  context.  Kompass 
creates a report in which the number of start-ups is collected every quarter. Every five years Kompass 
checks externally how many of the founders are still on the market. This is often done in the context 
of a master's thesis in co-operation with a university. The German Entrepreneurs Without Borders also 
conducted  a  survey  to  procure  an  indication  of  the  number  of  businesses  created  by  their  former 
beneficiaries (two thirds of those receiving support). While no data is gathered on the sustainability of 
these businesses, quality assurance and monitoring of success are ensured through meetings, internal 
quality  control,  evaluations,  statistics  collection,  and  analysis  of  participant  data.  Results  and 
recommendations for actions or suggestions for improvement are then integrated into the everyday 
work of the organisation. In regard to Barcelona Activa in Spain, all services are monitored and the 
results  analysed  for  continuous  improvement  and  identification  of  potential  gaps.  Monitoring  via 
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), allows for strong and weak points to be identified so that 
they can be addressed. In the UK too, Enterprising Libraries have been evaluated, while EDA has an 
internal evaluation system in place. 

To read more about the practices mentioned, please go to Chapter 6, where each of them is described 
in more detail and are  followed by two examples of international good practices  from  Canada  and 
Australia. 

41 

 
 
 
 
5  Conclusions and practical suggestions 

A  number  of  conclusions  and  recommendations  can  be  drawn  from  the  information  gathered  and 
analysed throughout the project and the case studies. This chapter offers practical suggestions as well, 
with the aim of providing guidance for the successful set up and development of initiatives that support 
migrant entrepreneurship. 

5.1 Conclusions  

Based  on  the  research  and  feedback  received  from  beneficiaries  of  the  practices,  the 
multidimensionality of the support provided to migrant entrepreneurs by a given practice has been 
identified  as  a  key  asset  and  predictor  of  overall  success.  The  analysis  of  good  practices  has 
demonstrated that combining several support measures in a way that these  can complement each 
other, and holistically tackle the range of obstacles that migrants may face in starting up, managing 
Ideally, 
and  expanding  their  businesses,  provides  for  efficient  and  user  friendly  services. 
comprehensive multidimensional measures to foster migrant entrepreneurship should offer combined 
support along three broad groups of dimensions:  

  Competences and skills development;  
  Provision of social capital; and 
  Tangible needs (for example provision of facilities and funding).  

The competences and skills category encompasses the dimensions that pertain to the provision of the 
required host-country-specific human capital for setting up a business in the host country, including 
business  training  and  support,  as  well  as  legal  and  regulatory  advice.  The  social  capital  category 
encompasses the dimensions related to facilitating access to networks of service providers, potential 
clients as well as other entrepreneurs (both natives and migrants) and business groupings and services 
(such  as  chambers  of  commerce  or  credit  institutions).  The  third  group  encompasses  services  that 
provide  support  to  deal  with  the  crucial  practical  infrastructure  needed  to  start-up  and  expand  a 
business, notably capital and facilities (workspace and related services). 

Moreover, language and cultural sensitivity and visibility are key elements of any support scheme for 
migrant entrepreneurs and are essential for measures in each dimension to be meaningful and to fully 
reveal  their  potential  to  support  migrant  entrepreneurs.  Thus,  for  instance,  business  training  or 
mentoring activities targeted to the migrant population are more user-friendly if provided in the main 
languages spoken by migrants or coupled with language training. In case of services provided to start-
up entrepreneurs or newly arrived migrants, the language sensitivity is particularly important as the 
migrants might  not  yet be familiar with the language  of the  host  country.  For later stages  or post-
creation  support,  language  sensitivity  assumes  a  less  crucial  role  (if  the  migrant  has  reached  a 
satisfactory level of host country language knowledge). The use of multicultural service providers can 
also improve the services’ outreach to the migrant population, as well as their effectiveness. Similarly, 
making sure that migrant entrepreneurs and credit institutions can understand each other - through 
the  introduction  of  cultural  mediators,2  multilingual  counsellors,  or  language  and  cultural  training, 
meetings and networking events for newcomers – is an important step for facilitating access to credit 

2 A person who specialises in cultural differences and uses this knowledge to solve problems. Services of cultural 
mediators can be utilised in both Portuguese practices (Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship 
and Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs) to address any misunderstandings. 

42 

 
 
                                                 
and,  in  instances  where  migrants  are  unable  to  open  their  business,  for  widening  employment 
possibilities. 

Finally, to provide real and effective support for migrant entrepreneurship, measures should be geared 
towards impacts and include mechanisms to monitor the outcomes and effects of the service provided 
over time. Gathering data on results and impacts through an evaluation or monitoring programme is 
crucial to understand the success and effectiveness of the services provided. Various indicators can be 
used to measure  the  success of a support scheme and might  include quantitative data such as the 
number  of  businesses  created,  the  survival  rate  or  sustainability  of  the  businesses,  number  of 
employees, or in cases where practices’ beneficiaries did not open a business if they went into another 
form of employment or education. In addition, qualitative information is also of importance and may 
include  socio-economic  integration  and  spill-over  effects,  such  as  improved  literacy  and  financial 
literacy or financial independence. In cases where the support scheme has specific objectives which 
might be different to business creation, this should be taken into account in the monitoring.  

Figure  1  below  visually  summarises  the  elements  of  a  holistic  approach  to  support  migrant 
entrepreneurship.  While there might be overlaps, for example individual business support might apply 
to two categories (competence and skills, and social capital), and mentoring can be important both to 
build up contacts, and knowledge/experience; the groupings provide an overview of the elements on 
which  a  support  scheme  for  migrant  entrepreneurs  should  focus.  To  provide  a  support  scheme  as 
effective  and  comprehensive  as  possible,  at  least  one  component  from  each  group  and  the  cross-
cutting dimensions should be included.  

Figure 1: Categorisation of the ten dimensions 

While  multidimensional  support  may  be  considered  the  gold  standard  for  fostering  migrant 
entrepreneurship, not  all service  providers may have the capacity and funding available to provide 
support to migrant entrepreneurs across the broad range of dimensions identified. This is notably true 
in the case of small NGOs. In such cases, efficient and holistic support may still be offered by leveraging 
the  economies  of  scale  that  emerge  from  coordination  and  exchange  among  different  service 
providers.  Structured  coordination  and  pooling  of  resources  among  the  different  service  providers 
enhances the sustainability of each practice, by allowing for a more cost-efficient allocation of the, 
often  tight,  resources  available  for  the  initiative.  It  also  avoids  duplication  and  improves  the 
professionalism of support provided in each dimension.  Furthermore, synergies with stakeholders in 
charge of migrant integration or mainstream entrepreneurship support might also help increase the 
sustainability and the scalability of the support measures.  

43 

 
 
 
The sustainability of migrant  entrepreneurship support practices has been identified as an issue in 
some cases. Activities are often initiated and run through project grants awarded at local, national or 
European  level  and  despite  the  success  and  effectiveness  of  certain  practices,  there  may  be  no 
possibility  to maintain  the  services  once  external  funding  ends.  Nonetheless,  some  initiatives  have 
been effective in building on the conclusions and findings from previous projects (for example in France 
FAIE and Eliemental, and in Spain Barcelona Activa) and, as such, provide for good examples of the 
continuity  and  efficient  use  of  local,  national  and  European  funds.  Other  support  schemes  have 
resorted  to  setting  up  social  enterprises  to  sustain  their  services  over  time  (for  example  Singa  in 
France).  

A  tailored  approach  to  service  provision,  grounded  in  the  understanding  that  migrants  are  by  no 
means a homogeneous population, but rather have different needs and skills sets, is also a key success 
factor of migrant entrepreneurship support initiatives. More specifically, the practices analysed point 
to  the  added  value  of  fostering  a  personal  relationship  between  service  providers/trainers  and 
beneficiaries. This can help build trust between the migrants and the institutions as on many occasions 
migrants,  and  especially  those  who  have  been  persecuted  in  their  home  countries,  tend  to  foster 
distrust towards authorities. In particular, this personalised approach and these trust-building efforts 
may be required to support the entrepreneurial activity of refugees and other vulnerable groups.  

Monitoring and provision of follow-up services to the migrant entrepreneur after the completion of 
the  support  scheme  are  of  due  importance.  Follow-up  services  usually  take  the  form  of  a  simple 
telephone call or email asking if there is anything with which the service provider can help. Practices 
offering individual business support are also available to provide advice, information and guidance in 
the next steps of a migrant’s business (after he has successfully opened a venture), such as Specialised 
Support  for  the  Entrepreneurs  in  Portugal.  Many  of  the  practices  keep  in  contact  with  their 
beneficiaries even after the support/course has finished and invite them frequently to their events, 
some practices invite their past participants to give talks to the current support receivers, as in the 
example  of  Singa  (France).  Besides  helping  to  evaluate  the  impact  and  cost-effectiveness  of  the 
practice,  monitoring  and  follow-up  allow  for  the  identification  of  new  challenges  that  migrant 
entrepreneurs may encounter in the phase following the end of the support service, and may lead to 
adjustment of the services to provide for additional support and assistance. Gathering and analysing 
data  on  the  outcomes  and  impacts  of  a  given  practice  is  essential  for  assessing  the  success  and 
effectiveness  of  the  practice,  and  hold  great  potential  for  improving  the  existing  service.  While 
monitoring mechanisms might imply additional time and resources which might be difficult to harness 
for any organisation stretched already for resources, having a successful track record when applying 
for funding is also likely to improve future funding opportunities.  

5.2 Practical suggestions  

The  following  suggestions  should  be  considered  by  service  providers  who  aim  to  set  up 
multidimensional practices to support migrant entrepreneurship:  

1.  Envisage the provision of at least three activities in parallel, including at least one component 
each from the three categories as suggested above in Figure 1. (for example business training, 
access to finance, and mentoring), and pay attention to language and cultural sensitivity; 
2.  Where it is not possible to provide multiple services due to a lack of capacity or resources, a 
partnership with other support schemes may enable the pooling of resources, while increasing 
efficiency and improving expertise; 

3.  As an alternative, referral to other relevant services and actors (without a formal partnership) 
can  also  provide  important  added  value.  In  particular,  bridging  to  mainstream  actors 
(cooperating with them, inviting them to events to give talks, dispersing information about 
their  support  services  and  preparing  the  scheme’s  participants  for  mainstream  support)  is 
considered successful as this leads to a wider range of services for the migrant entrepreneur. 

44 

 
 
In  order  to  achieve  the  successful  coordination  and  exchange  with  other  service  providers,  the 
following recommendations should be considered: 

1. 

Identify  relevant  actors  and  service  providers  that  are  working  actively  in  the  geographical 
location where the services are being offered, and reach out to these actors; 

2.  Explore potential for concrete collaboration (for example pooling of resources), but also for 

exchange of best practice and experience; 

3.  Further to this, remote co-operation and knowledge exchange with actors in other localities 
or countries providing similar services might be considered, as a way of offsetting knowledge-
related costs and improving services by leveraging existing experiences.  

To ensure economically sustainable support schemes, besides coordination and pooling of resources 
with other service providers, the following suggestions may be considered: 

1. 

Involve  volunteers  in  the  practical  and  administrative  work  of  the  organisation.  The 
contribution  and  input  from  committed  volunteers  tends  to  be  valuable  and  also  a  crucial 
element  to  overcome  the  lack  of  funds  or  capacity.  While  the  expertise  and  experience  of 
trainers/advisers are crucial to the success of the support scheme, other tasks might be carried 
out by volunteers with less experience. Volunteering entrepreneurs may also be recruited for 
the mentoring activities;  

2.  Aim to have a variety of funding sources (EU, national, local, private) as this might contribute 
to the sustainability and guarantee of funding provision when one funding scheme comes to 
an end. The capacity of volunteers may be used here to identify new and additional funding 
opportunities, as well as to conduct parts of the administrative procedures that might be time 
and capacity consuming for a small organisation;  

3.  Seek  sponsorship  and  small  fee  membership  from  those  participants  that  have  become 

successful entrepreneurs, or a small percentage of their profit margin; 

4.  Couple not-for-profit with profitable activities for the organisation to become self-sufficient 

through for example the establishment of a social enterprise.  

As  the  monitoring  and  establishment  of  a  follow-up  system  are  considered  central,  the  following 
recommendation should be taken into consideration: 

1.  Put in place a system for a regular follow-up on migrant entrepreneurs and their businesses 
upon completion of the support scheme. Such follow-up could be carried out by volunteers 
who could report back to the service providers/trainers about potential problems or specific 
enquiries/requests from the migrant entrepreneurs. Where needed, additional support by the 
service provider may be offered in the follow-up phase. The availability of such support might 
also encourage migrant entrepreneurs who have graduated out of the programme to consent 
to be tracked. If possible, having the trainer/adviser being in charge of the follow-up as it might 
provide  added  value  in  cases  where  a  strong  relationship  has  been  established  with  the 
migrant entrepreneur; 

2.  Put  in  place  a  system  for  gathering  data  on  results  and  impacts.  Here  too,  the  capacity  of 
volunteers may be used to gather data on the number of businesses set up and their activities. 
In combination with the follow-up activities, data on sustainability, survival, growth rate, and 
number of employees may be collected, as well as on potential dissolution of businesses or 
take up of employment; 

3.  Annual  reports  including  information  from  the  follow-up  activities  and  data  collection  on 

impacts and results can be put together and are useful when asking for funding; 

4.  The importance of the follow-up should be explained and highlighted in funding applications.     

Personal  approach  and  relationship  with  service  providers/trainers  is  central  and  the  following 
suggestions are to be considered as a means to ensure such an approach: 

45 

 
 
1.  Conduct  an  initial  needs  assessment  for  each  beneficiary,  taking  into  consideration  both 
practical  needs  regarding  entrepreneurship,  as  well  as  more  personal  needs  that  might  be 
specific to each person depending on the background, status, and nationality. Tailor measures 
provided  on  the  basis  of  the  results  of  the  needs  assessments.  When  designing  support 
measures  for  migrant  entrepreneurs,  always  take  into  account  the  heterogeneity  of  the 
migrant population, and the wide variation of both professional and personal needs of each 
migrant entrepreneur; 

2.  The registration of the results of the needs assessment in a database would be useful, notably 
to enable other trainers/colleagues to provide personalised support in case of absence of the 
first trainer; 

3.  Following the needs assessment, the potential support services provided to the specific person 

can be discussed involving also other professionals, and adapted accordingly.  

Visibility 
As regards visibility, the following suggestions should be considered to enhance the activities within 
this dimension: 

1.  Devise  an  integrated  outreach  strategy  involving  different  tools  to  reach  the  migrant 
community  at  the  local  level.  Migrant  entrepreneurs  are  not  always  reached  through  the 
mainstream media or communication channels, and therefore migrant media, networks, or 
grass roots events might be more effective; 

2.  Use existing networks and partnerships with local or migrant organisations and aim to reach 
out  through  the  use  of  minority  media  such  as  minority  language  newspapers,  ethnic 
publications, or local/minority language radio stations;  

3.  While  the  use  of  an  integrated  communication  campaign  can  provide  an  important  added 
value, it might be costly and resource intensive to put in place and maintain. The use of social 
media such as Facebook and Twitter may ensure large outreach at a reasonably low cost; 

4.  Consider using integration courses including language courses as a first port of call to introduce 

the migrants to the support scheme offered. 

To  approach  hard  to  reach  target  groups,  such  as  migrant  women  entrepreneurs  the  following 
suggestions may be implemented: 

1.  Encourage  past,  current  and  future  participants  to  spread  information  about  the  support 

practice by word of mouth throughout their circle of contacts and acquaintances; 

2.  Use  Community  Access  Points  that  are  preferred  by  the  target  group  to  disseminate 
information  and  to  organise  small  scale  events  about  entrepreneurial  topics  and  support 
services offered; 

3.  Cooperate with local and national authorities, such as local employment and social services, 
education and leisure centres and others to promote the support service. It is also essential to 
educate  the  staff  of  these  authorities  on  how  to  best  sell  the  idea of  business  training  for 
women or other entrepreneurial support to their clientele. 

Networking  
As regards networking, the following suggestions might be considered: 

1.  Work to establish a network or make use of an existing network and ensure that this involves 
a wide variety of relevant actors including private and public actors; mainstream and targeted 
actors/support mechanisms providers; and migrant and native entrepreneurs; 

2.  Organise regular events involving all actors of the network. Events may have networking as 
the main purpose, or it may be a secondary objective of a theme night or a lecture on a specific 
topic relevant to entrepreneurship;  

46 

 
 
3.  Consult with the beneficiaries to understand what kind of events would be useful for them. 
The sector of activity for a specific migrant entrepreneur might be very different to another, 
and this should be taken into account when organising events or guest lectures. Consultations 
with the entrepreneurs will enable an understanding for the current trends; 

4.  Encourage the network members to participate actively in networking and related events, as 
native network members may also benefit from the migrant entrepreneurs in regard to their 
business ideas, potential partnerships, and potential for investment. 

Legal and regulatory advice  
In regard to legal and regulatory advice, the following practical suggestions may be considered: 

1.  Ensure  the  presence  and  availability  of  legal  expertise  within  the  team  of  advisers.  Such 
expertise  may  originate  from  higher  education  or  extensive  professional  experience  and 
should relate to knowledge about questions relevant to setting up and running a business, as 
well  as  to  questions  regarding  residence  permits  and  migrant  status.  It  is  also  considered 
important that the team of advisers is able to use external expertise to provide information or 
services that are not available in-house; 

2.  While a personal approach is recommended here to provide tailored and individual advice to 
each  migrant  entrepreneur  through  a  relationship  of  trust,  information  provision  through 
online tools or websites can also be helpful. For instance, a FAQ based on enquiries handled in 
the past can be developed and published on the website of the service provider. 

Individual business support  
Within individual business support, the following suggestions should be taken into account: 

1.  Ensure a full coverage of relevant topics related to entrepreneurship and the setting up of a 
business.  This  typically  includes  drawing  up  a  business  plan,  finance,  law,  accounting, 
marketing,  and  design.  Furthermore,  specific  advice  related  to  the  national  context  and 
business  environment  provides  added value.  The  personal  ability and  circumstances  of  the 
migrant entrepreneur may also be important to consider in the provision of individual business 
support, with the aim of preparing as much as possible the person for what to expect from the 
required tasks and work. The expertise and knowledge of the advisers, stemming either from 
training or personal business experience, is key to the success of this service; 

2.  Ensure  that  advisers  and  case  workers  have  sufficient  time  to  support  each  migrant 
entrepreneur in a personalised way, including allowing for the possibility of the beneficiary to 
exchange and discuss different ideas to progress with the business plan. The beneficiary should 
also  be  given  the  opportunity  of  receiving  an  honest  and  constructive  assessment  on  the 
feasibility of their business plan, as well as an opportunity to re-work the plan together with 
an adviser.  
Group business training  
For group business training, the following suggestions may be considered: 

1.  The  length  of  training  may  vary.  However,  aim  to  organise  one  set  of  training  over  a  few 
months (between 3 and 4). Training should not be full-time as the participants might work in 
parallel, and should be provided with schedules that take into account work and family shifts. 
The  national  context  should  be  taken  into  consideration,  as  some  governments  provide 
economic assistance/benefits for taking part in such training. In such cases, a shorter but more 
intensive training could be an alternative; 

2.  Take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  this  heterogeneous  target  group  may  have  different 
educational background and preparation for this type of training. It is crucial to listen to the 
needs  of  all  participants  and  consult  them  in  the  beginning  of  the  course,  to  adapt  the 
contents, means and tools of training, and timetable. Furthermore, the provision of easy to 
read didactic material designed for non-native speakers enables the participants to study from 
home if needed/wanted; 

47 

 
 
3.  Where  possible,  provide  desk/computer  on  the  premises  of  the  training  activities  for  the 
migrant entrepreneurs to make use of. The presence of an assistant (volunteers for example) 
for home work or individual studying outside of the training hours is also helpful.  

Mentoring  
For mentoring, the following suggestions might be taken into consideration: 

1.  Put  in  place  a  matching  procedure  in  order  to  enable  an  effective  mentorship  taking  into 
consideration  the  business  sectors,  interests,  backgrounds,  and  language,  as  well  as  the 
personalities of the prospective mentor and mentee to achieve the best matching possible. 
Work to enlarge the pool of mentors as far as possible, as this will ensure a greater variety of 
profiles and thus a more customised and successful matching; 

2.  While  broadly  defined  timetables,  plans  of  activities,  and  goals  are  important  to  ensure  a 
sufficient  level  of  commitment  from  both  the  mentor  and  the  mentee,  the  nature  of  the 
mentorship should be left flexible to enable each mentoring couple to find the tools, means, 
and  frequency  of  the  sessions  to  fit  both  of  them.  Such  agreement  will  ensure  that  the 
mentorship is maintained. The same relates to objectives and success indicators that might be 
set  to  measure  the  progress  of  the  mentee.  Such  objectives  and  indicators  should  be  set 
together, making sure that the objectives are feasible and avoiding too much pressure;  

3.  For the mentorship to work, it should not imply a too intensive set-up and the organisation of 
the activities should acknowledge that participating in mentoring happens in parallel with a 
number  of  other  activities  that  the  entrepreneur  is  required  to  carry  out,  notably  in  the 
intensive phase related to the business start-up. 

4.  Ensure a sufficiently long period of mentoring with the possibility of extension. As a strong 
relationship between the mentor and mentee is key for successful mentoring, sufficient time 
must be guaranteed to enable such a relationship to develop. In the same vein, a follow-up 
procedure is recommended to provide the beneficiary with access to the mentoring and advice 
even after the completion of the official mentoring;  

5.  Assess  the  effectiveness  of  the  mentoring  process  regularly  and  allow  for  mismatched 
migrants to be re-matched to a more suitable mentor if the relationship is not working.  

Access to finance  
In regard to access to finance, the recommendations below should be considered: 

1.  Make  sure  to  combine  the  information  provided  regarding  financing  opportunities  with 
practical and concrete assistance to write a bankable business plan and prepare the migrant 
entrepreneurs to conduct meetings with financial institutions; 

2. 

In case of provision of finance (both microcredit or grant), take into consideration that the sum 
should be according to the needs of the migrant entrepreneurs, and in particular it should not 
be too large for them to manage; 

3.  Establish  a  collaboration  with  financial  institutions  to  which  migrant  entrepreneurs  can  be 
referred, and/or explore possibilities of setting up a microcredit system in collaboration with 
such institutions; 

4.  Raise  awareness  among  credit  institutions  about  the  special  needs  and  characteristics  of 
migrant entrepreneurs and, when possible, establish systems of loan guarantees that can help 
compensate for migrants’ lack of collaterals to guarantee mortgages.     

Facilities provision  
In regard to facilities provision, the suggestions below should be considered: 

1.  Where possible, work space for the migrant entrepreneurs should be made available. Based 
on available resources this might vary from a temporary work desk a few days per week, to a 

48 

 
 
2. 

3. 

start-up centre or incubator. If temporary, this should be combined with assistance to find a 
long term solution; 

Invite entities that work in this area (like start-up hubs or co-working places) to events and try 
to establish a partnership that would allow for preferential contracts for the beneficiaries of 
the support scheme; 

Include information and advice on this topic in the support provided and allow for a trained 
professional to review proposed contracts, either in the form of individual business support, 
one-stop-shop or specialised workshops and seminars. 

4.  Provide additional services that may be useful for the migrant as this can be central to the 
success of their businesses. Where facilities are provided, combine these with other forms of 
support for example advice/training, but also more practical services such as software, access 
to databases, printers and copy machines.  

Language and cultural sensitivity  
Regarding language and cultural sensitivity, the following practical suggestions should be considered: 

2. 

1.  Take  into  consideration  the  national  context  and  the  migrant  reality  when  deciding  what 
languages  should  be  prioritised.  In  addition,  this  decision  will  also  depend  on  whether  the 
service provider targets a specific group. Service provision in additional languages is helpful, 
but the languages should be relevant to the target group;  
In the case of host country language training, take into consideration the national context. In 
countries  where  language  training  is  provided  by  other  institutions  (notably  integration 
authorities  and  municipalities  in  charge  of  introduction  programmes  for  newcomers), 
language  training  could  be  limited  to  host-country-specific  business  language  and  in  some 
cases  focused  on  a  given  sector  of  activity.  In  other  countries  with  less  opportunities  for 
language  integration  courses,  general  language  courses  might  provide  an  important  added 
value when provided in parallel with the business training (or other support); 

3.  When hiring trainers or engaging with volunteers, it is important to take into consideration 
their background and whether they have any experience working with vulnerable groups. Such 
experience  might  be  first-hand  practical  experience  or  received  through  training  as  a 
preparation for the work to be conducted. Service providers with a migrant background seem 
to provide an important added value. This is linked to language skills, but more importantly, 
they might  have  a  better  understanding  of  the  specific  needs  of  the  beneficiaries,  and  the 
cultural differences they encounter in the host country. Again, the level of importance of the 
experience with vulnerable groups will depend on the target group. For refugees, it might be 
crucial that the staff have received training to work with vulnerable groups and refugees  in 
particular. For other migrant entrepreneurs, some experience or a migrant background might 
be sufficient. In case of migrants who have already been in the host country for a long period 
of time, such experience might play a secondary role. 

Impact 
To assess the impact of the scheme, the following practical suggestions should be considered: 

1.  Put in place a system for a regular follow-up on migrant entrepreneurs and their businesses 
upon completion of the support scheme. Such system can be used for gathering data on results 
and impacts. Data on business sustainability, survival, growth rate, and number of employees 
may be collected, as well as on potential dissolution of businesses or take up of employment; 
2.  Put  in  place  a  system  to  gather  input  from  the  participants  about  the  satisfaction  of  the 
services. Such consultation is a valuable source of ideas to improve the services according to 
the needs and wishes of the participants; 

49 

 
 
3.  The follow up, consultations with migrant entrepreneurs, and analysis of the data gathered, 
could  result  in  quantitative  and  qualitative  information  that  can  be  included  in  an  annual 
report. 

50 

 
 
 
 
 
6  Good practice case studies 

1.  Singa (France) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Singa 

Singa France 

Non-profit organisation 

France  
2012 - ongoing 
Networking, Visibility, Language and Cultural Sensitivity 
In the period of 2015 – 2016, the practice received funds from national 
(Présidence  de  la  République),  regional  (Île  de  France,  Rhône-Alpes 
and Languedoc-Roussillon), local (Mairie Paris, Montpellier, Lille and 
Lyon)  and  private  sources  (foundations,  banks  and  donations).  In 
addition, the Prefecture (Île de France) and UNHCR also provided their 
support. Funds are also raised by selling services to companies. 
In 2015: 24,6% public funding and 75,4% private. 
In 2016: 36,5% public funding and 63,5% private. 
Singa  specifically  targets  refugees  and  asylum  seekers,  but  also  the 
host community, acting as an intermediary between them to facilitate 
integration  (including  economic 
refugees’  and  asylum  seekers’ 
integration). The focus is on the empowerment of refugees and asylum 
seekers by supporting the creation of their network, so that they will 
be independent and able to establish their own business. The needs of 
each refugee and asylum seeker are assessed and Singa tries to match 
him/her  with  experts  (volunteers)  and  organisations  who  can  help 
them reach their goals. Services are available in 35 languages. 

Overview 

National context 
About one quarter of the French population (around 21 million) has an immigrant background. This 
includes  a large population of 2nd  generation immigrants. Two thirds of its  foreign-born population 
comes from countries outside of the European Union.3 

Objectives  
Singa’s main objective is to empower refugees and asylum seekers by supporting the creation of their 
network, so that they can progressively become more independent and able to establish their own 
business, relying less and less on Singa’s support. The network that Singa aims to establish for refugees 
and asylum seekers is really broad and its composition is on a case-by-case basis.4 Such a network is a 
guarantee for the beneficiary to be able to find a solution to potential problems that may arise. This is 
reassuring for a person who is running a business not in his/her country of origin, thus having a reduced 
knowledge of it. Another important aspect is that Singa targets not only refugees and asylum seekers, 

3 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: France. http://www.mipex.eu/france.  
4 Depends both on the refugee’s needs and goals, as well as his/her personality. 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
but also the host community, to facilitate their integration (including economic integration) by mutual 
understanding. Activities are  carried out  in a broad range  of areas,  ranging from sport and climate 
issues to business creation.  

Strengths 
Singa  combines  a  broad  range  of  measures  supporting  migrant  entrepreneurship.  Networking  and 
awareness-raising activities are at the core of the scheme. In developing networking activities, Singa 
does not distinguish between social and economic integration, since networking is common and crucial 
to both aspects. Singa also raises awareness of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ issues among the host 
community and showcases the entrepreneurial and professional talent of the refugee community in 
France. What is more, Singa wants to raise awareness in the refugee community about the possibilities 
Singa  provides  to  support  them  (outreach  activities).  In  order  to  do  this,  Singa  operates  in  several 
languages,  making  cultural  sensitivity  an  asset.  Besides  direct  support  through  networking  and 
visibility, Singa helps refugees and asylum seekers by providing contacts to address their needs in other 
areas  (including  legal  advice,  individual  business  support,  mentoring,  access  to  finance,  facilities 
provision, and language support). Even if this support is not directly provided by Singa, its connecting 
function 
its  extensive  database  of 
individuals/professionals5 covering a comprehensive number of fields. This non-intrusive approach is 
unique and aims to make refugees and asylum seekers independent from the organisation. 

is  fundamental  to  sustain  business  creation,  through 

Figure 2: Benchmarking of the Singa 

5 Individuals that are both “experienced” refugees and native French people. These people may be professionals 
and/or experts employed in companies and/or entrepreneurs. As a consequence, they have experience that can 
be transferred to "newly-arrived" refugees. 

52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Implementation 

Activities  
Singa  is  a  not-for-profit  organisation  that  supports  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  in  their  socio-
economic  integration  through  a  project-based  methodology6  that  empowers  refugees  and  asylum 
seekers to become actors of the host society. Singa is mainly and directly active in awareness-raising, 
visibility and networking activities. Singa created also an incubator called “La Fabrique” (the factory). 
Singa’s headquarters are located in Paris, however, it runs activities also in Lille, Lyon, and Montpellier. 

Singa  aims  to  raise  awareness  of  refugees’  and  asylum  seekers’  issues  in  the  host  community  and 
improve  the  perception  abouth  them,  turning  it  from  a  challenge  into  an opportunity  for  the  host 
country. At the same time, Singa wants to reach refugees and asylum seekers to make them aware of 
the opportunities it offers for their integration. Singa has launched a collaborative media called “Trait-
D’Union” (linking dash), aiming to develop a new narrative on the question of refugees and showcasing 
the  entrepreneurial  and  professional  talent  of  the  refugee  community  in  France.  Articles  of  Trait 
d’Union will be written by members of the community (including refugees) and translated into as many 
languages as possible. Singa’s visibility is boosted through TV (mainly national, but also local channels) 
via a documentary about the organisation or Singa’s representatives’ appearances on TV and radio 
shows. Singa’s activities are also presented in newspapers and magazines (including Forbes). In 2015, 
Singa was featured in the press (print, radio, and TV) at least 109 times.7 
Singa is particularly active on social media such as Twitter, Youtube (it has a channel where they explain 
their services through videos), Instagram, Facebook, and has plans to start to use Snapchat soon. Singa 
works with community influencers: currently around 20 community leaders support the information 
sharing on refugee and asylum seeker opportunities. Additionally, refugees and asylum seekers are 
reached  through  the  links  that  Singa  has  with  other  organisations  working  for  refugees.  Refugees 
themselves  are  involved  in  communication  activities  (successful  refugees’  and  asylum  seekers’ 
entrepreneurs) to deliver positive messages and promote intercultural differences. Another reason for 
using  testimonials  is  to  advertise  refugees’  and  asylum  seekers’  projects  in  the  host  community. 
Furthermore, Singa involves well-known bloggers on specific topics (for instance to advertise events). 
Singa’s  communication  strategy  is  characterised  by  a  widespread  use  of  text  messages  through  a 
specific application (around 30 000 text messages are sent per week in the Paris area alone to advertise 
events). 

Singa  has  developed  a  methodology  to  support  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  wanting  to  create 
businesses,  organisations,  and  cultural  and  artistic  projects,  by  connecting  them  with  experts 
(volunteers) and other organisations in the host country that can help them develop their ideas and 
business.8 In order to empower refugees and asylum seekers, Singa acts dynamically to support them 
in the creation and  enlargement of their  network,  so that they will not be  dependent on Singa to 
develop their business activities. The large network helps refugees and asylum seekers to connect with 
all the key stakeholders who can support their business activities, as well as potential suppliers and 
clients.  This  helps  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  to  feel  integrated  and  at  home  in  France.  In  this 

6 The refugees have their idea or a project and Singa supports them in turning it into reality. 
7 Interview with Singa Representative. 
8  For  refugees  wishing  to  find  a  job,  Singa  uses  the  same  “project”  methodology.  They  connect  them  with 
professionals and volunteers to help them overcome the various barriers to integration that they so often meet. 

53 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
context, Singa organises local events and actions to enable refugees and asylum seekers to meet the 
host community (including native entrepreneurs) and other refugees and asylum seekers.9 

One example is the so-called “Singa night”, an annual event to identify new skills and talented people 
to connect them with professionals. Moreover, Singa facilitates networking opportunities with start-
up investors and experts (“Start up, Meet Up”, “50 Start Up Councils”, “Reverse Business Pitch”, “Demo 
space”), where the entrepreneurs can directly present their projects and/or their products. Singa gives 
opportunities  to  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  to  connect  with  chambers  of  commerce  (they  are 
involved in providing training for opening a restaurant and in giving advice on funding) but also with 
other  organisations  such  as  BGE  and  ADIE  (two  institutions  that  support  and  fund  entrepreneurs), 
Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), as well as large companies (for example TOTAL, BNP 
Paribas  Fortis,  etc.)  and  public  authorities.  In  addition,  workshops  organised  by  Singa  are  an 
opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers to meet other entrepreneurs, both migrant and native, 
and  experts.  However,  the  main  contribution  of  Singa  in  expanding  refugees’  and  asylum  seekers’ 
networks  is  definitely  visible  in  Singa’s  extensive  database  of  contacts  of  both  “experienced” 
refugees/asylum  seekers  and  natives.  These  individuals  may  be  professionals  and/or  employed  in 
companies  and/or  entrepreneurs,  with  experience  that  can  be  usefully  shared  with  newly-arrived 
refugees on a volunteer basis.  

In addition to this, Singa created “La Fabrique” (the factory), which is Singa’s Incubator. Its objective is 
to  support  projects  (business  or  not-for-profit)  aiming  to  solve  critical  social  issues  in  France.  The 
incubated projects are carried out by refugees and asylum seekers of the Singa community but also 
any  entrepreneur  wishing  to  work  on  innovative  solutions  to  strengthen  society.  Singa  is  currently 
supporting 13 entrepreneurs but this number will be increased in September 2016 as the organisation 
is moving into a new 400m2 facility that will also be a co-working space for members of the community. 
This will allow for a wide range of additional entrepreneurial training sessions to be organised and to 
increase the number of supported entrepreneurs (the objective is 50) in the best possible conditions. 
Furthermore, Singa supports refugees and asylum seekers through a referral approach. By creating 
connections between individuals in the database and/or partner organisations and the refugees, Singa 
makes  sure  the  beneficiaries  receive  support  in  many  other  areas  (including  legal  and  regulatory 
advice, one-to-one business support, business training, mentoring, and access to finance) and facilities 
provision.  

With regard to mentoring, Singa provides contacts taken from its database according to refugees’ and 
asylum seekers’ needs and field of activities. Singa’s staff manually match the refugee/asylum seeker 
with entrepreneurs or  professionals  who  are  able  to  transfer  their specific  experience.  This  can  be 
more useful than turning to more generic support organisations that sometimes do not have specific 
skills.10  For  instance,  a  refugee11  who wanted  to  open  a  consultancy  to  facilitate  investment  in  the 
Middle  East  received  two  contacts  of  volunteers  experienced  in  the  field,  these  were  the  head  of 
investment in a company and a management consultant. He meets each mentor once per week (each 
meeting lasts between half an hour and one hour) and discusses the state of play of the business, the 
difficulties, and the possible solutions to overcome the problems. Moreover, he received contacts of 
other  relevant  experts  (for  example  lawyers)  and  mentors  provided  references  for  the  refugee.  Of 

9 Singa never labels its events as "refugees-only events". 
10 Both Singa Representative and the beneficiary interviewed agree on this. 
11 Based on the experience of the beneficiary interviewed. 

54 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
course,  if  one  of  the  two  parties  feels  uncomfortable,  the  mentor  will  be  changed  and  additional 
contacts will be provided to the refugee/asylum seeker.12 

Social  3.0  is  a  partner  organisation  of  Singa  that  helps  provide  volunteer  mentors.  The  matching 
process  between  people  in  the  database  and  refugees/asylum  seekers  can  also  result  in  a  type  of 
support  that  is  more  similar  to  individual  business  or  legal  support,  instead  of  mentorship.  The 
decision on the nature of the relationship to be established is left to the individuals involved; it is not 
imposed by Singa. For instance, a refugee/asylum seeker that has legal issues in registering his/her 
company can be put in contact with an expert that advises him on the particular case13 (giving him/her 
individual legal advice, without establishing a mentorship connection). 

Singa also provides contacts to refugees and asylum seekers for financing possibilities. Moreover, it 
has an agreement with ADIE14 in Paris (microcredit) and the bank BNP (general funding). Singa supports 
the ADIE and BNP employees engaged in this collaboration through training and Singa’s support of 
entrepreneurs  is  considered  as  a  plus  when  the  entrepreneur  asks  for  a  credit.  Singa  facilitates 
refugees'  and  asylum  seekers’ connection  with  investors  and  has  developed  a network  of  business 
angels. This is the case, for example, with organisations such as Social 3.0 that support entrepreneurs 
through  funding  and  advice.  Singa  also  provides  opportunities  for  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  to 
showcase their products/services in strategic events thus allowing them to attract funding for their 
venture. This has been done this year at events such as the SINGA Village (organised annually during 
the week of the World Refugee Day), Hacking the l'Hotel de Ville (allowing entrepreneurs to pitch their 
projects in front of the Mayor of Paris), and the Maker Fair (an international social innovation fair). 
Refugees and asylum seekers often receive awards in these events and this information is considered 
as added value for the funding organisations. Furthermore, at these events the refugees can directly 
meet investors.15 

With reference to business training and workshops, partner associations organise courses (providing 
content material and location) for the refugees and asylum seekers in need. Some examples of topics 
are: developing your business plan and business model, pitching your project, finding investors, and 
advertising your project online efficiently. These courses occur weekly. Some partners organise specific 
workshops for Singa, and others reserve a number of places in existing workshops. In both cases the 
partners are trained to interact with members of the Singa community.  
Finally, entrepreneurs supported by Singa also benefit from Singa's institutional relationships and can 
for instance get support from local public institutions in their search for offices and places to run their 
business. Moreover, since 2016, Singa provides a co-working space (40 desks), upon the payment of 
rent.16  

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Singa’s staff speak 35 languages (different languages from Africa, South America, Bangladesh, as well 
as Arabic, Farsi, etc.). On top of this, the practice also employs refugees which helps to expand the 
languages offered, not only for oral communication but also for the translation of written documents. 

12 Interview with Singa Representative. 
13 Based on the experience of the beneficiary interviewed. 
14 Association pour le Droit à l’Initiative Economique (Association for the Right to Economic Initiative). 
15 According to the beneficiary interviewed. 
16 The creation of this space was financed by private donations and public funds. 

55 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The  website  is  in  French,  however,  some  key  information  about  Singa  is  available  in  four  other 
languages (English, Arabic, Turkish and Russian). 

Singa, supported by partner organisations, offers tutoring in the French language. Singa matches the 
refugee/asylum seeker with a French native speaker who provides tutoring (one-to-one classes) to the 
refugee/asylum  seeker.  Sometimes  the  learning  is  not  mono-directional  and  French  speakers  learn 
other languages (it is a tandem process). Furthermore, the way Singa operates (provision of contacts), 
makes the refugees and asylum seekers feel more comfortable with accepting help. Indeed, in some 
cultures,17  receiving  charity is  seen  in  a  negative  way. Singa  does  not  operate  as  a  charity (since  it 
merely provides contacts), and the refugee who has already received help can help other refugees by 
his/her inclusion in the database. For instance, a refugee that has already created his/her business can 
be matched with a refugee who is developing a business project in a similar sector. This makes the 
refugee feel useful: he is provided with the possibility to give something in exchange for the help he 
has received in the past.18  

Moreover,  Singa  trains  the  partners  of  its  network  (including  partner  organisations,  paying 
organisations,  business  advisers,  and  any  volunteers  engaged  with  Singa)  on  sensitive  issues  for 
refugees and asylum seekers, explaining how to avoid making them feel uncomfortable.19 Finally, Singa 
offers  a  service  to  companies  to  address  cultural  sensitivity  issues  (for  example  how  to  interact 
properly with refugees that might have been imprisoned and tortured). Companies pay for this service, 
contributing  to  Singa’s  financing.  It  supports  companies  in  their  corporate  social  responsibility 
activities  and  provides  intercultural  training  for  the  employees  of  the  companies.  These  kinds  of 
services are in demand by companies that employ refugees (for example the training helps to better 
capitalise on the assets that refugees provide through their diversity).20 

Outcomes and results 

Impact 
Singa’s network involves 160 volunteers and 865 direct beneficiaries that include refugees and asylum 
seekers (around 600),21 volunteers, and a host community.22 Over 80% of refugees and asylum seekers 
confirm that taking part in Singa’s activities made them feel more at home.23 For the moment, Singa 
has not  specifically monitored the  business  creation aspect (since  its objective is broader than just 
business creation), however an impact assessment study is foreseen for 2017 and it is not excluded 
that  an  indicator  related  to  this  will  be  included.  Awareness-raising  activities  are  performing  well, 
registering a high rate of attendance (around 1000 people participated in its events in 2014).24 In 2015, 

17 Based on the experience of the beneficiary interviewed. 
18 Interview with beneficiary. 
19 For example, do not ask why they left their country; never sit on the opposite side of the table; do not close the 
door without asking first (some of the refugees may have been imprisoned or tortured so some usual behaviour 
may make them feel uncomfortable). 

20 Interview with Singa Representative. 
21 Interview with Singa Representative. 
22  Singa  France,  Rapport  Moral  et  D’Activités  2014,  https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-

moral-et-activitc3a9s-2014-2.pdf. 
23 Interview with Singa Representative. 
24  Singa  France,  Rapport  Moral  et  D’Activités  2014,  https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-

moral-et-activitc3a9s-2014-2.pdf.  

56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
over 14,000 people have participated in the Singa community. This means that they have participated 
in  at  least  one  of  Singa’s  programmes  and  have  been  able  to  meet  refugees  and  get  a  better 
understanding of the circumstances relating to refugees. More than 1,500 have been trained on the 
question of asylum and the difficulties met by refugees when they arrive in their host countries. Singa’s 
added value is incorporated in its widespread database, which has a positive reassuring influence on 
beneficiaries who can be confident that a solution will be found (often for free) to almost all of the 
problems  raised.25  Indeed,  Singa’s  extensive  network  of  partner  organisations  and  individuals 
(database of contacts) ensures the coverage of experts in different sectors and areas. 

Challenges  
Among the  barriers identified by beneficiaries  (financing, languages,  etc.) that Singa addresses in a 
satisfying way26 is a cultural barrier that is hard to overcome in the short term: it may happen that 
being a refugee is perceived in a negative way (almost as a disqualification) on the part of society (it is 
something of a stigma) and this hinders business creation (for example in finding clients).27 For this 
reason,  Singa’s  activities  in  awareness-raising  and  communication  about  perceiving  refugees  as 
opportunities  or  value  for  the  host  community  are  fundamental,  but  they  require  time.  Singa  is, 
however, performing well at local level (see below in Key success factors).28 
Another challenge is that Singa is a relatively young organisation and given the high number of requests 
it  receives,  is  under-staffed.29  Singa  has  currently  reached  the  maximum  number  of  people  it  can 
manage. However, Singa has already found a solution and is working on tools (mainly technological) 
that  will  allow  it  to  have  a  greater  and  faster  impact.  For  instance,  the  matching  between  refugee 
needs and volunteers is currently made manually by Singa’s staff. This is a time-consuming process but 
the plan for the future is to make it automatic. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
Singa offers a broad combination of support measures that make it an example of a good practice. 
Networking, awareness-raising activities, and language sensitivity are at the core of Singa. In addition, 
Singa helps refugees and asylum seekers by referring them to contacts to address their needs in other 
areas  (including  legal  advice,  individual  business  support,  mentoring,  access  to  finance,  facilities 
provision, and language support). Even if the support is not directly provided by Singa, its connecting 
function is fundamental to sustaining business creation and development. With its extensive database 
of  professionals30  covering  a  comprehensive  number  of  fields,  Singa  can  help  the  refugees  more 
effectively (because of their expertise) and efficiently (because Singa can provide the right contacts 
faster than through a search in the market).  

25 Interview with beneficiary. 
26 Interview with beneficiary. 
27 Based on the experience of the beneficiary interviewed. 
28  Singa  France,  Rapport  Moral  et  D’Activités  2014,  https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-

moral-et-activitc3a9s-2014-2.pdf. 

29 Interview with beneficiary. 
30 Individuals that are both experienced refugees and native  French people. These people may be professionals 
and/or experts employed in companies and/or entrepreneurs. As a consequence, they have experience that can 
be transferred to "newly-arrived" refugees. 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Replicability 
Although Singa focuses on refugees and asylum seekers, the practice can be extended to migrants in 
general, of course with some adaptation in the content (for example include more generic aspects on 
cultural sensitivity that pertain not only to refugees but to migrants in general, expanding the contacts 
database to ensure the coverage of migrants’ needs). The core approach can be easily replicated: be a 
facilitator in making connections between the host community and migrants/refugees/asylum seekers. 
This practice can be transferred to other regional or national contexts, but of course it requires time 
to  build  an  extensive  and  exhaustive  network  of  contacts.  Starting  from  organisations  active  in 
migration field and organisations that support entrepreneurship that already have their own network 
can help the creation and enlargement of the database.  

Singa has already planned to extend the support to migrants in general and also foreign students (Singa 
realised that Erasmus students have similar problems to refugees).31 In this respect, Singa is finalising 
the Waya project that will be launched in 2016. The objective is to develop a platform (online and 
offline)  that  will  support  newcomers  with  all  the  information  they  need  (ranging  from  visa  to 
entrepreneurship)  in  their  language.  The  information  will  be  crowdsourced  and  all  newcomers, 
including other migrants, will be able to benefit therefrom (students, economic migrants etc.).32 

Moreover, Singa would like to bring some events to a national level. For instance, the winners of the 
local Singa Night can compete at national level to “crown” the national champion. Singa wishes to 
replicate the incubator in other regions of France and perhaps also in other countries. 

Testimonial - Beneficiary since 2015:  

“Singa provided me with the contacts I needed to start and develop my business. Without Singa, I 
would have spent ten years building up the network, I have established in few months instead.” 

An Iranian refugee, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master’s in Political Science, used 
to work as a campaign manager in a think tank in his country of origin. Arriving in France as a political refugee 
in 2010, he improved his education through online courses and conducted small operations. After some years 
in France (and six months in the USA* to improve his English in 2013), he realised that he could not live as a 
foreigner forever in his host country. To improve his position, he thought of creating a business. However, he 
encountered some difficulties (mainly legal issues, funding opportunities, and language barriers) in realising his 
project. In 2015, he contacted Singa after hearing about it from a person working in the same building. Thanks 
to Singa, he was put in contact with relevant professionals who were able to solve his problems, in particular 
two mentors (experienced in the field of his business who gave him fundamental advice, as well as additional 
contacts to solve legal issues on how to formalise his company) and a tutor supporting him in French-language 
issues (e.g. correcting a formal letter) that he meets on a weekly basis. He is also taking part in the incubator 
activities. He meets the head of the incubator monthly to get advice on his business. Furthermore, he uses the 
co-working  facilities  provided  by  Singa  and  rents  a  part-time  space  to  meet  clients.  At  the  end  of  2015  he 
officially established his consultancy business to advise people who want to invest in the Middle East. He is now 
considering hiring five more people, but the final decision depends on the outcomes of ongoing projects. In case 
he has cash liquidity, he definitely intends to use the money to expand his staff. 

*He had the chance to go to the USA to participate in a conference and then he decided to stay longer to improve his language skills. 

31 This will be probably done by establishing another organisation. 
32 Interview with Singa Representative. 

58 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: France. http://www.mipex.eu/france 
  Singa France, Rapport Moral et D’Activités 2012, 

https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-moral-et-d_activites-2012.pdf.  

  Singa France, Rapport Moral et D’Activités 2013, 

https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-moral-et-activitc3a9s-2014-2.pdf.  

  Singa France, Rapport Moral et D’Activités 2014, 

https://singaproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rapport-moral-et-activitc3a9s-2014-2.pdf. 

List of interviews 

  Nathanael Molle – Director and Co-founder, Singa 
  Final beneficiary I 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: contact@singa.fr   
Website: https://singa.fr/  

59 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Intercultural Incubator for Migrant Organizations (Poland) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Inkubator  Międzykulturowy  (Intercultural  Incubator  for  Migrants 
Organizations) 

Immigrants in action, Fundacja dla Somalii (Foundation for Somalia) 

Foundation 

Poland (Warsaw) 
March 2014 to May 2015 
Business Training, Legal Advice 
Co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country 
Nationals and the state budget. 
The  scheme  promoted  integration  in  Poland  through  providing 
specialised  and  personalised  support  for  the  creation  of  social 
enterprises,  particularly  NGOs.  To  this  end,  the  project  offered  a 
business  training  course  on  a  number  of  topics  and  individual 
mentoring that is still ongoing even though the project has finished. 

Overview 

National context 
Traditionally, Poland has not been a country of immigration; however, this has progressively changed 
in the past few years. Nonetheless, the country does not have a large proportion of immigrants settling 
in and working there. In 2013 there were about 275 000 immigrants. To this end, policies to satisfy the 
increasing necessities of the arriving migrants are being developed. 33 

Entrepreneurship programmes are usually for the mainstream population and are carried out in the 
Polish language, whereas targeted programmes for migrants are rather focused on explaining their 
rights  and  obligations,  as  well  as  the  functioning  of  the  labour  market.  However,  some  cities  have 
started  promoting  migrant  entrepreneurship  as  well  as  a  broader  range  of  activities  aimed  at 
supporting immigrant integration. 

Objectives 
The  Intercultural  Incubator  for  Migrant  Organizations  (MIOI)  was  an  activation  and  support 
programme for migrant organisations. The beneficiaries of the incubator were migrants aiming to set 
up organisations and foundations in order to support immigrant integration in Poland (for example 
Migrant Women Forum, Arisan culture spreading, Somalian integration, etc.). The overarching goal of 
the  initiative  was  to  improve  the  success  of  the  selected  entrepreneurs  and  the  impact  of  their 
activities  to  promote  immigrant  integration  through  individual  support,  training,  workshops,  and 
individual  business  assistance,  including  both  general  aspects  of  business  set-up  and  specialised 
modules covering the work in the not-for-profit sector. 

33 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Poland. http://www.mipex.eu/poland. 

60 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Strengths 
The main strength of this project is the overarching effort of supporting migrants in their entrepreneur 
and integration process. The beneficiaries of the incubator were given training, advice, and access to 
a network of useful contacts which allowed them to widen their own networks in the development of 
their organisations in different stages. Simultaneously, the entrepreneurs learned the language and 
the  culture  of  the  country  with  assistance  from  service  providers.  In  addition,  all  services  were 
provided in the incubator, which offered a proper working environment for entrepreneurship, training 
and networking. The support provided was highly specialised and personalised through group and one-
to-one sessions. The mentoring aspect of the practice has transcended the duration of the project and 
is still continuing now. 

Figure 3: Benchmarking of the Inkubator Międzykulturowy (Intercultural Incubator for Migrants 
Organisations) 

Implementation 

Activities 
The  Foundation  for  Somalia  offered,  through  the  incubator  programme,  complete  support  and 
assistance for the selected 16 participants in creating their own organisation, most of them NGOs. The 
support included the incorporation of the participants in an incubator programme for one year while 
they were trained and advised along the entrepreneurship path. In the meantime, events, workshops 
and activities were carried out as part of the incubator while others were carried out by the Foundation 
for Somalia. The participants were invited to take part in the activities organised by both. 

The  core  part  of  the  activities  was  the  intensive  business  training with  a  wide variety  of  modules 
(legal,  formal  and  financial  aspects  of  NGO's  activities;  workshop  on  intercultural  competences; 
leadership skills and team management training; project management and project implementation; 
public  relations  and  marketing)  adapted  to  the  level  of  the  participants.  The  training  was  given 

61 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
throughout the year on weekends and during holidays, which offered flexibility to the participants who 
might be in employment, training or studying at the university. This enabled all participants to attend 
the lessons and complete the programme. The trainers were prepared to deal with the specific barriers 
that migrants face in regards to integration in the host community, as well as, the barriers that any 
entrepreneur faces in establishing and running a business. 

The  training  devoted  particular  attention  to  legal  and  regulatory  aspects  of  business  set-up. 
Participants were advised individually or in groups depending on the different necessities in building 
their projects. Individual assistance was provided, not only for legal topics, but for all areas relevant to 
the  needs  of  the  entrepreneurs.34  Mentoring  was  also  available  as  part  of  the  activities.  Each 
participant was paired with a mentor providing advice and support with the business project. Mentors 
helped deal with issues such as administrative paperwork, opportunities for networking, etc. and acted 
as  mediators  for  the  cultural  barriers  that  could  appear  during  the  programme.  The  length  of  the 
mentoring was six months until the end of the programme. Nonetheless, the participants and mentors 
are still in contact or the participant may contact the mentor in case further assistance is required in 
the project. 

Advice  on  funding  opportunities  at  local  and  national  level  was  also  provided,  although  the 
organisation did not provide funding as part of the programme. The participants were supported in 
developing bankable projects and in creating viable NGOs – the form of organisation chosen by the 
majority.  The  foundation  provided  incubating  space,  where  the  participants  could  develop  their 
projects and create workshops and activities. 

All mentioned activities, training and advice could not have been properly offered without the network 
of  the  Foundation  for  Somalia,  which  is  one  of  the  biggest  networks  of  NGOs  and  associations  in 
Poland. This diverse network and the activities and events organised by the Foundation for Somalia 
informed the beneficiaries about the incubator, while word of mouth was also important to this end. 
Besides, the network has been useful in order to help participants create their own networks and get 
valuable contacts and partners for their projects.35 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The incubator staff spoke English, Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, French, Somali, and Hebrew. 
However, considering the different origin of participants (Somalia, Nigeria, Indonesia, Turkey, Senegal, 
etc.), English was chosen as the common language to provide incubator services (for example training 
for this programme was provided in English so all participants could understand the lessons). For any 
issues, the participants could ask staff members, able to speak their native language, for clarification. 
Additionally, the organisation provided courses in Polish: at basic, medium, and advanced levels, and 
also specific business Polish. Although, the host country language training was not included in the main 
practice,  the  participants  were  invited  to  attend  the  lessons.  The  members,  trainers  and  service 
providers were from many different nationalities including Polish natives, capable of understanding 
the cultural nuances and used to working with people from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the 
participant  members  of  the  incubator  have  been  assisting  as  translators  to  other  migrants  where 
needed.  

34 Interview with Omoye Akhagba, carried out in May 2016. 
35 Interview with Omoye Akhagba, carried out in May 2016. 

62 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Outcomes and results 

Impact  
From  the  16  participant  members  of  the  incubator,  two  have  created  a  new  organisation  or  have 
regularised the informal organisation they already had, while the others are still in the creation process 
dealing with administrative and other challenges and continue to learn Polish. 

After the end of the programme, some projects almost reached the setting up stage, but the language 
barrier impeded the formal creation of the organisation at that moment. These administrative barriers 
were one of the main problems for the participants and the reason why only two organisations have 
been created formally so far. Furthermore, some of the participants had recently arrived in the country 
and without any knowledge of the Polish language when they started to participate in the incubator. 
Consequently, their projects are still ongoing and are making steady progress towards their variety of 
objectives, all with the aim of promoting migrant integration.  

The participants implemented activities acting as if their organisations were already created in a formal 
way, and there were promising results of the possible effectiveness.36 One of the biggest successes of 
the programme has been the relevant impact on society. The activities created by the participants have 
had a large impact within the immigrant communities, since other migrants can benefit from these 
activities that facilitate their integration in Polish society, since they have altered the perception of the 
migrants to something positive. 

Challenges 
Among the main flaws of the initiative is the strong reliance on external funding, and the inability to 
secure funding for longer periods. The project was implemented by the Foundation for Somalia, co-
financed by the European Fund for the Integration of the Third-country Nationals and the State Budget. 
These funds were granted for the period 2014-2015 only and the Foundation for Somalia could not 
secure  funds  to  continue  the  practice.  Consequently,  the  funding  has  been  reduced  and  there  is 
insufficient support to develop and expand the practice and to improve its current status (funding for 
the participants, extension of the length of the training, creation of more networking and integration 
events, etc.). The organisation is working to get new sponsorship or funds from previous or new donors 
to continue the practice. 

As stated previously, most of the practice’s beneficiaries had recently arrived in the country with no 
knowledge of Polish. This was one of the main obstacles to tackle initially. Indeed, a good level of the 
Polish is important for integration in Polish society and provides opportunities for entrepreneurship. 
To this end, the project offered language courses for various levels. Furthermore, the lack of clarity in 
administrative  procedures  (due  to  the  complex  terminology)  and  the  time  required  to  fulfil  all  the 
paperwork  for  the  creation  of  a  new  organisation  limited  migrant  entrepreneurs.  To  this  end,  the 

36 Interview with Omoye Akhagba, carried out in May 2016 and interview with Yona Aloewie, carried out in May 

2016. 

63 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
                                                 
Foundation for Somalia offers free Polish courses throughout the year. The organisation is open every 
day to about 400 migrants learning Polish. 37 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The  intensiveness  of  the  business  training  courses,  with  a  flexible  schedule  and  covering  all  the 
necessities  to set up a company, has been  successful and well evaluated by the  participants.38  The 
participants were integrated into Polish society through the training and experience of the trainers 
that  enabled  the  translation  of  the  cultural  nuances.  The  trainers  were  able  to  introduce  the 
participants  to  entrepreneurship  topics  through  the  perspective  of  the  Polish  culture  and  habits.39 
Additionally,  the  awareness-raising  activities  of  the  practice  and  the  Foundation  for  Somalia 
organisation  have  been  important,  while  the  language  and  cultural  sensitivity  created  the  proper 
atmosphere for participants to feel integrated and develop their projects. The lessons and networks 
provided helped participants with the first steps of integration and will also help them in the labour 
market. 

The main distinctive feature of this practice was the support for the creation of organisations that will 
work for the integration of the migrant communities in Poland. The project offered an incubator where 
the participants could develop their projects aiming at improving the quality of life and integration of 
other  migrants  in  Poland,  including  projects  that  were  not  always  supported  by  funding  or  other 
institutions. 

Replicability 
The  practice  has  been  carried  out  by  an  independent  Polish  NGO  (Foundation  for  Somalia)  with 
national  and  European  funds;  however,  it  could  be  implemented  by  other  similar  organisations  in 
another context/location. One of the requirements for its replicability by other organisations should 
be  the use of large  networks  of migrant communities to reach the targeted populations, while  the 
facilities and experienced trainers for the incubator may be easier to find, they are also a crucial aspect. 
Offering free language courses should be considered by the organisations working in countries where 
the language is a thorough barrier. The entrepreneurs would have a greater chance of success if they 
know the host country’s language. 

37 Interview with Omoye Akhagba, carried out in May 2016 and interview with Yona Aloewie, carried out in May 

2016. 

38 Interview with Omoye Akhagba, carried out in May 2016 and interview with Yona Aloewie, carried out in May 

2016. 

39 Interview with Yona Aloewie, carried out in May 2016. 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – Project participant in 2014: 

“The project gives you a feeling of acceptance into Polish society. I was new in the 
country and after the project I felt integrated. It gives you the necessary knowledge, 
opening the way for integration.” 

Omoye  Akhagba,  a  Nigerian  native  living  in  Poland  since  2013,  had  just  arrived  when  she 
heard about the incubator and applied for it in March 2014. She participated in all the intensive 
training  courses  and  the  incubator  with  the  aim  of  setting  up  her  own  NGO.  The  NGO’s 
objective  is  to  be  a  forum  for  women  in  Poland,  where  they  will  be  provided  skills  and 
qualifications  training.  She  is  now  able  to  understand  Polish  society  and  has  acquired 
administrative, management and all other necessary skills to set up her NGO. She is still in 
process of creating the NGO, learning the language and dealing with administrative barriers. 

65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Poland. http://www.mipex.eu/poland. 

List of interviews 

  Omoye Akhagba – Cross-cultural Assistant and Final Beneficiary 
  Yona Aloewie – Final Beneficiary  

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email:   

  General information: biuro@fds.org.pl  
  Omoye Akhagba: omoyeakhagba@fds.org.pl  

Website: http://en.immigrantsinaction.pl/incubator-participants/   

66 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Entrepreneurs Without Borders – UoG (Germany) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Unternehmer ohne Grenzen – UoG (Entrepreneurs Without Borders) 

Unternehmer ohne Grenzen e.V. (Entrepreneurs Without Borders) 

Not-for-profit organisation 

Germany (Hamburg) 
2000 - ongoing 
Individual Business Support, Business Training 
The  City  of  Hamburg  and  the  European  Social  Fund  finance  the 
organisation and its projects.  
Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  was  established  by 
immigrant 
entrepreneurs in Hamburg to act as a bridge between immigrants and 
businesses  and  to  enable  immigrants  to  create  businesses  through 
providing 
information,  qualification,  and  education,  and  by 
establishing  a  wide  network  of  contacts  with  national,  regional  and 
local policymakers.40 The scheme follows an intercultural, multi-ethnic 
and  inclusive  approach.  Its  members  and  staff  come  from  different 
countries  and  cultures,  speak  different  languages  and  have  various 
educational and professional experiences and gather a vast range of 
intercultural competences. 

Overview 

National context 
Since the 1960s, Germany has been one of Europe’s major migrant destinations. Migrant businesses 
in Germany have 2.2 million employees, which represents 18% of all jobs in owner-managed small- 
and medium-sized enterprises. Migrant entrepreneurs also play a role in the internationalisation of 
SMEs. 

Because  Germany  is  federally  organised  and  migrants  are  distributed  very  heterogeneously,  a vast 
variety of different initiatives can be found at a regional (Land) and local level (Kreise). In Germany, the 
‘Federal Ministry for Economic  Affairs and Energy Business  Start-up Portal’ serves  as a multilingual 
platform for information. In addition, initiatives on the regional level focus at least partially on migrant 
entrepreneurship.  Those  initiatives  are  rather  heterogeneous  and  target  different  aspects.  Some 
initiatives  focus  on  highly-qualified  migrants;  other  initiatives  focus  on  specific  immigrant  groups 
(migrants from Turkey, Serbia, etc.), mostly on migrants from traditional migrant countries of origin. 

Several  measures  are  not  mainly  created  for  migrants,  but  adapted  to  the  needs  of  this  specific 
population  meaning  that  the  service/practice,  which  was  established 
initially  for  domestic 
entrepreneurs  was  slightly  altered  with  migrant  specific  requirements  and  is  offered  in  foreign 
languages, including specific information for migrants, etc.  

40 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.7. 

67 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
                                                 
Objectives  
The overall aim of Entrepreneurs Without Borders is to promote self-employment for people with an 
immigrant  background.  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  was  created  as  a  bottom-up  initiative  by 
immigrant  entrepreneurs  who  had  the  idea  to  create  an  institution  which  would  act  as  a  bridge 
between  immigrants  and  business  start-ups  through  providing  information,  qualification,  and 
education,  and  establishing  a  wide  network  of  contacts  with  national,  regional,  and  local 
policymakers.41 

Entrepreneurs Without  Borders  aims to overcome  the  business  disadvantages of unfamiliarity with 
German legal traditions and administrative routines by providing immigrant entrepreneurs with tailor-
made  counselling, advice and networking services that match the specific business  environment of 
Hamburg42, as well as the participation of women in economic life – thereby strengthening the local 
economy. At the policy level Entrepreneurs without Borders also acts as a lobby organisation for ethnic 
entrepreneurs.43 

Strengths 
In the city of Hamburg, Entrepreneurs without Borders is an intercultural development organisation 
that supports potential entrepreneurs with a migrant background in urban, depressed areas through 
the  establishment  of  a  system  of  reciprocal  assistance.  Since  its  establishment  in  2000,  it  mainly 
provides  services  in  the  field  of  business  start-ups,  business  consulting  and  training,  as  well  as 
education and parental advisory44 following an intercultural, multi-ethnic and inclusive approach.45  

Due  to  the  nature  and  character  of  the  organisation,  which  was  established  by  entrepreneurs  of 
different  nationalities,  language  and  cultural  sensitivity  is  an  asset  to  the  practice.  Regarding 
networking,  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  is  -  apart  from  actors  of  the  Economic  Promotion 
Department – a member of the support network (Hamburger Fördernetzwerk) under the leadership 
of  Hamburgische  Investitions-  und  Förderbank  (IFB  Hamburg)46  and  acts  as  a  bridge  between 
mainstream institutions and the entrepreneurs.  

41 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.2. 
42 http://www.tcceconomicdevelopment.eu/wp-

content/uploads/Documents/WheretoGoforSupport/GoodPracticeExamplesofSustainableEconomicDevelop
mentandICTforAdaptationinthenorthernpartofCyprus.pdf. 

43 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.3. 
44 Entrepreneurs Without Borders is informing, supporting and accompanying migrant parents of young children 
with multilingual information and consulting services. Parents get individual information about the landscape 
for early childhood education, with the goal of integrating migrant children right from the beginning. 

45 http://uog-ev.de/verein/association/. 
46 https://www.ifbhh.de/fileadmin/pdf/IFB_Commited_To_Hamburg_Flyer.pdf. 

68 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 4: Benchmarking of Entrepreneurs Without Borders 

Implementation 

Activities  
The  not-for-profit  association  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  was  founded  by  entrepreneurs  of 
different nationalities and business branches as a ‘system’ for mutual exchange in the year 2000. Its 
activities aim to include immigrants in economic and social life, opening up to viable opportunities to 
create personal businesses.47 

To  pursue  its  goals, with  regard  to  networking,  the association organises  trade  conferences,  holds 
discussion  and  cultural  meetings,  and  networks;  co-operates,  and  maintains  a  regular  exchange  of 
experiences with relevant regional, national, and international organisations and agencies48, such as 
chambers  of  commerce,  companies,  public  institutions,  local  authorities  and  other  relevant 
institutions.  Further,  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  has  partnerships  with  the  chambers  of 
commerce, local authorities, business associations and with other migrant and native entrepreneurs 
and business suppliers in Hamburg. 

However, since its establishment, Entrepreneurs Without Borders mainly implements projects not only 
in the fields of business start-ups, business consulting and training but also education and parental 
advisory following an intercultural, multi-ethnic and inclusive approach. The project49 directly related 
to migrant entrepreneurship is the project “StartChance” (information and advice for entrepreneurs, 
particularly for those with migrant backgrounds).50 

47 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.2. 
48 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.2. 
49 http://uog-ev.de/projekte/. 
50 Other migrant relevant projects/initiatives of ‘Entrepreneur Without Borders’ are: 

69 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
StartChance offers individual business support and business training in various fields and adapts to 
the individual needs of the client. The advice includes every relevant area about starting a new business 
or  management  of  an  ongoing  business51.  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  focuses  exclusively  on 
entrepreneurs, both start-ups and existing, of immigrant origin. This ensures that services and network 
activities are tailored to specific needs of ethnic origin. For people who want to start up a business, the 
project  StartChance  offers  information  events  on  all  matters  related  to  starting  up  a  business, 
individual one-to-one consultations, support with business plan creation, information about financing 
and funding possibilities, information about qualification and training, presentation of expert opinions 
for public agencies, administrative bodies, chambers, institutions, banks, etc. and regular seminars and 
events  offering  relevant  entrepreneurship  information,  as  well  as,  the  creation  of  networks  for 
entrepreneurs. 
If requested by the client, Entrepreneurs Without Borders provides feasibility assessment or follow-up 
sessions about financial fitness, based on the analysis of the business plan by two consultants. In terms 
of  information  provision  about  financing  possibilities,  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  provides 
information about ways of financing and funding during the provision of support and advice. This also 
includes information about microcredits. Most of the topics are covered by the consultants working 
for Entrepreneurs Without Borders, as they have working experience in the field of entrepreneurship, 
business set-up and administrative procedures and/or a degree in business studies. If their knowledge 
is  insufficient,  they  hire  practitioners  and  professionals  to  offer  seminars  and  trainings  on  specific 
topics such as taxes, accounting, marketing, customer service, and German language. 

For  entrepreneurs  who  have  already  started  their  company,  the  project  offers  individual  analysis 
within the business, individual consultations for operational optimisation, special qualification offers, 
seminars and training programmes informing about taxes, marketing, customer acquisition, support 
in employee qualifications and advice on training/continuing education.52 

Regarding facility provision, it should be mentioned that Entrepreneurs Without Borders is intensively 
cooperating with the SAGA GWG (SAGA Siedlungs- Aktiengesellschaft Hamburg, GWG Gesellschaft für 
Wohnen und Bauen mbH) housing company in Hamburg, which offers facilities. Due to the fact that 
Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  helps  entrepreneurs  to  find  a  suitable  commercial  property  it  is 

- 

- 

- 
- 

“Frühstart für Erfolg“ - this project informs, supports and assists parents with migration background to 
get them fit in their everyday life); 
“Unternehmer treffen Schüler“ - supports/organises contacts/meetings between entrepreneurs and pupils 
to help young migrants make the right career choice; 
“LokalChance“ - promotion of the local economy in Hamburg-Nord, Altona, Harburg; and 
“Neuwiedenthal im Zentrum“ - strengthening of local economy in Neuwiedenthal. 

Within the project “Frühstart für Erfolg“ (which is not targeting entrepreneurs, but migrants in general) 

Entrepreneurs Without Borders is informing, supporting and accompanying migrant parents of young 
children with multilingual information and consulting services. Parents get individual information about the 
landscape for early childhood education, with the goal to integrate migrant children right from the 
beginning. In addition, the initiative “Unternehmer treffen Schüler” aimed at helping young migrants to 
make the right career choice, offers meetings between entrepreneurs and pupils to present success stories to 
enable an initial orientation for young people. Further Entrepreneurs Without Borders is organising visits to 
companies, to enable young people better insights into the everyday life of a company.   

51 

http://uog-ev.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Gr%C3%BCndungsfahrplan.pdf 

and 

http://uog-

ev.de/startchance-2/. 

52  For  employees  of  previously  started  companies  the  project  offers  support  for  obtaining  necessary  work 
qualifications by family members, women and young adults and advice on training/continuing education. 

70 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
fulfilling a bridging function between SAGA GWG and migrants. Entrepreneurs Without Borders does 
not provide loans and credits but informs entrepreneurs about their potential financing and funding 
opportunities; for example, about financial instruments offered by the Loan Guarantee Co-operative 
of the Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg). 

In the past, there was a scheme called “Economic Centre for Women” (2014-2015), a subproject of the 
project  "Intercultural  Economic  Centre  for  Women"  (Interkulturelles  Frauenwirtschaftszentrum) 
(funded  by  the  ESF,  2010-2013),  which  was  a  business  centre  for  (qualified)  women  with 
migration/international backgrounds. Through funding by ESF, the centre established itself as a place 
for  networking,  exchange,  seminars,  events  and  information  with  regard  to  entrepreneurship, 
management  and  professional  orientation  and  training  for  women,  especially  for  those  with  an 
international background. Women who utilised the centre got support in their entrepreneurial and 
sustainable independence and the possibility to participate in networking activities. 

In the near future there is an idea to apply for a similar project with regard to an intercultural centre 
for the occupational integration of migrants and refugees (Zentrum für die berufliche Integration von 
Migranten/innen und Flüchtlingen). The core task of the centre should be to accompany and support 
the  individual  client  from  the  first  contact  until  permanent  occupation  is  found,  preferably  with  a 
constant contact person (“one face to the customer”).  

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Predominantly, basic/general services are provided in the language of the host country, German. If 
necessary, most of the services are provided in the main languages of the target group, mainly Turkish 
or Russian. However, consultants at Entrepreneurs Without Borders are able to offer information in 
bilateral consultations in several other languages to the aforementioned languages; currently  these 
are English, Farsi, Dari, and Pashtu. This reduces miscommunication and loss of relevant information 
due to language problems.53 Employees of Entrepreneurs Without Borders are highly qualified with a 
degree in business economics and experienced in supporting persons of different cultural backgrounds 
and due to the intercultural competences of the employees, no cultural mediators are necessary. Many 
employees at Entrepreneurs Without Borders have an immigrant background and it is a precondition 
to have intercultural skills when working within the organisation. Given their common backgrounds, 
the participants easily identify with consultants and trust is built quickly. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Entrepreneurs Without Borders supports the economic stability of entrepreneurs, with a special focus 
on those with migrant background in certain neighbourhoods of Hamburg, specifically in the areas St. 
Pauli and Wilhelmsburg. This promotes a long-term integration of migrants into the labour market and 
the social and economic growth of local areas in Hamburg. In addition, Entrepreneurs Without Borders 
supports economic sustainability of young companies by supporting qualification of entrepreneurs and 
their employees. This ensures sustainable stabilisation, personal development and lasting integration 
into  working  life.  Through  interculturally-oriented  and  multilingual  consulting  services,  the  project 
contributes to the integration of groups threatened with social exclusion from the labour market. 

53 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.5. 

71 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The impact of Entrepreneurs Without Borders can be measured in the number of persons/companies 
of already existing companies advised, the number of advised start-ups, the number of participants at 
information events and the number of owners of companies, self-employed persons and employees, 
who are getting advice or qualifications. 

Across all the projects and initiatives mentioned, from 2000 until today Entrepreneurs Without Borders 
informed, trained and advised more than 10,000 people from over 100 countries. Since January 2014, 
within the project “LokalChance”, 800 persons participated. There was no target value of beneficiaries 
who started up a business; however, in the period between July 2012 and December 2014, two thirds 
of people who got start-up consultancy (within “StartChance”), created a business (data collected by 
a survey).  
Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  does  not  gather  data  on  business  survival  rates;  however,  the 
perception of Entrepreneurs Without Borders is that, if a person was an entrepreneur in his/her home 
country  already,  the  potential  for  business  survival  is  higher  than  if  there  was  not  any  previous 
experience  with  entrepreneurship.  Quality  assurance  and  the  monitoring  of  success  are  ensured 
internal  quality  control,  evaluations  (internal/external54),  statistical 
through  team  meetings, 
collections and analysis of participant’s data. Results, recommendations for actions and suggestions 
for improvement out of evaluations, have been included in Entrepreneurs Without Borders every day 
work and consulting services; such as the improvement of monitoring, higher publication productivity 
and the establishment of a supervisory body for counselling cases.  

The success of  Entrepreneurs Without Borders was highlighted  in 2007  when the organisation was 
awarded the Good Practice award by the European Commission in the field of promotion of ethnic 
entrepreneurship.  

Challenges  
The  challenge,  Entrepreneurs  Without  Borders  has  to  deal  with,  concerns  the  lack  of  sustainable 
financing;  project  duration  due  to  project  financing  is  limited.  This  hampers  the  effective  and 
sustainable  implementation  of  work.  However,  there  is  an  ambition  to  get  long-term  and  stable 
funding  to  ensure  the  high  quality  of  services.55  Plans  for  basic  financing  of  the  organisation  are 
currently being discussed. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
One of the main added values of this scheme is the background of its service providers. The majority 
of them come from migrant backgrounds, therefore, they understand and can more easily relate to 
problems faced by migrant entrepreneurs. Another beneficial factor is that the service providers are 
educated in the area of business creation and many of them have some experience with running a 
business. 

54 Conducted by TU Harburg and Zepra. 
55 Interview with Entrepreneurs Without Borders Representative. 

72 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The scheme provides support in a variety of areas, some of which do not necessarily pertain to business 
but might be able to help with migrant’s integration or mental health. 

Individual approach and problem solving adapted to each beneficiary by the trainers are highly 
appreciated, as is the provided help with the preparation of a business and financial plan in a short 
time. Another appreciated aspect is the professional and (intercultural) advice and coaching 
concerned with the individual problems of participants.56 

Replicability 
Entrepreneurs Without Borders consists of various parameters that make it unique compared to other 
similar  schemes.  On  one  hand,  it  has  professional  competences  in  terms  of  start-up  advice, 
qualification,  etc.;  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  following  an  intercultural,  multi-ethnic  and  inclusive 
approach.  It  has  been  observed  that  entrepreneurs  strongly  trust  consultants  with  immigrant 
backgrounds  and  a  similar  history  to  their  own.  The  combination  of  these  features  makes 
Entrepreneurs Without Borders, with its projects and initiatives, very special. 

One  prerequisite  for  reproducing  this  scheme  is  the  creation  of  an  effective  system  of  mutual 
assistance,  in  which  experienced  migrant  entrepreneurs  support  capacity  building  in  potential 
entrepreneurs and provide relevant services, such as counselling and consulting. This support is also 
essential  both  to  build  knowledge  of  local  market  conditions  and  to  access  the  networks  of  local 
business actors. These are the two key elements for the effective inclusion of migrant groups in social 
and economic spheres. A final precondition is the availability of different native speakers among the 
association  workers,  which  allows  for  good, 
immediate  communication  with  the  potential 
entrepreneurs.57 

Testimonial from a beneficiary in 2015: 

56 Interview with beneficiary. 
57 UCLG, Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs without Borders, 2010, p.6. 

73 

 “Without the support and coaching of Entrepreneurs Without Borders and the help with the preparation of the business and financial plan, it would be much more complicated to start up a business. I was looking for help and I found it within Entrepreneurs Without Borders.” Maxim Moser, a beneficiary born in Russia who moved to Germany 22 years ago. He is very well integrated and speaks German fluently. In 2015, he wanted to start a business because of his unemployment. To receive the start-up subsidy from the employment agency, a business and financial plan are required. To this end, Maxim contacted Entrepreneurs Without Borders (which he found via word of mouth). From the first contact by phone it took two months to complete the business and financial plan. Within these two months he received individual expert advice and help with the establishment of the business and financial plan. With the final business and financial plan and written confirmation from Entrepreneurs Without Borders, he easily received the start-up subsidy of the employment agency. However, after starting up the business in 2015 in the IT sector, Maxim made use of additional seminars addressing topics such as accounting and acquisition. His success is reflected in the figures of turnover and increasing orders. At the moment, he has no employees but for different special activities he employs freelancers, however, in the future the engagement of personnel is imaginable.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Literature list 

Sources 

  Abteilung Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (2014). Ökonomische 

Bedeutung und Leistungspotenziale von Migrantenunternehmen in Deutschland. Available at: 
http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/wiso/10948.pdf. [Accessed 31/05/2016]. 

  Desiderio, M. V. (2014). Policies to Support Immigrant Entrepreneurship. Washington, DC: 

 

Migration Policy Institute. 
Interkulturelles Frauenwirtschaftszentrum (2014). Projektdokumentation, Interkulturelles 
Frauenwirtschaftszentrum, Laufzeit 2010 – 2013.  

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Germany. 

http://www.mipex.eu/germany. 

  UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights (2010). 

Inclusive Cities Observatory. Hamburg, Germany: Entrepreneurs Without Borders. Available 
at: http://www.uclg-cisdp.org/sites/default/files/Hamburg_2010_en_final_0.pdf. [Accessed 
20/05/2016]. 

  UoG Unternehmer ohne Grenzen e.V. (2014). Hamburg International Erfolgsgeschichten 
Hamburger Unternehmer. Hamburg. Unternehmer ohne Grenzen e.V., 80. Available at: 
http://uog-ev.de/wp-
content/uploads/2014/10/Hamburg_International_Erfolgsgeschichten_Hamburger_Unterne
hmer__final.pdf. [Accessed 20/05/2016]. 

List of interviews 

  Betül Zerdeli, project consultant - Unternehmer ohne Grenzen e.V. 
  Maxim Moser - Final Beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: info@uog-ev.de  
Website: www.unternehmer-ohne-grenzen.de  

74 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. MINGO (Austria) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Start-up Services, Migrant Enterprises (former Mingo Services for 
SMEs) 

Vienna Business Agency 

Municipal body 

total 

Austria (Vienna) 
2008 - ongoing 
Individual Business Support 
Funded by the City of Vienna with EU co-funding (ERDF), between 2008 
and  2013 
investment  was 3,207,550  EUR  with  ERDF 
providing 1,603,775  EUR.  In  the  ongoing  period  that  has  started  in 
2013  the  scheme  has  been  funded  by  the  City  of  Vienna  and  an 
application for EU funds has been submitted. 
The scheme provides individual business support in a large variety of 
languages. Many of the advisers and service providers have a migrant 
background.  The  services  offered  are  complemented  by  support 
measures for (migrant) entrepreneurs provided by the Vienna Business 
Agency,  therefore,  beneficiaries  benefit  from  access  to  diversified 
services and a larger pool of networking partners.  

Overview 

National context 
Since the post-war era, Austria has been a country with a high level of net migration. In the past, the 
majority of migrants were from a rather small number of countries (Germany, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia, 
etc.). Recently, a much greater variety can be observed, partly thanks to the increasing numbers of 
free-moving EU citizens.58 Overall, Austria is one of the countries with the highest share of foreign-
born people in the EU and a large proportion of these are settled in Vienna. 

At the national level, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) offers integration services and promotes the 
linguistic integration of migrants who want to settle permanently in Austria. However, the focus is on 
integration  and  only  partially  on  (migrant)  entrepreneurship.  Several  initiatives  with  relevance  for 
migrant entrepreneurship are located at the regional level. Most initiatives do not focus on migrants 
per se, but  provide additional information, guidance and assistance. In fact, measures for migrants 
rather focus on integration into Austrian society and the labour market. The chambers of commerce 
play an active role with a mentoring programme for migrant entrepreneurs. For this reason, the Vienna 
Business Agency and the services for migrants can be seen as unique. 
Objectives 
The overall objective of the Vienna Business Agency, Services for Migrants, is to increase the take-up 
of  start-up  support  measures  offered  by  the  City  of  Vienna  for  immigrant  and  ethnic  minority 
communities  by  offering  tailor-made  support.  Target  groups  include  potential  start-ups,  company 
founders and young enterprises in their early phase (up to three years after foundation). The general 

58 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Austria. http://www.mipex.eu/austria. 

75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
objective then is to unlock the economic potential of migrants, increase their welfare and contribute 
to the positive economic development of the City of Vienna. 

Strengths 
Vienna Business Agency acknowledges the potential of migrant entrepreneurs for the City of Vienna. 
To make sure migrants have the same options as all other (potential) start-ups, the measure at its core 
does not offer specific entrepreneurial support but mainly aims to ensure migrant communities can 
benefit from support equally to the non-migrant community. The other key aspect is the institutional 
integration of Services for Migrants in the Vienna Business Agency which is responsible for the business 
support measures of the City of Vienna. In addition, the majority of advisers in the team have a migrant 
background  themselves  and  are  hence  capable  of  better  understanding  specific  cultural/socio-
economic barriers and can provide support in the native languages of the migrant entrepreneurs. 

Figure 5: Benchmarking of the Vienna Business Agency, Start-up Services, Migrant Enterprises 

Implementation 

Activities 
From 2008 to 2013 the activities were organised as a specific project (called Mingo). Afterwards the 
services  continued;  however,  they  were  organisationally  integrated  in  the overall  business  support 
scheme of the City of Vienna. Therefore, Mingo, as a measure, no longer exists; however, the activities 
related to it do. 

The Service for Migrant Entrepreneurs of the Vienna Business Agency is a support scheme for Viennese 
residents  with  a  business  idea.  It  provides  start-up  support  services  for  immigrants  and  ethnic 
minorities and is part of the general business support scheme in Vienna. The target group includes 
start-ups, company founders and young entrepreneurs, as well as, one-person businesses and micro-
enterprises in the early foundation phase up to a maximum of three years after the founding. 

76 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vienna Business Agency and the Services for Migrants are presented on the website of Vienna Business 
Agency  where  the  services  for  migrant  entrepreneurs  are  highlighted.  The  website’s  visibility  and 
information  awareness  is  mainly  in  the  form  of  an  information  portal  that  provides  overview 
information and contact details with information presented in German and English. The overview of 
services  for  migrant  entrepreneurs  is  provided  in  17  different  languages.  Users  can  find  updated 
information  about  the  full  set of  services  by  the  Vienna  Business  Agency.  Testimonials  are  used  to 
present the services for migrants through stories from successful founders with migrant background. 
Migrant networks are also promoting the services of the Vienna Business Agency (as the only public, 
free-of-charge measure in Vienna). 

Business breakfasts and other information events are organised regularly (at least twice a year) with 
approximately 100 attendees per event. The events are used for networking of (former) clients, but 
also to raise awareness and inform interested persons from the core group of clients (in co-operation 
with Volkshochschule Wien)  on topics such as EU funding, the Austrian apprenticeship system, the 
social security requirements for entrepreneurs, etc. There is also a link to the chamber of commerce 
and other business associations. 

Legal and regulatory advice is a part of the consultancy service of the Vienna Business Agency where 
all services are free. When questions arise that cannot be directly answered by the team, a solution is 
sought through a referral to professionals. 

A main part of the coaching service is providing individual business support and needs assessment. 
The programme involves a wide range of areas: trade law, legal forms, social insurance or taxes and 
covers all the necessary information required from the idea of founding a business until the finalisation 
of this process. 

Start-up  coaching  sessions  are  face-to-face-meetings,  free  of  charge  with  experts  and  provided 
depending on the phase of the start-up59: 

 
 

founding coaching: setting up a business (4h) – available in 17 languages; 
financing coaching: financing a company (3h) – on request and depending on the 
requirements available in different languages; 

  expansion coaching: expansion of a company (10h) - on request and depending on the 

requirements available in different languages. 

Business training courses are offered in 17 different languages. There  is a good mix of one-to-one 
training and group training. There is a good balance of theoretical notions and practical support. The 
courses  are  organised  as  one-day-workshops  with  maximum  15  participants  (Start-up  Academy 
workshops) on many different topics relevant for the expansion of business know-how (for example 
setting up a business, bookkeeping, marketing, soft skills, etc.) in co-operation with other institutions 
(for example Wiener Volkshochschulen in the city districts). 

59  Preconditions  for  receiving  coaching:  Company  set  up  in  Vienna,  not  older  than  three  years,  and  some 
information provided beforehand through a questionnaire, such as description of product/service, the team, 
the structure of the company, marketing/business plan, financing, and vision to guarantee an efficient coaching 
and sustainability of businesses. 

77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Participants  in  these  measures  have  access  to  discounted  offices.  This  support  is,  however,  not 
restricted to migrant entrepreneurs. 

Language and cultural sensitivity  
A high share of the team has a migrant background and, therefore, some of the workshops can be held 
by the staff of the Vienna Business Agency in foreign languages. To cover other languages, external 
experts are hired.60 Language sensitivity is key in workshops and written information is available in 17 
different languages (English, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Slovakian, Hungarian, 
Czech, Spanish, Bulgarian, Romanian, French, Arabic, Farsi, and German). 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
In Vienna, 46,000 jobs have been created by migrant entrepreneurs, generating anadded value of 640 
million EUR. There is no direct information available about the link of these jobs to the Vienna Business 
Agency  activities.  The  Vienna  Business  Agency  is  very  focused  on  supporting  sustainable  business 
foundations. 

The number of languages the services are provided in contributes to better outreach towards migrant 
and  minority  communities  and  allows  for  a  better  understanding  of  the  business  environment  in 
Austria, particularly Vienna, by migrants. The combination of information provision in migrant’s native 
language  and  in  German  helps  the  participants  get  familiar  which  the  business  expressions  and 
terminology. 

Challenges 
Due to the fact that migrants are increasingly coming to Vienna from different countries than in the 
past, the Vienna Business Agency is challenged to increase the number of languages the services are 
offered in. To react to such changes, the language aspect has been recently expanded with Arabic and 
Farsi to reach the Syrian and Afghan communities. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
Overall,  the  success  of  Vienna  Business  Agency  stems  from  the  combination  of  a  high  variety  of 
languages  and  the  involvement  of  personnel  with  migrant  backgrounds  which  allows  for  highly-
personalised services in terms of cultural understanding. The addition of new languages the services 
are offered in is a relevant success factor in the long term. 

The  Vienna  Business  Agency  is  a  mainstream organisation  also  providing  services  to  entrepreneurs 
with migrant background, meaning that it can provide migrant entrepreneurs with a unique insight 
and  connections  to  “common”  campaigns  and  support  measures.  This  connection  also  ensures 
networking  opportunities  between  migrant  and  national  entrepreneurs  contributing 
to 
information/knowledge exchange and closer co-operation. 

60  Hiring  staff  with  relevant  cultural  background  is  based  on  knowledge  of  relevant  languages,  the  respective 
cultural background and knowledge as well as relevant formal education. Hiring relevant external experts is 
based on a tendering procedure; selection of experts is based on predefined criteria. 

78 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Another success factor is that the scheme targets already established migrant enterprises and not only 
migrants with entrepreneurial ideas. 

Replicability 
Overall,  migrant  enterprises  rely  on  their  integration  in  the  overall  Viennese  business  promotion 
ecosystem  and  the  variety  of  tailor-made  services  in  different  languages.  This  approach  can,  in 
principle, be replicated as long as it is free of charge, as this is very important for beneficiaries since 
many  of  them  have  limited  resources  and  would  rather  spend  them  on  their  business  than 
training/advice provision. 

Testimonial – beneficiary 2012 

79 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Mingo – Small but smart [http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/austria/mingo-

small-but-smart/; download: 15/06/2016]. 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Austria. http://www.mipex.eu/austria. 
  OECD/The European Commission (2013), The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive 

Entrepreneurship in Europe, OECD Publishing. 

  Stadt Wien (2015), Mingo Services für KMU II now: Vienna Business Agency, Start-up 
Services, Migrant Enterprises (former Mingo Services for SMEs). Projektbericht. 

List of interviews 

  Tülay Tuncel -  Coordinator, Wirtschaftsagentur Wien 
 
Julia Fleischmann -  Wirtschaftsagentur Wien 
  Susanne Strohm -  Wirtschaftsagentur Wien 
 
Joana Adesuwa Reiterer – Final Beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: info@wirtschaftsagentur.at 

Website: https://viennabusinessagency.at/consulting/migrant-enterprises-6/   

80 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Ruta CECE (Spain/Portugal) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Country (region/municipality): 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 

Implementation period: 

Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Ruta CECE - Ruta Hacia la Cooperación Empresarial y Comercio 
Electrónico (Route towards Business Co-operation and E-commerce) 
City  Council  of  La  Palma  del  Condado  (Organiser),  City  Council  of 
Almonte, City Council of Palos de la Frontera, City Council of Lepe, City 
Council  of  Faro,  Mita  ONG,  Unión  de  Asociaciones  de  Trabajadores 
(UATAE),  Confederação  dos 
y 
Autónomos 
Empresários do Algarve (CEAL) 
In Spain: Huelva Province, Andalucia Region, municipalities of La Palma 
del  Condado,  Almonte,  Palos  de  la  Frontera,  Lepe  and  locations  in 
Barcelona and Madrid 
In Portugal: Algarve, Faro Municipality 

Emprendedores 

Public body 

2013 - 2015 
Ruta CECE is still ongoing supported by the city partners. 
Business Training, Individual Business Support 
Total  funding  received  was  €912,243.32  out  of  which  €684,182.49 
(75%)  was  received  through  the  Programme  Cross-Border  Co-
operation  Spain-Portugal  2007-2013  financed  from  the  European 
Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF),  the  rest  of  the  amount  was 
contributed by other local, regional and national funds from Spain and 
Portugal. 
The  scheme  developed  two  online  platforms  (e-commerce  and  e-
through  which 
learning, 
entrepreneurs  could  receive  all  the  necessary  training  online  (on 
business management, languages, culture, etc.). Users could create an 
e-commerce business without spending a large amount of money. The 
online platform encouraged users and service providers to interact and 
create useful and fruitful discussions and training materials. 

including  assistance 

for  businesses) 

Overview 

National context 
Since the nineties, Spain has been a destination country for migrants coming mostly from Latin America 
(no  or  low  language  barriers)  and  African  (proximity)  countries.61  The  government  is  aware  of  the 
issues  that migrants face  to integrate in the host community and has been promoting initiatives in 
order  to  support  them  as  much  as  possible.62  Schemes  promoting  migrant  entrepreneurship  are 
normally carried out by local organisations, with national and/or European public funding. 
In 2013, the Spanish Government approved a specific migration scheme for migrant entrepreneurs. 
The  main  objective  of  this  scheme  is  to  attract  and  retain  migrant  entrepreneurs  by  removing 
administrative burdens. The key elements of this scheme are flexibility (analysis of business plans on 
case by case basis), involvement of business experts in the decision process regarding feasibility and 

61 INE (National Institute of Statistics) data 1st of July 2015: Total population 46,423,064; Spanish 40,521,981; EU 
1,976,137;  South  America  1,797,822;  Africa  970,603;  Central  America  386,372;  Asia  359,729;  Other  EU 
303,2014; North America 99,204; Oceania 8,011. 

62 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Spain. http://www.mipex.eu/spain. 

81 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
the consequent funding of business ideas, short processing times, improving changes of status (from 
temporary to permanent residency permit) and equal treatment.63 

To promote closer co-operation between the southern regions of both countries in various areas, a 
Programme for Cross-Border Co-operation Spain-Portugal has been established for the years 2007 to 
2013  and  financed  by  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund.  Ruta  CECE  has  been  established 
within  this  framework  to  promote  the  competitiveness  and  employment  situation  of  these  two 
countries, especially the Algarve (Portugal) and Huelva (Spain) regions. 

Objectives 
The scheme was created with the aim of promoting cross-border entrepreneurship and collaboration 
between Spain and Portugal, creating networks, sharing knowledge and promoting the economies of 
the  regions  involved.  The  partner  cities  collaborated  to  support  e-commerce  entrepreneurs,  also 
providing special assistance for immigrants. 

Strengths 
Ruta  CECE  provided/provides  its  services  mainly  through  an  online  platform. There  are  three  main 
areas in which the support is provided: e-learning, e-commerce, and service assistance to businesses. 
Additionally, there is a part on the platform where entrepreneurs are assisted by service providers to 
get  crowdfunding  for  their  projects.  The  legal  and  regulatory  advice  provided  by  the  experts  was 
interactive and, most of all, past advice was available online so that participants could read through 
them. The experience of the services providers, the multiple information available for the users, and 
the strong coordination between public and private organisations were critical for success.  

Figure 6: Benchmarking of the Ruta CECE 

63 Information provided by Legal service unit, General  Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration, Ministry of 

Employment and Social Security. 

82 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Implementation 

Activities 
The project consists of an online platform on which all the services are provided. For that reason, the 
awareness  and  visibility  of  the  website  had  a  major  influence  on  the  success  of  the  scheme. 
Communication campaigns involved the use of multiple platforms. There were events, posters, use of 
social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), newsletters, TV, radio and other platforms depending on 
the type of event or course that was being promoted. The city councils of the involved cities shared 
and created events via this platform, making them accessible for all the participants and people of the 
network, as well as to other people invited. 

In total, Ruta CECE developed, during 2015, a total of 48 events with more than 600 participants and 
with a total participation of more than 100 immigrants  attending the meetings (75% of them from 
Latin  America  and  the  rest  from  East  European  countries,  Morocco  and  sub-Saharan  countries). 
Moreover, success stories have been used in order to encourage entrepreneurs in their path to set up 
a company. In these networking events, successful immigrants and other entrepreneurs have given 
talks about their experiences, inviting more migrants to assist and take part in the activities. 

One  of  the  most  important  campaigns  to  reach  the  migrant  communities  was  made  through  the 
Internet Access Points (normally provided by the city councils or employment agencies), that acted as 
a grass root system. The Internet Access Points are places supplied with computers where people can 
access internet for free. These points may also have assistance from the local authorities to support 
the search of employment or help with some administrative issues. 

The platform has been promoted on the websites of all the partners. In order to gain more visitors, it 
was created in a user friendly way. In addition, new events, activities, and evolution of the participants 
are posted on the news wall, like on social networks; the platform creates regularly updated content 
that  leads to  users visiting  the  website more  often. The  platform  is  also  available  for  smartphones 
through two applications accessible through Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS). The first 
app contains the services provided over the main web platform (mentoring, e-learning courses, etc.). 
The second app is an e-commerce platform, where people can offer/buy products and services of the 
participants. 

Networking  for  participants  was  a  relevant  part  of  the  scheme,  for  both  entrepreneurs  and 
collaborating cities. Thanks to the programme, 30 new networks of co-operation (between Spain and 
Portugal mainly) have been created. In addition, more than 15 networking events were organised in 
the participant cities, as well as 30 informative events, 30 experts’ fora and 40 discussion groups of 
entrepreneurs.64 The mentors and other entrepreneurial networks have created great opportunities 
and an environment of networking for the new participants. The e-learning platform is also a place 
where entrepreneurs can share their problems regarding creating their businesses, their needs and 
the opportunities found for other entrepreneurs. Additionally, there is a section where job applications 
are posted for entrepreneurs to join the recently created companies, or those that are in the creation 
process. Chambers of commerce and business associations are also in the network and create events 

64 Informe Final, Evaluación Ruta CECE (Final Report, Evaluation of Ruta CECE), 2015. 

83 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
in  which  the  organisation  and  city  councils  are  involved.  Moreover,  there  are  many  businesses 
participating in the programme and the platform promotes networking among them and with other 
entrepreneurs. 

One of the strengths of the scheme is the legal and regulatory advice provided. More than 80 B2B 
groups  have  been  created  in  the  platform,  where  the  40  expert  service  providers  have  given  legal 
advice individually or in groups through the intranet. Since the information is not deleted from the 
online  platform, more  users may benefit from it. In addition, more than 40 newsletters have  been 
delivered to registered users (1,200 users) with useful information. 

The  platform  also offers  individual  business  support  for  its  users. The  variety  of  areas  of  advice  is 
based on the required individual information on tax, legal area, marketing, internet, web 2.0, social 
networking and cross border issues in all these topics. Due to the great variety of areas of assistance, 
and  the  feasibility  assessment  of  the  ideas  in  relation  with  the  Spanish-Portuguese-International 
markets,  numerous  projects  have  been  developed.  There  was  an  extensive  amount  and  quality  of 
public workforce involved in supply services to Ruta CECE users (from mediators to social mediators 
and  experts  in  local  development  and  administrative  issues),  which  allowed  better  support  and 
knowledge of administrative procedures. 

The scheme is mainly based on the e-learning platform, offering all the business training needed to 
set up e-commerce. All the materials (usually training videos where the topic is explained) were posted 
and  available,  for  free,  to  all  the  participants.  There  are  also  documents  and  presentations  of  the 
training. Training normally consists of 20 hours of studying for the participants, and once the training 
is completed there is an exam. If a participant passes the exam, he/she receives a certificate. There are 
no specific timetables for the courses; the users may start the courses when it is convenient for them. 

The  variety  of  topics  covered  by  the  training  is  vast,  as  there  are  more  than  60  different  training 
courses:  tourism,  caring  assistance,  environment,  financing,  informatics,  management,  marketing, 
negotiations,  human  resources,  etc.  The  materials  have  been  created  by  experts,  considering  the 
necessities  of  the  entrepreneurs  and  making  them  clear  and  understandable  by  all.  Additionally, 
business plan models have been created for different sectors to help the entrepreneurs creating their 
business plans adapt to the specific questions required in each sector. The participants are encouraged 
to participate and make suggestions as well as questions on the platform. In this way, the experts and 
other users may answer and therefore, develop more useful training material. Additionally, the web 
platform provides a news section where other business training provided by any organisation in the 
cities involved is posted. The objective of posting business training on the platform is to encourage the 
entrepreneurs to attend these, even if it is not the same organisation providing them. 

Any  user of Ruta  CECE  may  receive  mentoring  from the  experts. There  are  more  than 30  mentors 
available with different backgrounds and accessible by all users. The mentoring is mainly done through 
the online platform, where mentors and participants are summoned to share their experiences and 
needs.  In  addition,  the  mentors  have  a  profile  where  they  share  their  background  and  areas  of 
knowledge  on  the  platform,  thus  mentees  select  their  mentors  according  to  their  necessities. 

84 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Additionally, there are mentoring objectives to see the success of the relationship, but the indicators 
are for internal use.65 

The web platform provides a section where the participants are assisted to receive financing through 
the  best  crowdfunding  platforms  according  to  their  projects.  The  partner  organisations,  Mita  and 
UATAE, offer a face-to-face service for participants to obtain finance, deal with banks and generally 
speed up procedures. These organisations support the entrepreneurs through all steps of obtaining 
finance and follow up if they receive it.66Additionally, the events and training help the entrepreneurs 
and show them the possibilities to get financing at local levels. The network and mentors may help 
each project with their requirements of financing by redirecting them to places where it could be easier 
to obtain funding. The projects may be certified to receive the financing easily by Mita and UATAE, 
which also have agreements with banks. 

The  involved  organisations  of  the  network  may  provide  free  or  discounted  facilities  or  they  may 
redirect  the  users  to  places  where  they  can  rent  facilities  as  well  as  help  finding  a  workplace. 
Additionally, Ruta CECE offers a free online e-commerce platform where the entrepreneurs sell their 
products and services, which may be considered an online facility. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The language and cultural sensitivity has been present since the creation of the scheme. As the project 
aims  at  interaction  between  the  countries,  almost  all  the  services,  as  well  as  the  oral  and  written 
information, are provided in Spanish and Portuguese. However, there are a few services provided in 
only one of these two languages. In addition, the platform provides general and business language 
courses  in  Spanish,  Portuguese  and  English.  Therefore,  all  the  users  may  be  trained  in  the  three 
languages  with its beneficial consequences  for interactions and co-operation in businesses. For the 
immigrants  in  need  of  further  assistance  with  language  translations,  there  is  an  additional  local 
resource. These service providers are able to solve the possible translation needs for certain groups 
(Arabic, Romanian and Roma). Since the programme is carried out by the public administration, there 
is a strong relation with the social services, which participate directly and are engaged with the project 
staff. The social services act as mediators for migrant communities in intercultural understanding in 
different ways (for example help with the language, cultural aspects). However, cultural mediators are 
not part of the programme. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
The added value of the initiative has been relevant for the regions involved. Since the creation of the 
programme, a total of 69 SMEs have been created. These SMEs have been engaged in new 96 B2B 
(business-to-business) relationships (such as supplier-client relationships in handicrafts, food, services 
sector, etc.). So far, the SMEs have created a total of 300 direct and indirect jobs and all of them are 
still ongoing, either as a new version of the previous company or as a consolidated business idea after 
the programme.67 

65 Interview with Andrés Dochao, carried out in May 2016. 
66 Interview with Cecilia Fernández, carried out in June 2016. 
67 Interview with Andrés Dochao, carried out in May 2016. 

85 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Moreover,  300  out  of  1,200  participants  of  the  training  courses  have  got  a  certificate  after  the 
successful  conclusion  of  it,  while  20  participants68  were  self-employed  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
training  courses.  A  total  of  14,536  people  received  information  from  the  activities  and  promotion 
events.69 

The  scheme  was  monitored  from  beginning  to  end,  and  a  final  report70  was  created  based  on  the 
analysis. Consequently, there is clear documentation which shows the objectives pursued and the final 
results. The results indicate the overall effectiveness of Ruta CECE, which has accomplished almost all 
the objectives and in most of them the scheme has been more effective than expected. 

All  the  communication  campaign  objectives  were  achieved  effectively,  and  even  more  promotion 
events, activities, publications, use of social media, etc. were carried out. The reason for the increase 
of the communication campaign was to reach a larger audience and to create more businesses, since 
the platform capacity was higher than the actual number of users.  
Finally, the number of indirect employments created was considerably higher; whereas the number of 
direct employments has been a little lower than expected. In consequence, the global effectiveness of 
the  scheme  may  be  considered  favourable  for  the  economy  of  the  regions,  and  still  more  for  the 
participants’ cities involved and entrepreneurs. 

The project leaders are considering adding more languages to the web platform. Since the platform is 
already ongoing, the addition of more languages should be easier and may engage people from other 
countries.  The  provision  of  training  on  more  languages  could  be  a  good  idea  regarding  engaging 
entrepreneurs with the idea of selling internationally.71 

The scheme finished in 2015, but the online platform where all the services are provided is still active. 
The  cities  involved  will  continue  supporting  the  platform  and  organising  events  or  activities  in 
collaboration. At the moment, the expenditure to maintain the network and platform is assumed by 
municipalities  with  an  involvement  of  technicians.  It  is  estimated  that  each  local  public  partner 
contributes between €300 to €600 per month.72 

Challenges  
The main challenge of the scheme was to engage possible entrepreneurs for the creation of the e-
commerce  platform.  Since  the  platform  is  online,  the  rate  of  users  who  leave  the  scheme  without 
starting their company or passing the training is larger than with the face-to-face schemes. For that 
reason, in order to overcome the challenge, the creation of quality material and updated information 
was  necessary  since  the  beginning.  Besides,  the  integration  of  the  two  languages  in  almost  all  the 
materials created was an adversity to overcome because of the terminology and expressions involved 
given that the translation was provided mainly in-house. The partners were aware of the challenge, 
but also of the possible positive impact. Once they managed to create the material in both languages, 
the numerous interactions between participants from both countries exceeded the expectations. 

68 Estimations of Andrés Dochao, City Council of La Palma del Condado. 
69 Informe Final, Evaluación Ruta CECE (Final Report, Evaluation of Ruta CECE), 2015.  
70 Informe Final, Evaluación Ruta CECE (Final Report, Evaluation of Ruta CECE), 2015. 
71 Interview with Cecilia Fernández, carried out in June 2016. 
72 Interview with Andrés Dochao, carried out in May 2016. 

86 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
                                                 
Conclusions 

Key success factors 
There are three main key success factors of Ruta CECE. Firstis the network of cities and associations 
that was created with a clear objective and all the partners have worked hard to achieve it. Second 
success  factor  is  the  creation  of  the  e-platforms,  the  development  of  the  wide  variety  of  training 
materials  and  the  selection  of  the  service  providers.  The  creation  of  quality  training  materials  and 
services necessary for the success the entrepreneurs. Third is the thorough communication campaign. 
The  use  of  different  platforms  allowed  a  great  number  of  people  to  get  to  know  more  about  the 
scheme. Additionally, the provision of the two online platforms (e-learning and e-commerce) offered 
the entrepreneurs the possibility of taking a lower risk to set up their ideas. Thus, it allowed a large 
number of entrepreneurs to start their businesses without the necessity of a big investment. 

The foremost innovative part of Ruta CECE is the integration of all the required support services in an 
online platform. Due to the use of the platforms by all the agents (service providers, entrepreneurs 
and partners of the network), a richer content has been developed. The promotion campaign of the 
scheme had a big success in both native and migrant communities. The use of a multiple approach for 
the  different  targets,  as  well  as  a  wide  variety  of  communication  platforms,  engaged  a  varied 
community of users. In this case, the use of the Internet Access Points was vital for reaching more 
migrant communities.73  

Replicability 
The scheme’s success is based on the coordination of the different agents of each country. In this case, 
the  coordination  of  the  cities  involved  promoted  the  interaction  of  several  agents  and  attracted 
participants from both regions, as well as many migrants looking for a great opportunity to start an e-
commerce shop with lower risk. The success of the online platform required an important investment 
in the communication campaign. The investment may be reduced if each organisation involved and a 
wide network contribute for the campaign in the best way possible. Therefore, a large network and 
close collaboration is needed for the success of the promotion campaign. 

The interaction between all the actors of the platform must be enhanced in many ways. The mentors 
should create debates where people participate, whereas at the same time they resolve doubts and 
provide  information.  An  online  platform  without  activity  or  updated  information  will  not  succeed; 
therefore, it is important to have people contributing constantly to the web. 

There are new communities in both territories interested to implement Ruta CECE. As a consequence, 
particular municipalities will  start to  adapt  this  approach  on  the  Spain-Portugal  border  (Ayamonte, 
Castromarin, Vilareal). 

73  Interview with Andrés Dochao, carried out in May 2016. 

87 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – Cecilia Fernández 2015: 

“I have finally fulfilled my business dream.  Now I have the stability I needed for the success of 
my business.” 

Cecilia Fernández, a Peruvian native living in Spain for more than 27 years. She has participated in the 
programme in 2015 for 8 months. She used the e-learning platform of Ruta CECE for learning English and 
e-commerce.  In  addition,  she  received  assistance  getting  the  completely  necessary  finance  for  her 
workplace. She has been working on mending all her life and wanted stability for her business. She is now 
thinking about growing her business, but the requirements of her traditional artisanal job are high. For that 
reason, she plans to train not only her new employee but to create workshops for more people. She is one 
of the last artisanal menders and she wants her job to be passed onto the next generation. 

88 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

Informe Final, Evaluación Ruta CECE (Final Report, Evaluation of Ruta CECE), 2015.  
INE (National Institute of Statistics). 

 
 
  MIPEX (2015) Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Spain. http://www.mipex.eu/spain. 

[Accessed 26/05/2016]. 

List of interviews 

  Andrés Dochao – City council of La Palma del Condado 
 

Legal service unit, General secretariat for immigration and emigration, Ministry of 
Employment and Social Security 
  Cecilia Fernández – Beneficiary  

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: info@rutacece.com   

Alternative Email: eurprj@lapalmadelcondado.org  

Website of the E-learning platform: www.rutacece.com   

Website of the E-commerce platform: www.ceceshop.eu  

89 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation – NSFV (Norway) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 

Norsk  senter  for  flerkulturell  verdiskaping  (Norwegian  Center  for 
Multicultural Value Creation - NFSV) 

Norsk  senter  for  flerkulturell  verdiskaping  (Norwegian  Center  for 
Multicultural Value Creation - NFSV) 

Public body 

Country (region/municipality): 

Norway (Buskerud) 

Implementation period: 

2006 - ongoing 

Main activity/dimension: 

Business Training, Individual Business Support 

Funding: 

Fully funded by the Buskerud municipality. 

Summary: 

Provision  of  highly  personalised  business  training  and  individual 
business support to mainly highly-educated migrants. Advisers stay in 
touch with and support beneficiaries long after the support has ended. 

Overview 

National context 
Since the 1960s, Norway has been a country of net migration.74 Integration policy is the responsibility 
of the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, and its directorate of integration and diversity 
(IMDi) is in charge of these policies at national level. IMDi was established in 2006 and works with 
immigrant  organisations,  municipalities,  government  agencies,  and  the  private  sector,  and  is 
responsible for the implementation of the introduction programme for migrants among other things. 
Today,  13%  of  Norway’s  population  are  foreign  born,  and  1/3  of  non-EU  born  migrants  have  a 
university education.75 

Increasing the number of immigrant entrepreneurs is among the objectives of the Ministry of Children, 
Equality and Social Inclusion. In 2010, 18% of newly created businesses were set up by migrants, 64% 
of these were set up by Eastern European immigrants.76 There has been an increasing emphasis on 
migrant entrepreneurship in the past years, both in research and policymaking, as it is considered to 
have positive integration and economic effects.  

Objectives 
The Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation (NSFV)77 was established in 2006 with the aim 
to  contribute  to  the  establishment  of  a  multicultural  Norway.  It  is  a  business  development  and 
knowledge centre in a south-eastern region of Norway which aims to assist highly-qualified migrants 
in becoming entrepreneurs. Additionally, the Center aims to improve the perception of immigrants by 
the mainstream population as positive contributors to the society. 

74 MIPEX (2015) Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Norway. http://www.mipex.eu/norway. 
75 MIPEX (2015) Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Norway. http://www.mipex.eu/norway. 
76 NSFV Etablerervirksomhet for innvandrere – Laering og metoder, 2015. 
77 From now on referred to as the Center. 

90 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Strengths 
The  Center  focuses  predominantly  on  providing  business  training  and  individual  business  support 
mainly to highly-educated migrants who are thinking about opening their own business. These two 
main  activities  are  supported  by  networking  activities  enabled  by  the  Center.  The  scheme  further 
provides  legal  and  regulatory  advice  and  its  awareness  raising  and  visibility  activities  reflect  the 
Center’s commitment to improving the services offered. All this support is provided by experienced 
advisers that encourage the participants to develop their business plans to the best of their abilities 
and to turn these ideas into practice. 

Figure 7: Benchmarking of the Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation  

(Language sensitivity)

(Facilities provision)

NSFV

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

Mentoring

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
The  Center  offers  a  range  of  business  start-up  courses  targeting  predominnatly  highly-educated 
migrants  that  fall  out  of  the  workforce  or  end  up  in  jobs  that  are  not  in  accordance  with  their 
competence and qualifications. For this purpose, the Center has established a large network of regional 
stakeholders from the public andprivate sector working together to help migrants succeed with their 
business  ideas.  The  network  consists  of  34  partners  including  representatives  from  the  national 
government,  counties,  municipalities,  local  businesses,  financial  institutions,  immigrants  and 
educational and research institutions. 

In 2015, the Center became a centre of national competence, funded by the municipality, and with the 
aim of gathering good methodologies and sharing methods and experience with other actors at the 

91 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
local level.78 This has further helped with the dissemination of information about the Center and its 
activities, and increased its visibility in the media as it actively uses various newspapers to increase the 
public’s  knowledge  about  immigrant  contribution  to the  society,  to extend  its network  and  to also 
recruit  participants  for  its  activities.  Information  is  also  spread  through  the  existing  database  of 
entrepreneurs (previous participants) urging them to spread the word to others. This is seen as the 
most effective way of recruiting participants.79 

Business training is the Center’s main activity in support of migrant entrepreneurs. There are two main 
courses offered, a general introductory course that is open to anyone who is interested in opening a 
business and a more specialised and thorough business training programme, iStart (initiated in 2014), 
for  highly  motivated  and  skilled  entrepreneurs.  The  main  focus  of  the  courses  is  on  the  individual 
participants and the development of their business concepts. The Center works with entrepreneurs 
who have previous experience in setting up businesses, but also with those just starting. 

The  general  course  is six to eight  modules  long,  each  lasting  four  hours  and structured over  seven 
weeks  and  provides  general  information  about  the  business  environment  in  Norway.  The  iStart 
business training programme consists of two main areas: (a) personal awareness and understanding; 
(b) business development.80 

The iStart programme has a limited number of places and highly motivated and skilled people, who 
already have concrete business ideas, are being recruited for the programme. iStart is structured over 
three  to  four  months  and  includes  14  different  modules  and  some  additional  days  for  individual 
business  support  and  advice,  and  evening  lectures where  a  specific  topic  is  discussed  in  detail  and 
speakers from that field are invited to provide support in the form of talks. The training course is for 
those  entrepreneurs  who  would  like  to  set  up  a  business,  but  also  for  those  who  would  like  to 
develop/grow their business. The business development part includes information on how to build the 
business  concept,  business  plans,  budgeting,  pricing  or  ethics.  Norwegian  business  culture  is  also 
integrated in the programme with the aim of preparing participants for the national context. 

Personal individual business support and advice is provided as part of the business training through 
one-to-one meetings. Feasibility assessment of the business plan is provided and the participants are 
encouraged  to  bounce  their  ideas  off  the  advisers  throughout  the  course.  The  matching  with  the 
national  economy  is  seen  as  important  and  the  Center  will  advise  a  participant  against  opening  a 
business in an already overcrowded sector.81 In the context of this support, participants are given the 
possibility  of  working  on  the  business  plan  together  with  a  relevant  expert.  Most  trainers  have 
experience in entrepreneurship and are, therefore, well aware of the different challenges encountered 
by  new  entrepreneurs,  as well  as, of  administrative  procedures.  Experts  within  the  Center  possess 
competence and experience in entrepreneurship, sales and marketing, economics, tax or legislation. 

78 Interview with the Chief Executive Officer. 
79 Interview with the Chief Executive Officer. 
80  The  activities  described  will  mainly  focus  on  the  iStart  training  programme  given  its  particularity  of  target 

audience. 

81 The NSFV presentation at the Conference on Migrant Entrepreneurs organised by the European Commission on 

23rd February 2016. 

92 

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
                                                 
Active  mentoring  activities  with  trainers  are  provided  to  the  participants  as  part  of  the  business 
training. The objective of these activities is to keep the entrepreneur motivated, qualified and to act 
as a door opener. There is no specific matching procedure in place, however, mentoring is provided as 
frequently as the mentee requires it. The length of mentoring varies depending on the needs and often 
transcends the length of the support provided. Frequently, the mentor serves as a role model to the 
participant. The Center is working to introduce a more structured mentoring model.82 

Information  about  funding  opportunities  is  provided  to  the  participants  through  seminars  with 
funding  authorities,  banks,  and  other  investment  actors.  Support  is  given  in  order  to  develop  the 
business plan. This kind of support is included in the iStart business training. Support and advice is 
available for as long as the participants need it and, therefore, follow up sessions can be organised 
should the participant require them. Banks are part of the Center’s extensive network but there is no 
funding  provision  through  this  intervention.  While  this  is  not  part  of  the  main  activities  of  the 
programme, the advisers are well acquainted with the opportunities for business locations and usually 
inform the entrepreneurs about this. 

It is not unusual for participants to keep in touch with the Center and its advisers long after they have 
successfully established their business.  This conduct is greatly encouraged by the  Center that itself 
periodically follows-up with the course participants to see whether they could be of any service and 
whether the beneficiaries need some assistance in deepening their business plan. 

The iStart business training has been introduced only in September 2014; therefore, it is still making 
adjustments  based  on  experiences  gathered.  This  can  be  seen,  for  example,  in  the  intentions  to 
improve its mentoring measure by extending it to include business leaders as mentors and establishing 
a more structured mentoring model. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Currently, the Center’s services are only provided in Norwegian given that the main target group is 
highly-educated people. This might change in the future with the introduction of courses in English.83 
Information on the website is provided in Norwegian, with only limited sections provided in English. 
No language training is provided by the Center. Previous successful participants in the course can come 
back and act as role models for new participants. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Integration into the  labour market is an important  impact and the matching with the needs of the 
national context is seen as important by the organisers. Access to the Center’s network is crucial as 
this enables migrant entrepreneurs to become integrated and find the right contacts, also following 
the completion of the training. 

Some of the participants have been introduced to other programmes provided by the authorities or 
the  private  sector.  Some  of  these  have  later  come  into  leadership  positions.  Others  have  been 

82 Interview with the Chief Executive Officer. 
83 Interview with the Chief Executive Officer. 

93 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
introduced  to  incubators,  science  parks  or  other  business  networks.  The  Center  actively  uses  its 
participant  migrant  entrepreneurs  to  deliver  services/products  offered  by  the  Center  to  partners 
within its network and outside of it; these opportunities give budding entrepreneurs better visibility 
on  the  market.  Furthermore,  all  participants  who  attend  more  than  80%  of  the  course  receive  a 
diploma that may be valuable as a reference or in case of seeking employment or financial help with 
future financing of enterprises. 

The interviewed beneficiaries were highly satisfied with the contents of the course and the support 
provided by the Center and its advisers, especially in the area of marketing advice, and would definitely 
recommend the services of this scheme to others.84 

According to the 2015 annual report, 936 persons had received training through the Center from the 
start of their activities, and 203 companies had been established (22%). Of the 203 businesses created 
8% have changed owner (sold, merged, etc.) and 2% have been closed down (organisers are not aware 
of the reasons for this as the official register does not provide this information).  

About 70% of the participants have completed higher education and about 50% of all participants are 
women. Start-up ratio is about 25% of all participants and, from these, about 42% of businesses are 
opened by women. 

Challenges 
The Center is a well-established and known institution in the south-eastern part of Norway. Since it 
has been named a centre for national competence its support will be applied in different parts of the 
country as well. This might prove challenging as regional adaptation will have to be made to fit each 
place of implementation. 

The  Center  is  planning  on  extending  their  mentoring  programme  to  include  mentors  from  leading 
businesses through their established network of contacts. This might prove a challenge as mentoring 
is provided on a voluntary basis and, therefore, depends solely on the willingness and engagement of 
the mentoring enterprises with the Center and its participants. 

Conclusions and further development 

Key success factors 
The Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation has access to an extensive network of partners 
in the private,  public, and business  sector. This network is exploited accordingly  by hosting various 
events and by providing contact details/opportunities to participants. In addition, it is important to 
highlight the hands-on involvement of the Center and its advisers in the individual business plans and 
developments  throughout  the  training,  and  even  following  the  completion  of  the  course  and  the 
establishment of a business. The emphasis is on the group environment where the participants can 
feel safe and can establish family-like relations with each other and where the trainers provide moral 
support, as well as, knowledge and competence. 

84 Interviews with beneficiaries. 

94 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The provision of differentiated courses (iStart and the general course) can also be seen as a success 
factor  as  the  aim  is  to  provide  highly  personalised  support  with  focus  on  skills  development  and 
mobilisation of the target audiences. The courses also focus on providing cultural understanding and 
making  sure  that  participants  are  familiar  with  the  business  culture  in  Norway.  Finally,  another 
important success factor is the emphasis on matching the market requirements with the individual 
skills of participants and also in providing market analysis and guidance for those who want to open a 
business in overcrowded sectors. 

Replicability 
The Center started out as a training centre for migrant entrepreneurs in one region of Norway but in 
2015 it became a centre for national competence. As a national centre of competence, the Center’s 
activities  are  fully supported by the municipality with the purpose of gathering methodologies and 
competence, and disseminating and sharing this knowledge with local/national actors. The concept 
and  approach  of  the  Center  will  also  be  tested  in  other  parts  of  the  country  taking  into  account 
different  needs,  market  potentials,  and  target  groups  in  different  cities  and  municipalities.  The 
methods used to replicate the scheme could serve as guidelines for other countries to adopt this kind 
of support programme for migrant entrepreneurs. 

Testimonial – course participant 2014: 

95 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  MIPEX (2015) Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Norway. http://www.mipex.eu/norway. 
  Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation (2015). Årsrapport 2015 - 

Etablerervirksomhet for innvandrere. 

  Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation (2016). Mobilizing Immigrants for Value 

Creation - The Norwegian Model. Conference on Migrant Entrepreneurs. European 
Commission. 23 February 2016. 

  Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation (2016). Norwegian Center for 

Multicultural Value Creation (NSFV). https://www.nsfv.no/index.php/en/. [Last Accessed: 
02/06/2016]. 

List of interviews 

  Zahra Moini – Chief Executive Officer, Norway Center for Multicultural Value Creation 
  Sandra Kovács - Final beneficiary I 
  Chebs Ade - Final beneficiary II 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: post@nsfv.no   
Website: https://www.nsfv.no/index.php/en/     

96 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Barcelona Activa (Spain) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Barcelona Activa 

Barcelona Activa 

Public body 

Spain (Barcelona) 
1986 - ongoing 
Legal and Regulatory Advice, Networking 
In 2014, the budget was €37 million from which 70% came from the 
Barcelona  City  Council, 14%  from the government  of Catalonia, 10% 
from management revenue and financing from other institutions, and 
6% came from European funds. 
Barcelona  Activa  provides a  wide range of services and products for 
migrant  entrepreneurs  to  turn  their  business  ideas  into  reality.  It 
supports  entrepreneurs  by  means  of  a  blended  model  methodology 
that mixes onsite and online support, complemented by a large offer 
of training activities. Close coordination with the city council and the 
extensive network. 

Overview 

National context 
Since  the  nineties,  Spain  has  been  a  destination  country  for  migrants  coming  mostly  from  Latin 
American  (no  or  low  language  barriers)  and  African  (proximity)  countries.85  Schemes  promoting 
migrant  entrepreneurship  are  normally  carried  out  by  local  organisations,  with  national  and/or 
European public funding. 

In 2013, the Spanish Government approved a specific migration scheme for migrant entrepreneurs. 
The  main  objective  of  this  scheme  is  to  attract  and  retain  migrant  entrepreneurs  by  removing 
administrative burdens. The key elements of this scheme are flexibility (analysis of business plans on 
case by case basis), involvement of business experts in the decision process regarding feasibility and 
the consequent funding of business ideas, short processing times, improving changes of legal status 
(for example, from temporary to permanent residency permit) and equal treatment.86 

In addition, Spain has carried out proactive migration policies for years to facilitate the integration of 
incoming migrants, thus the local and regional governments have also developed strategies towards 

85 INE (National Institute of Statistics) data 1st of July 2015: Total population 46,423,064; Spanish 40,521,981; EU 
1,976,137;  South  America  1,797,822;  Africa  970,603;  Central  America  386,372;  Asia  359,729;  Other  EU 
303,2014; North America 99,204; Oceania 8,011. 

86 Information provided by  Legal  service  unit, General  secretariat for immigration and emigration, Ministry of 

Employment and Social Security. 

97 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
integration. The government has created different funding lines87 (ENISA88, ICO89, ICEX90, AEESD91, etc.) 
in order to support the programmes and organisations working for integration and entrepreneurship. 

Objectives 
The  development  agency  Barcelona  Activa  (BA)  was  created  in  1986  with  the  main  purpose  of 
improving and creating services for the development of the city in terms of business and employment 
creation, apart from other goals inherent to an economic development agency. BA is responsible for 
promoting the economic development of the city, designing and implementing employment support 
policies  for  its  citizens  including  the  migrant  population,  and  encouraging  the  development  of  a 
diversified local economy. Furthermore, it works for the proper functioning of the economy and the 
deployment of the full potential the population and the economic stakeholders can reach. Additionally, 
it aims to promote the city internationally to attract and retain talent from all over the world. 

Strengths 
Barcelona Activa has, over the years, created a very extensive network of collaborating partners with 
whom  they  cooperate  very  closely  to  provide  the  best  support  possible  to  migrants  and  migrant 
entrepreneurs. The scheme provides a wide range and scale of support including legal and regulatory 
advice,  individual  business  support  and  business  training.  The  online  aspect of  the  scheme  is  well-
developed and serves as an additional support measure providing support in Catalan, Castilian Spanish 
and English. 

87 Information provided by  Legal  service  unit, General  secretariat for immigration and emigration, Ministry of 

Employment and Social Security. 

88 ENISA – Programmes for  starting entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs. 
89 ICO - Instituto de Crédito Oficial (Oficial Credit Institute, State Finance Agency). 
90 ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones (Spain Exports and Investment). 
91 AEESD - Acción Estratégica Economía y Sociedad Digital (Digital Economy And Society Strategic Action). 

98 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 8: Benchmarking of Barcelona Activa 

Implementation 

Activities  
Barcelona Activa provides a wide variety of services for the mainstream population that are also open 
to migrants. In addition, there are some more specific activities and services available just for migrants 
(Welcoming services and sessions92, I'm Barcelonian/Expat Day, Barcelona Softlanding Programme93, 
Do it in Barcelona, etc.). It is important to highlight the Do it in Barcelona94 programme, which enabled 
the  creation  of  more  migrant  specific  services  and  introduced  them  as  mainstream  within  the 
organisation. 

Regarding the visibility of the activities and services, the organisation makes pronounced efforts to 
reach  the  target  public  through,  for  example,  events,  promotion  in  the  social  media,  posters, 
exhibitions, fairs and conferences. The close collaboration with the different stakeholders within the 
city and abroad is vital to the success of the communication campaigns. More than 400 agreements 
with organisations, associations and institutions in strategic sectors help to fill the gaps in areas where 
BA is not able to provide services directly, and continue to improve the ones that are provided. This 
network allows the services of BA to be disseminated by other organisations and reach a large public. 
Moreover, the network may be useful for the entrepreneurs in their search of partners, clients and/or 
suppliers. 
The visibility of the services is also strengthened through the use of the website. This is where all the 
activities, events and trainings are promoted. The website also provides useful contacts of institutions 

92 http://emprenedoria.barcelonactiva.cat/emprenedoria/en/emprenedoria/informative-sessions/index.jsp. 
93 Information provided by Entrepreneurship Services and Barcelona Softlanding Service. 
94 Information provided by Entrepreneurship Services and Barcelona Softlanding Service. 

99 

 
 
  
 
 
 
                                                 
and  other  organisations,  as  well  as,  the  online  tools  for  entrepreneurs  and  legal  information.  In 
addition, one of the incubators (Espai Tech) included among the facilities provided, has an application 
for  smartphones  providing  general  information  about  the  start-ups,  the  projects  and  events  taking 
place  there.  The  BA  website  also  provides  an  interactive  map  indicating  the  premises  of  relevant 
stakeholders located in the city, their contact details and the services provided. This is a useful tool for 
entrepreneurs to save time in their search. 

One of the core activities of the organisation consists of providing legal and regulatory advice, which 
may take the form of a wide-range of different services depending on the needs of the users. Legal 
advice may be offered within other services provided by the one-stop-shops.95 Moreover, BA offers 
legal  courses  and  personal  assistance  through  them.  The  catalogue  of  services  regarding  legal 
information may be provided personally or by phone by relevant experts in the field. Moreover, all the 
information has been uploaded onto the website and the entrepreneurs may download it or use any 
of  the  multiple  online  tools  (business  plan  online,  idea  tester  and  taxes  calculator).  The  legal 
information has been produced also in English considering migrants’ barriers and the information has 
been adapted and not just merely translated from one language to the other.96 The translation of the 
material has been adapted due to the experience acquired working with migrants and learning from 
the problems they face dealing with the administrative procedures. 

Migrant entrepreneurs in search of advice may be assisted by the individual business support services. 
In this sense, BA has created a complete spectrum of services, from intensive tailor-made programmes 
(including all the areas of a business plan: marketing, finances, social security, taxes, market, etc.) to 
online tools (business plan online, idea tester and taxes calculator). For instance, in 2014, 819 projects 
were supported through a tailor made programme.97 These people were assisted in intensive company 
creation programmes, in the specifics of strategic or traditional sectors or in those aimed at specific 
groups. Personal support may be given to people already working in the incubators or to those seeking 
advice through the general advising services. 

Despite the fact that the business projects may be supported individually, the entrepreneurs usually 
need to acquire knowledge and skills in some topics. In view of that, they may be redirected or may 
reach out to the business training services, available for all, which cover interesting areas and some of 
them even target disadvantaged people. The programmes are conducted by expert trainers in the field 
of entrepreneurship. The offer includes a wide variety of areas in order to reach different targets (Tax 
Systems for Freelancers and Companies, Retail Sector Programme; Handmade Programme; Women 
Entrepreneur School; Ideas and Future Programme, for people below 30; Adult Ideas Programme, for 
people  over  45,  etc.).  Additionally,  these  programmes  usually  include  training  in  business  plans, 
entrepreneurial skills, funding possibilities, business experience and personal counselling. 
The  Barcelona  Mentoring  Program  provides  mentoring  to  entrepreneurs  at  different  stages  of  the 
business creation process. The mentors and mentees are matched according to the areas of knowledge 
and needs, while the number of mentors available may facilitate a more suitable matching. Most of 
the mentors are previous entrepreneurs, who have succeeded and are aware of the problems that 
entrepreneurs  have  to  face  to  set  up  or  expand  a  business  as  well  as  the  difficulties  of  the 
local/national/international markets. 

95 OAE - Oficina de Atenció a las Empresas (Business Support Office). 
96 Interview with Monica Madrigal, carried out in March 2016. 
97 Activity report 2014, BARCELONA ACTIVA. 

100 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
BA also provides an extensive campaign and information for migrants about the financing possibilities 
at local (banks, business angels, microcredits, etc.) and national level (grants, loans from national credit 
agencies). The financing institutions involved in the network collaborate by providing easier funding to 
the  accredited  projects.  The  finance  providers  are  aware  and  take  into  consideration  that  the 
accredited projects have been supported and developed in a bankable way through the services of BA. 

All the services mentioned above could not be offered without the provision of the required facilities. 
Due to the coordination with the city council, BA has been provided with sufficient spaces to carry out 
its  activities  and  services  for  entrepreneurs.  Therefore,  it  is  able  to  offer  incubators,  accelerators, 
offices,  conference  rooms,  auditoriums,  classrooms,  technological  centres,  an  industry  park  and 
advisory points. These places have been created to enhance the entrepreneurial atmosphere and the 
facilities include more services (office material, computers, restaurant, etc.) than the simple working 
space. Consequently, entrepreneurs can develop their projects in an adequate place, surrounded by 
more entrepreneurs taking advantage of all the services of BA. 

There is a strong coordination between the different activities provided by BA. All the workers and 
service providers are required to be aware of the other activities provided by the organisation and 
redirect  users  to  the  other  services  when  required.  This  coordination  ensures  the  success  of 
entrepreneurs while receiving the best quality of services adapted to their projects and necessities. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Most of the entrepreneurship services and information of BA has been developed in three languages 
(Catalan, Castilian Spanish and English). With these languages most of the population of Barcelona is 
allowed to use the services, even though some minority groups have larger barriers. However, one of 
the objectives of BA is to help migrants learning the host languages for a better integration into the 
society and higher possibilities of doing business. For that reason, BA offers business Catalan language 
courses and redirects migrants to language schools when required. 

The service providers and trainers of the services targeting migrants are at least familiar with the three 
languages  and  are  prepared  to  deal  not only  with  the  language  barriers,  but  also with the cultural 
issues that migrants may face. Furthermore, the information and services have been translated into 
English considering the misunderstandings that may appear for migrants not used to the Spanish laws 
and  administrative  procedures.  Additionally,  translation  of  more  documents  is  still  in  progress  and 
previous documents are continuously revised when new problems are observed. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
The impact resulting from the activities, training and services provided by Barcelona Activa has been 
extraordinarily positive for the city of Barcelona. On average, the scheme supports more than 1,000 
business projects each year and between 50% and 60% of them become a company by the end of the 
first  year,  creating  on  average  2.4  additional  jobs.  In  addition,  the  results  show  that  thousands  of 

101 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
people attend the training activities98 every year, from which about 20% are foreigners99, a great result 
considering  that  20%  of  Barcelona’s  population  is  foreign.100  These  results  indicate  the  good 
integration efforts taking place in Barcelona due to the services of BA and the city council. 

Besides  training,  more  than  15,000  people  attended  the  entrepreneurship  services  (including 
mentoring,  tailor  made  programmes,  incubators,  informative  sessions,  etc.)  in  2014,  while  the 
professional skills acquisition and employment services had more than 22,000 attendees. In the later 
services, 2,000 people benefited from the programmes offered for groups at risk of exclusion.101 
All the services  are monitored and the  results analysed in order to continue the  improvement and 
identification of potential gaps. Due to the monitoring via CRM,102 the results can be observed, and 
consequently, the strong and weakest points can be identified and modified. 

Finally, the BA has received many prizes for the effective functioning and innovativeness of the services 
provided,  such  as  the  European  Enterprise  Award  in  2011,  European  Public  Sector  Award  in  2011, 
European Capital of Innovation “iCapital” in 2014 and the National Award for the best one-stop-shop.  

Challenges 
BA has encountered barriers and challenges for the implementation of its schemes since the beginning 
of the promotion of the English language within their services. Some of the workers of BA were trained 
in English and multicultural group management, while some others already have the necessary skills. 
It was a great challenge to introduce a new language in such a large organisation, even though some 
of  the  workers  already  had  the  necessary  skills.  This  challenge  was  overcome  by  providing  English 
classes and training to those service providers who were not comfortable with the language. Training 
on how to deal with intercultural barriers has also been provided to the staff. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
One of the key success factors of Barcelona Activa is the integration with a number of departments of 
the city council, that have created a core organisation developing programmes with a solid, powerful 
and  unified  strategy.  The  strategy  covers  entrepreneurship  and  employment,  including  successful 
plans to integrate and promote migrants as well as ethnic minorities. 

The trainers and service providers are experienced people, aware of entrepreneurial problems. One of 
the biggest problems is the access to finance. For that reason, BA has worked thoroughly on providing 
easier access to different funding sources. 

98 Number of participants in 2014 in the training activities 23,453. Number of training activities 5,899. People who 
received regular additional training  for services: People in business  management training 1,324; People in 
enterprise training 3,902; People in vocational and job search training 7,212; People in technology training 
13,117; Professionals and SMEs in advanced technology training 10,457; People in basic technology training 
2,887; People who have received specially organised training 1,508. 

99 Activity report 2014, BARCELONA ACTIVA. 
100 Data extracted from Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya (Instute of Statistics of Catalunya), in 2012. 
101 Activity report 2014, BARCELONA ACTIVA. 
102 Information provided by Entrepreneurship Services and Barcelona Softlanding Service. 

102 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Lately, the use of IT services is crucial not only for the success of the projects, but for the awareness of 
the initiatives, activities, events and useful information of the participants. BA introduced the use of IT 
in their working scheme years ago, and nowadays most of the services are available on the web and 
accessible in English. In addition to this, BA offers a great variety of online tools to develop and test 
the first stages of a business plan.103 

Additionally, the network of the organisation includes a wide variety of stakeholders, who are working 
closely and sometimes in partnership for the development of the city. 

Replicability 
BA’s  services  could  be  replicated  by  other  city’s  development  agencies.  The  model  is  that  the 
development agencies are responsible for the whole programme made for migrants and mainstream 
population, integrating and running both in parallel. It should be taken into account that the targeted 
programmes  need  visibility  in  different  places  than  the  mainstream  ones.  Reaching  migrants 
sometimes requires a different approach and has to be considered in the communication campaign. 
BA is already in the process of sharing expertise with other cities’ development agencies.104 These visits 
benefit initiatives in other cities, while simultaneously increasing the network and knowledge of BA. 
Additionally, the activities and events carried out by BA in other countries, such as China, Colombia or 
Brazil, improve the perspective of the organisation’s workers and leaders about themselves. 

For  the  development  agencies  to  replicate  BA  services,  it  would  be  important  to  achieve  a  great 
coordination  between  departments  in  the  city  councils  and  the  agency,  creating  activities  and 
programmes  to  support  migrants  from  more  than  one  side  (entrepreneurship,  vocational  training, 
language training, integration events, etc.). Additionally, the networks of the city councils should be 
used to promote the entrepreneurs and encourage the projects with an added value for the city. 

Testimonial – course participant 2010: 

“Barcelona Activa was the place where I could build my dream. I arrived in the incubator with just 
my business idea in mind and with an enormous desire to learn and build. There I met people 
who supported me as an entrepreneur, I was taught to build an enterprise and to progress step 
by step in the right direction. In Barcelona Activa I found everything I needed at that moment: 
training, human resources support and open minded people. It was my great mentor and my 
warm home as an entrepreneur.” 

A Colombian national who has been living in Spain since 2003, when she started a PhD at the University of 
Barcelona. She went to the BA assisting services with her idea in 2010. She received all the required support 
and  assistance  in  the  incubator  for  3  years  until  the  company  was  completely  established.  The  company 
extracts business value using big data in order to increase revenue  for companies. Her expertise over the 
years  has  resulted  in  the  creation  of  what  today  is  their  main  product  MOCA.  MOCA  is  a  premier  mobile 
marketing platform that enhances interactions between brands and people. The company now has more than 
ten employees and is expected to grow in the next years. 

103 http://w147.bcn.cat/plan/home.action. 
104 Interview with Xavier Dumont, carried out in May 2016. 

103 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Activity report 2014, BARCELONA ACTIVA. 
 
INE (National Institute of Statistics). 
 
Law 14/2013, of 27 September 2013, on support for entrepreneurs and their 
internationalisation. 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Spain. http://www.mipex.eu/spain.  

[Accessed 26/05/2016]. 

List of interviews 

  Entrepreneurship Services and Barcelona Softlanding Service 
 

Legal service unit, General secretariat for immigration and emigration, Ministry of 
Employment and Social Security 

  Testimonial taken from the service providers website 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: barcelonactiva@barcelonactiva.cat   

Website: http://www.barcelonactiva.cat/  

104 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
8. CNA World (Italy) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

CNA World  
Confederazione  Nazionale  dell’Artigianato  e  della  Piccola  e  Media 
Impresa  (National  Confederation  of  Craftsmanship  and  Small  and 
Medium Enterprises) 

Business association 

Italy  
2009 – ongoing  
Legal and Regulatory Advice, Business Training, Networking.  
The activities are funded through a mix of resources provided at local, 
national and European level.  
The  success  of  the  initiative  depends  on  several  factors  at  both 
operational  and  strategic  level.  The  establishment  of  the  help  desk 
ensures  constant  individualised  support  to  any  individual  seeking 
advice. Similarly, the organisation of events that are open to migrants, 
as well as to Italian people, promotes social integration.  

Overview 

National context 
Italy has been a country of net migration since the 1970s, therefore, there is a growing population of 
2nd  generation  migrants  born  in  Italy.105  The  Italian  labour  market  scenario  is  characterised  by  an 
interesting trend: Italian entrepreneurs are  steadily decreasing whereas migrant  entrepreneurs are 
constantly  increasing  (+4.1%  in  2013  and  +5.6%  in  2014).  Half  of  the  migrant  businesses  are 
concentrated in the North of Italy (51.1%), in the Centre (26.7%) and the remaining part in the south 
of the country (22.3%).106 In addition to indicating that the North and the Centre of the country are 
those parts with a higher concentration of migrants, it also suggests that in large urban areas there are 
better opportunities to set up a business. In particular, there is a range of support activities targeted 
to immigrant entrepreneurs. Most of them are promoted by national institutions but carried out at the 
regional  or  provincial  levels.  The  range  of  support  includes  information,  financing,  incubation, 
individual support, and professional networks. 

Objectives 
The National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises (CNA), is an Italian association 
that represents the interests of micro, small and medium-sized businesses, operating in the sectors of 
manufacturing, construction, services, transport, trade and tourism, small and medium industries, with 
particular reference to the craft sector including craftsmen, self-employment and professionals. The 
objective  of  the  CNA  is  to  promote  the  economic  development  of  crafts  and  small  and  medium 
enterprises, by offering integrated and customised advice to businesses. 

CNA World association was set up in 2009 within the Italian National Confederation of Craftsmanship 
and Small and Medium Enterprises. The objective of the initiative is to support non-EU citizens that 

105 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Italy. http://www.mipex.eu/italy. 
106 IDOS - Study and Research Centre (2015) Report on Immigration and Entrepreneurship 2015. 

105 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
are, or intend to, become entrepreneurs in Italy. By offering support on how to start-up a business, 
credit,  tax  compliance  and employee training the initiative aims at integrating migrants  into Italian 
society.  

Strengths 
The  individualised  support  received  is  one  of  the  main  strengths  of  the  initiative  and  tailor  made 
assistance is mainly achieved through the evaluation of the technical and professional capabilities of 
the potential entrepreneur, geo-marketing (the choice of neighbourhoods more suitable to develop 
commerce), and support on Italian law with particular regard to the regulations of labour contracts. 
The success of the networking is based on the organisation of events that bring together migrants and 
foreigners with the mainstream population. 

Figure 9: Benchmarking of CNA World  

(Language sensitivity)

Facilities provision

CNA World

Visibility

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Networking

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
UPPORT

(Mentoring)

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
The main task of CNA World is to provide legal support to foreign citizens that have, or intend to, set 
up a business, as well as advice on applications and renewal of residence permits for work purposes. 
The services are provided in all the main Italian cities and provinces through existing CNA help desks. 
Some provinces, however, offer more advanced and tailor made services. For example, the CNA World 
in Rome, Modena, Bergamo and Prato provide tailor-made services and personal advice in relation to 
migration  laws,  accounting,  job  security,  marketing,  online  marketing,  labour  agreement  and  law, 
existing suppliers in Italy and financial and credit issues. 

In particular, individual business support based on a tailored made approach to match the need of the 
migrants is available for each step of the formulation and implementation of the business plan. The 
assessment  of  a  business  idea  starts  with  the  analysis  of  a  questionnaire  compiled  by  the  foreign 

106 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
citizens that intend to set up a business. In practice, potential entrepreneurs describe their business 
plan by filling in a questionnaire sheet also summarising their experience and market conditions. The 
main objective is to assess not only if their idea is good, but also if their competences and financial 
solidity are adequate. The personnel of CNA have a very strong experience in all aspects related to 
business  activity  that  allow  them  to  assess  the  feasibility  of  a  business  idea.  CNA  employees  have 
specific training on basic tasks (support on immigrant laws, accountability and job security). In addition, 
thanks to direct links established with local representatives of the Ministry of Interiors (prefetture) and 
chambers of commerce, a referral mechanism is in place. Where information/expertise is not sufficient 
in-house, CNA World refers the non-EU citizens to relevant actors, for example ministries, chambers 
of commerce, other organisations or consultants to provide them with more advanced support (for 
example geo-marketing services). These types of services are offered to those that are members of the 
confederation and continue throughout the life of the business.  

CNA World Rome also organises business training sessions on the evaluation of risks and assessment 
of the business plan. Training activities have a minimum duration of three months and are initiated on 
a  quarterly  basis.  These  courses  focus  on  budgeting  rules,  marketing,  and  online  marketing. 
Presence/absence of training varies from city to city. The provision of training and the balance between 
support and training activities vary at the local level, as well as, the adaptability of the training time 
schedule. For instance, in Prato (Tuscany) where there is a large Chinese community, CNA employers 
are  specialised  in  working  with  the  Chinese  community  by  also  involving  representatives  of  local 
communities of immigrants to develop joint activities targeted on the basis of the territory.  

Mentoring is less widespread as the service is not available in all regions and is provided where there 
is a specific need for it and in cases where the mentoring is considered more beneficial than training. 
In the Lazio region, the length of the mentoring is usually from one month to six months, depending 
on the specific needs of the mentee. There is a follow up, with a meeting every three months. 

Regarding  networking,  CNA  World  is  very  active.  Meetings  and  events  targeting  immigrant 
entrepreneurs are periodically organised by local CNA World city offices, in collaboration with several 
other  actors  such  as  chambers  of  commerce,  universities  and  private  firms.  In  these  meetings, 
experienced professionals provide information about specific issues related to business. These events 
are targeting the migrant entrepreneurs attending a course at CNA World. This way, migrants involved 
in CNA World’s activities have the opportunity to fully exploit the network of CNA World. For example, 
if some of these non-EU citizens are studying business at the local university (Rome 3, Tor Vergata), 
they have the possibility to carry out an internship in private firms that have established public private 
partnership agreements between the university and CNA World. The internship is a useful experience 
that may pave the way to self-employment and then entrepreneurship. 

An additional element that contributes to the success of the initiative is also the presence of a network 
between CNA World and political and public administration institutions especially at local level, such 
as Province, Region, Chambers of Commerce, Universities and Police (Prefettura). In particular, CNA 
has representatives in several Provincial Councils, and Territorial Councils for immigration that increase 
the possibility of promoting the agenda of the organisation into the mainstream activities. While these 
networking activities  are  not  directly aimed at  raising awareness, this is an indirect  result of these 
events. An initiative directly aimed at raising awareness and visibility is instead an integrated campaign 

107 

 
 
 
 
 
 
of communication based on interviews and videos channelled through newspapers, radio, YouTube 
and television shows.107  

Regarding  access  to  finance  CNA  offers  guidance  on  how  to  access  these  services.  In  the  case  of 
funding, CNA World has special agreements with the main banking groups, such as Unicredit and BNL, 
as  well  as,  smaller  credit  institutes.  In  some  cities  (for  example  Naples,  Turin),  microcredit  is 
encouraged and promoted jointly with other partners. Even if direct funding is beyond its objectives, 
CNA World is a member of a consortium that guarantees loans required by borrowers. Moreover, CNA 
World  has  participated  to  joint  programmes  providing  guidance  on  how  to  finance  potential 
entrepreneurs.  
Similarly, a guide is also provided on how to buy or rent a unit for residential or commercial use. The 
services provided, geo-marketing services and legal advice (see section above), are valuable also for 
acquisition/rent of facilities. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The training activities and assistance services are provided in Italian only. However, several CNA World 
websites provide information in Italian, English, Romanian, Chinese and Arabic. Language training is 
provided in collaboration with other organisations (Fondazione FARO and Fondazione Susanna Agnelli) 
and overall, over the years, CNA advisers have acquired a large experience in working with persons 
from  different  backgrounds.  Additionally,  in  large  metropolises,  like  Milan  and  Rome,  cultural 
mediators are active to ensure that language and cultural sensitivity is respected.   

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Quantitative information about the outcomes of the actions is very limited. Interviews reveal that, on 
average, 50% of those taking part in a course then set up their own business, but these figures have to 
be taken cautiously, as the recent crisis has had an impact on the creation of micro and small business, 
and no follow-up monitoring has been encountered. Another positive outcome of the initiative is that 
more than half of the course participants received a certificate upon completion that has a positive 
influence in setting up the business.  

Challenges  
CNA World is an ongoing, permanent scheme and continuous feedback is received and used to improve 
the quality of the provided services. No specific challenges were reported during the implementation 
of the activities. Two critical elements emerged from our analysis. First, there is uncertainty about the 
availability  of  funding  as  this  changes  on  an  annual  basis.108  The  team  working  at  CNA  World  is 
responding to this challenge  by campaigning to acquire more members and subscriptions and thus 
increasing the volume of self-funding. 

Second, quantitative data about the results achieved from the measure are not reported. Monitoring 
and evaluation systems are not in place because they require funding that is not available. However, 

107 http://www.affaritaliani.it/static/upload/prog/programma-mfi-db-2105-ultimo.pdf. 

108 Interview with CNA World Rome president . 

108 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
 
recently CNA has started a project that goes towards the creation of an observatory for businesses 
owned by third country nationals. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The tailor made approach based on the assessment of potential entrepreneurs’ needs and capabilities 
is one of the main success factors of the initiative. Evidence from the field work demonstrates that 
individualised legal, business and training support are at the core of the CNA World model, which also 
largely relies on well experienced personnel. Networking within the members of the confederation 
and with other institutions such as Province, Region, Chambers of Commerce, Universities and Police 
is also a pivotal element for the success of the initiative. This favours the exchange of experiences, 
improves the integration of migrants, increases the sense of belonging and increases awareness about 
the initiative. 

The large network of partners of the initiative allows for migrants to interact with various key market 
players and authorities. The  network  also allows  for the scheme  to refer migrant  entrepreneurs to 
experts in a number of areas should the scheme’s expertise not be sufficient. 

CNA is a mainstream association whose migrant members benefit from having access to all the policies 
and  support  measures  meant  for  the  host-country  population.  The  large  and  varied  member  base 
provides  another  learning  and  networking  opportunity  and  allows  for  knowledge/information 
exchange  between  entrepreneurs  with  migrant  backgrounds  and  Italian  entrepreneurs  and 
enterprises. 

Replicability 
CNA World is based on the  existing infrastructure of the network of the National Confederation of 
Craftsmanship and Small and Medium Enterprises. The organisational structure of CNA is based on a 
widespread network of advisers (8,500 in 1,100 offices) and on the organisation of several national 
events. This helps the replicability of good and innovative schemes and common learning among its 
members. 

Replicating this scheme in other countries would not require too many new structures as all of the 
European Member States have established enterprise associations whose networks of contact points 
could  serve  as  providers of  the  support  service.  This  would,  additionally,  allow  for  customising  the 
services offered to the particularities of each region/location. 

109 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Testimonial – course participant 2009: 

110 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  http://www.cna.it/. 
  http://www.cnapmi.org/Unioni-e-Gruppi-di-interesse/Gruppi-di-interesse/Cna-World-

Imprenditoria-straniera. 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Italy. http://www.mipex.eu/italy. 

List of interviews 

Indra Perera - president, CNA World Rome  

 
  Margarita Perea Sanchez - Final beneficiary I 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: perera@cnapmi.com  

Website:  

  http://www.cnapmi.org/Unioni-e-Gruppi-di-interesse/Gruppi-di-interesse/Cna-World-

Imprenditoria-straniera  

  https://www.facebook.com/Sartoria-clinica-dei-vestiti-di-Margarita-Perea-Sanchez-

207922685898548/  

111 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. ENPower (the Netherlands) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementer: 

Type of implementing 

organisation: 

Krachtbedrijf (ENPower) 

Josette Dijkhuizen 

Private 

Country (region/municipality): 

The Netherlands (North-Brabant) 

Implementation period: 

Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

2016 – ongoing (pilot phase) 

Business Training, Individual Business Support, Mentoring 

Funding  for  the  pilot  phase  was  provided  by  the  province  of  North 
Brabant (31,600 EUR). 
At  ENPower,  participants  are  guided  through  developing  a  business 
plan  with  workshops,  written  materials,  and  mentoring  in  group,  as 
well  as  on  an  individual  level.  They  are  also  introduced  to  relevant 
networks of native citizens and other migrants. 

Overview 

National context 
The Netherlands has been one of Europe’s long-established destination countries with nearly 12% of 
the Dutch population being foreign-born.109 Additionally, the Netherlands endeavoured to be in the 
top  three  most  attractive  start-up  ecosystems  in  Europe  in  the  last  few  years.  Specific  visas  and 
information platforms have been developed to attract potential foreign entrepreneurs to the country. 
Simultaneously, the refugee crisis has led to an increased number of potential refugee entrepreneurs 
that are present in the Netherlands. Between 2013 and 2014, asylum applications have nearly doubled 
in  number.110  This  is  where  ENPower  tries  to  come  in  and  support  those  refugees  that  have  the 
potential to start a successful business in the Netherlands. 

Objective of the initiative 
The idea behind ENPower is the belief that every human being has dreams and should have the chance 
to pursue them. ENPower aims to provide support for refugees in the Netherlands who have the dream 
and ambition to become an entrepreneur. The main objectives can be described using the 3 E’s: 1) 
Economic independence: a chance for the refugees to generate their own income through starting a 
business;  2)  Empowerment:  strengthening  of  entrepreneurial  competencies, 
increasing  self-
confidence and self-esteem, and the building of social and business networks; 3) Elimination of the 
taboo  and  stigmatisation  relating  to  refugees.  In  order  to  achieve  this,  the  refugees  participate  in 
workshops and coaching sessions during which they receive information and knowledge, but which 
also provide room for personal presentation and building of self-confidence. Practically, the aim is that 
the refugees develop a bankable  business plan while participating in the programme that they can 
then implement. 

Strengths 

109 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: the Netherlands. http://www.mipex.eu/netherlands. 
110 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: the Netherlands. http://www.mipex.eu/netherlands. 

112 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
ENPower  combines  a  number  of  different  support measures, which  make  it  an  example  of  a  good 
practice. Specifically, the scheme uses business training, individual advice and mentoring in a way that 
they  complement  each  other.  Participants  are  guided  towards  the  development  of  a  business  plan 
through workshops, written materials and mentoring in groups, as well as, on an individual level. Some 
of  the  key  topics  of  the  business  training  and  advice  are  regulations  and  legal  aspects,  which  are 
important for potential entrepreneurs wanting to start a business in the Netherlands. 

Figure 10: Benchmarking of the ENPower programme 

Language sensitivity

(Facilities provision)

ENPower

Visibility

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

Legal and regulatory
advice

Access to finance

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

MENTORING

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
ENPower was started in February 2016 and targets refugees who are thinking about the possibility of 
setting up their own business in the Netherlands. At this stage, ENPower is being implemented as a 
pilot  project  with  a  group  of  eight  refugees.  It  was  developed  by  the  entrepreneur  and 
entrepreneurship coach Josette Dijkhuizen, who is assisted by other entrepreneurs and trainers during 
the implementation. There is a website for Krachtbedrijf/ENPower, which provides an overview of the 
programme,  its  aims,  structure  and  content,  and  contact  details  of  the  organisers.  The  ENPower 
programme is also being offered to other vulnerable groups such as women living in women shelters; 
therefore, the website does not only present the refugee programme, but ENPower more generally. 
Once  the  pilot  has  been  completed,  it  is  planned  that  the  website will  be  updated  with  additional 
information  specific  to  the  programme  for  the  refugees  to  increase  visibility  for  potential  future 
participants from that target group. Testimonials of the participants of the pilot refugee programme 
will also be added to the website upon completion of the programme. 

Despite the programme currently being in its pilot phase, there has been coverage on national TV, in 
national newspapers and in other media. Workshops and other activities are also announced on social 
media.  A  photographic  exhibition  is  planned  for  World  Refugee  Day,  where  participants  of  the 

113 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
programme will also be portrayed. Additionally, there is a small film documentary in production with 
the aim of showing the role of inclusive entrepreneurship for the participants. The refugees also have 
been spreading the word about the programme in their networks in the asylum centres, as well as, 
outside, which has led to interest in further rounds of the programme, if funding can be secured. The 
refugees that  are  participating  in  the  pilot  were mainly  reached  through  their (job) coaches  at  the 
asylum centres. As the target group is refugees that work with these coaches to find employment in 
the Netherlands, this is a good channel to reach the target group of the project. The programme can 
be divided into three main areas of support provision: business training, tailored individual business 
support sessions, and mentoring. 

One of the main activities of the project is business training, which is provided through a series of 15 
workshops on relevant topics over a period of six months. These workshops are performed in a group 
and  provided  by  different  trainers  (professional  business  trainers,  university 
lecturers  and 
entrepreneurs)  that  are  experts  in  the  respective  topics.  The  service  provider  and  trainers  have 
experience with other vulnerable groups, specifically victims of domestic abuse, and are, therefore, 
aware of certain sensitivities of working with vulnerable groups. The time of the workshops is agreed 
beforehand based on the availability of the participants as much as possible, so that everyone is able 
to attend. 

Different topics are covered in this series of workshops with the overall goal of developing a bankable 
business  plan.  The  topics  include  modules  on  the  entrepreneur  and  entrepreneurial  qualities, 
marketing, business culture, financing, organisation, legal procedures, etc. As such, different skills are 
developed  throughout  the  workshops.  Besides  the  content,  it  is  also  very  important  during  the 
workshops that the participants learn how to present themselves and their business and that they gain 
self-confidence while doing so. 

In addition to the workshops, the participants receive a book to guide them through the process of 
developing the business plan and setting up their business. The book provides a step-by-step guide 
specifically for starting a business in the Netherlands and what needs to be paid attention to at each 
step. The guide includes information regarding what regulations need to be adhered to, how to find 
financing,  how  to  find  clients,  marketing,  etc.  Overall,  attention  is  given  to  the  balance  between 
theoretical knowledge and practical application, as well as, the development of a business plan. The 
business  training  component  has  a  focus  on  personal  contact  and  is  flexible  according  to  the 
participants’  needs  for  time  scheduling  and  course  content.  The  book  that  is  provided  gives  the 
participants the opportunity to further learn in their own time. 

The second part of the project consists of tailored individual assistance, which helps each refugee on 
an individual level with the development of a business plan. The participants have the opportunity to 
follow  up  on  the  variety  of  topics  that  are  addressed  by  the  workshops  with  experts  in  business 
development in the Netherlands. The advice can be tailored to the needs of each individual and is part 
of the programme from the very start. Indeed, at the selection stage, the interested refugees had to 
present  their  business  idea  to  the  service  provider  during  an  intake  conversation.  Only  those  with 
entrepreneurial competences and either a relevant or feasible idea, or with potential to adapt and 
develop the idea to be relevant and feasible in the Dutch context, were selected to participate. At this 
stage, the applicants already receive personalised input and the service provider is therefore involved 
on the individual level from the beginning. 

114 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The third main activity of ENPower is mentoring which is provided to the participants for a period of 
six months.  After  the  six months’  programme,  the participants  can  continue to  meet  up with  their 
mentor  for  another  six  to  12  months,  which  is  be  very  helpful  during  the  start-up  phase  of  the 
businesses. This buddy is a member of the Dutch foundation Ondernemersklankbord, which has a large 
pool of former entrepreneurs in all kinds of different fields that volunteer to help new entrepreneurs 
with their business start-up. 

During the ENPower programme, every participant is matched with the best fitting mentor based on 
the business idea that they have and the experience of the mentor. The pool of mentors is not yet very 
large during the pilot phase and, therefore, the matching procedure is limited. However, the aim is to 
grow this pool in future rounds of the programme, so that every participant can have a mentor that is 
specialised in the relevant field. Mentoring activities are interactive and carried out in person as much 
as possible and only sometimes supplemented by emails. Meetings between the mentor and mentee 
happen  at  least  monthly,  but  the  frequency  largely  depends  on  the  demand  by  the  migrant.  The 
mentoring process is supposed to be driven by the mentees, so that they contact their mentor when 
they  have  specific  questions  or  problems  or  just  need  to  brainstorm.  Overall,  the  set-up  of  the 
mentoring  is  flexible  and  specific  to  the  individual  and  lasts  throughout  the  development  of  the 
business plan, as well as, the start-up phase. 

Legal  and  regulatory  advice  is  a  cut-crossing  theme  of  the  business  training,  individual  business 
support, and mentoring, as described above. The participants receive workshops focusing on legal and 
regulatory advice, as well as, through the mentor and written documentation. Therefore, the migrants 
have  the  possibility  to  receive  the  legal  and  regulatory  advice  necessary,  from  entrepreneurs  or 
business trainers with plenty of experience. Most of the trainers have their own business or significant 
experience as a business coach and, as such, have the relevant legal expertise for the Dutch market.  
While  ENPower  does  not  organise  specific  networking  events  for the  participants,  they  do  meet  a 
variety  of  interesting  people  throughout  the  programme,  for  example,  participants  meet  Dutch 
entrepreneurs  both  as  their  trainers  and  mentors,  company  visits  are  organised  throughout  the 
programme,  and  participants  can  interact  with  students  from  a  business  school, etc. They  are  also 
taken along to networking events held in English that are organised by other actors; for example, a 
business association of SMEs in the field of ICT. In addition, the programme allows the participants to 
interact and network with each other intensively; especially because the programme is set up around 
a group of migrants in the same, early phase of the start-up. 

Information is provided on how to access financing and support is given to develop a business plan 
that helps with that. Participants are also informed about the difficulties of accessing financing and 
should develop their business idea with this in mind. The experience of the service providers is crucial 
here as they can assist the refugees in ensuring that their business plan has a chance to help them 
secure capital when it is time for the start-up phase. Participants with a need for a microcredit are 
assisted  in contacting Dutch  microfinance  institutions  to explore  such  possibilities.  In  principle,  the 
programme recommends small steps towards a start-up to reduce risk and dependency. 

If required, the mentor will assist participants on an individual basis to find suitable workspaces or 
shops. During the programme, participants have available space where they can work on specific days 
and they can also receive assistance from business school students. However, the access to this free 
space is limited to certain times. 

115 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Language and cultural sensitivity 
The course and all course materials are provided mainly in English, while information is available in 
Dutch. When topics are difficult to understand during the workshops, participants help each other to 
enable everyone to follow.111 For future rounds, engagement of trainers with different language skills 
will  be  explored.  While  the  service  providers  did  not  receive  specific  training  for  the  work  with 
refugees,  they  have  previously  worked  with  people  from  diverse  backgrounds,  including  other 
vulnerable groups. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
It  is  too  early  to  talk  about  the  impact  of  the  ENPower  programme  as  it  is  still  in  the  pilot  phase. 
However, the programme has previously been implemented in a slightly different version with other 
vulnerable  groups  and,  in  those  cases,  it  has  proven  to  be  successful  in  leading  to  personal 
development, as well as, business creation and development. An evaluation of the pilot programme 
with women from a shelter showed that participating in the programme specifically contributed to 
women’s  development  of  self-esteem,  optimism,  confidence  and  similar  characteristics  and  the 
participation  was,  therefore,  a  major  step  for  them  to  become  independent.  This  is  due  to  its 
comprehensive nature bringing together different approaches of entrepreneurial support. In the work 
with the refugees, ENPower uses the same tools, adapting them to the context of the refugees, and it, 
therefore, has the potential to have similar impacts at a later stage. 

Challenges  
One  of  the  main  challenges  is  the  different  level  of  understanding,  both  in  terms  of  participants’ 
context  and  language.  While,  generally,  beneficiaries  speak  English  sufficiently,  the  specific 
terminology proves to be more challenging for some than others. To overcome this, participants help 
and interact with each other so that no one is “left behind”. In addition, the participants have different 
business  backgrounds;  meaning  that  the  information  received  is  more  relevant  for  those  with  less 
experience. There is, therefore, a risk that some of the workshops are less interesting for some than 
for others; however, the participants indicated that this is not a real problem for them as they do like 
to  help  each  other  out.  Furthermore,  revision  of  more  basic  information  has  been  reported  to  be 
useful. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
ENPower was developed as a reaction to the refugee crisis and the lack of economic opportunities for 
refugees in the Netherlands. The service provider recognised that, among the refugees, many had prior 
business experience and enormous potential and ambition to set up a business in the Netherlands, 
and to become economically independent and contribute to the local economy. While there are a few 
other projects in the Netherlands targeting refugee entrepreneurs directly, to the knowledge of the 
service provider, none offer the same kind of service as ENPower. They either target refugees that 
have already been in the Netherlands for a longer time and have some understanding of the business 

111 Interview with Nour Maybar, carried out in May 2016. 

116 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
environment, or step in as an incubator type service when the refugee already has a well-developed 
business plan. 

Because  the  service  provider  carefully  selects  programme  participants  based  on  their  experiences, 
motivation  and  business  ideas  it  ensures  that  only  those  with  real  potential  are  supported  by  this 
programme. This ensures that the limited resources available are spent on the most promising cases. 
The factors of this scheme that make it a success for the participants already before completing the 
programme are the volume and variety of provided information, the involvement of different experts 
(entrepreneurs, business trainers, university lecturers, etc.) and the individual advice. The beneficiaries 
particularly appreciate the fact that all of the information is specific to the Dutch market, which they 
knew nothing about beforehand.112 

The participants are guided towards the development of a business plan through workshops, written 
materials and mentoring in groups, as well as, on an individual level. They are introduced to relevant 
networks of  natives  and  other  migrants,  which  they value  very much  and  anticipate  that  it will  be 
helpful especially when it comes to the practical start-up of their own business.113 

A participant positively highlighted that they are encouraged to work on presenting themselves and 
their business ideas. This is seen as very important when it comes to the practical aspects of starting 
the  business.  Next  to  the  knowledge  gained,  this  personal  development  has  already  positively 
influenced many participants’ confidence.114 

Replicability 
The project is implemented by an individual with the assistance of other entrepreneurs and experts 
that are part of her network. It appears that it would, therefore, be relatively easy for other experts to 
replicate  the  set-up  of  the  programme  in  a  different  context  where  the  contents  are  adapted 
accordingly. It is important to understand that the personal note of the programme is proving to be 
one of the key factors and any organisation that wants to set up a similar programme would need to 
take this into account and ensure that enough time is set aside for the personalised advice. 

The programme,  albeit  in its  pilot  phase,  has been implemented in a slightly different version with 
other vulnerable groups and has proven to be successful there due to its comprehensive nature. 

112 Interview with beneficiary I, carried out in May 2016 and interview with Nour Maybar, carried out in May 2016. 
113 Interview with beneficiary I, carried out in May 2016. 
114 Interview with beneficiary I, carried out in May 2016. 

117 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – pilot phase participant 2016: 

“We are getting useful information and right information from the right people. If you are going 
to look for it yourself, you will find it, but it will take you a lot of time. And if you would ask 
someone it would cost you a lot of money.” 

A Syrian refugee who did have his own business as a software and web developer before the war. He has 
been living in the Netherlands for 16 months and heard about ENPower through the advisers at the asylum 
centre, who thought it may be a good fit for him as he had previously talked about opening his own business 
in  the  Netherlands.  He  is  now  participating  in  the  pilot  programme  and  this  has  already  increased  his 
confidence that he will be able to start a business in the new environment. His idea is to set up a business 
in  the  same  field  of  software  and  web  development.  Once  he  acquires  more  projects  he  would  like  to 
employ other refugees, migrants and native citizens that have the necessary skills. 

118 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Dijkhuizen, J. (2016). ‘ENPower’ - Assistance to entrepreneurship for refugees. (Information 

Paper of the project in English provided by interviewee) 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: the Netherlands. 

http://www.mipex.eu/netherlands. 

List of interviews 

Josette Dijkhuizen, ENPower Developer and Coordinator 

 
  Final Beneficiary 
  Nour Maybar – Final Beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: josette@krachtbedrijf.nl  

Website: http://www.krachtbedrijf.nl/  

119 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs (Portugal) 

Name of initiative: 

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Apoio  Especializado  aos  Empreeendedores  (Specialised  Support  for 
the Entrepreneurs) 
Alto  Comissariado  para  as  Migrações,  Gabinete  de  Apoio  ao 
Empreendedor  Migrante  (High  Commission  for  Migrations,  Office  to 
Active Migrants in Portugal) 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Public body 

Portugal 
2015 - ongoing 
Individual Business Support 

Funding: 

Within the budget of the High Commission for Migrations. 

Summary: 

Highly  comprehensive  and  tailored  business  support,  with  hands 
approach  to  advice  and  assistance  for  migrant  entrepreneurs  and 
migrants with an entrepreneurial idea in the form of individual face-
to-face meetings. 

Overview 

National context 
While Portugal has a history of emigration (for example migration to France or Switzerland), it is also 
a host country to many incoming migrants from the country’s former colonies and other countries, 
such  as  China  or  the  republics  of  the  former  Soviet  Union.115  The  High  Commission  for  Migrations 
(ACM) provides extensive support to migrants in their day-to-day lives with the help of the National 
Support Centre for Immigrants (Centro Nacional de Apoio ao Imigrante – CNAI). 

The ACM has been supporting measures for entrepreneurship since 2006. In 2015, it has created a 
specialised Office to Active Migrants in Portugal (GAEM) to better facilitate this support and to provide 
specialised  support  services  for  migrant  entrepreneurs.  This  support  is  currently  situated  on  the 
premises of the National Support Centres for Immigrants. 

National Support Centre for Immigrants with offices in Lisbon (and its extension in Faro) and Oporto 
was established in 2004 as a response to various difficulties migrant communities were facing in their 
everyday lives and in their integration efforts into the Portuguese society. The centres contain various 
departments  and  offices,  some  with  the  responsibilities  of  public  authorities  and  others  with 
responsibilities of the High Commission that give specialised support. 

Objective of the initiative 
The objective of the Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs is to provide support and guidance to 
migrants for all aspects and at all phases of business activity from the development of business idea to 
its implementation and continuation and, in required cases, to dissolution of a business. 
This scheme is the direct outcome of the Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship (see Case 
Study  13)  as  many  already  established  migrant  entrepreneurs  were  turning  to  this  project  seeking 

115 Malheiros, J. (2002). Portugal Seeks Balance of Emigration, Immigration. Migration Policy Institute. December 

2, 2002. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/portugal-seeks-balance-emigration-immigration. 

120 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
support.  Given  that  often  these  people  were  seeking  more  specialised  and 
service/information, ACM decided to create the Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs service. 

in-depth 

Strengths 
The main activity and the strength of the Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs is the provision of 
highly individual business support and assistance to migrant entrepreneurs. The support also includes 
provision of legal and regulatory advice, and information on facilities provision and access to finance. 
Recipients of the  specialised  support  may  also  attend  events  organised  by  GAEM  and  the  National 
Support Centre for Immigrants. The service is located in the National Support Centres that are very 
well-known and often visited by migrants seeking advice in a number of areas.  

Figure 11: Benchmarking of the Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs 

Specialised support for entrepreneurs (PT) 

LANGUAGE SENSITIVITY

Facilities provision

Visibility

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Networking

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

Mentoring

(Group business training)

Implementation 

Activities  
The  ACM  provides  through  GAEM  individually  tailored  business  support  sessions  in  all  aspects  of 
business  for  migrants  who  are  planning  to  open  a  business  and  for  already  established  migrant 
entrepreneurs and in some instances, if the situation requires it, they can also provide advice on how 
to close down a business. This support is generally provided by GAEM advisers in face-to-face sessions 
in Lisbon or Oporto, although email and telephone exchanges are also possible. Should the situation 
require  it,  when  the  migrant  is  not  situated  in  either  of  these  cities  and  has  already  made  several 
personal  visits  to  GAEM,  and  further  travel  would  be  considered  too  costly/time-consuming  to 
him/her, then the advisers can dislocate themselves to provide support directly in the place of the 
migrant’s business. 

Advisers provide basic information on all aspects of business and when required can provide specific 
counsel/advice on areas including drawing up a business plan, finance, law, accounting and in the near 

121 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
future, possibly marketing and designing. If required, advisers can review the migrant's business plan 
and  provide  advice  on  feasibility  and  other  possible  obstacles  and  perform  a  consequent  financial 
fitness  check  of  the  business.  If  desirable,  migrants  can  be  informed  about  and  referred  to  the 
"Mentoring Program for Migrants", promoted by the ACM where Portuguese citizens volunteer their 
time and knowledge to migrants to help them integrate better into the host society. 

Migrants can also turn to the GAEM support service if they are seeking answers to particular  legal, 
regulatory or accounting questions. If needed, advisers can provide contact for relevant entities or 
can forward entrepreneurs to the legal support office of the National Support Centres for Immigrants. 
Migrants receiving specialised support are strongly encouraged to participate in workshops and events 
organised by ACM, GAEM and their partners where they can find opportunities to network with other 
migrant entrepreneurs. These events often reflect the migrants’ demands for information on particular 
topics  that  are  relevant  at  the  time.  For  example,  in  June  2016  a  one-day  workshop  about  the 
particularities of the Street Food sector was held as the service has received an increased number of 
enquiries about this particular idea. In the future, GAEM plans to continue organising events of this 
kind that would reflect the trends and demands of migrant entrepreneurs. 

Advisers  can  provide  information  on  financial  provisions  during  the  individual  sessions,  including 
information on where and what are the necessities for securing microcredit. When necessary, advisers 
can accompany migrants to meetings with financial institutions. 

Advice regarding facilities provision is also available and advisers may visit the (prospective) place of 
business  should the  situation require it. If  asked, advisers can go over contractual documents  with 
migrants  and  provide  advice  or  can  refer  migrants  to  responsible  authorities/contacts.  Migrants 
receiving this specialised support may also have free access to two working desks with computers and 
internet access within the ACM premises. The National Support Centre for Immigrants organises pop-
up shops where migrants can sell their products and advertise their businesses. 

The advisers encourage migrants that receive this support to apply for the ACM’s Project Promoting 
Immigrant Entrepreneurship (see Case Study 13). 
As a governmental organisation, all services provided by the GAEM and ACM are free of charge. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The service is provided in Portuguese and, if needed, in English. The GAEM is situated in the National 
Support Centre for Immigrants in Lisbon that can provide cultural mediators with knowledge of other 
languages. Advisers can provide information on possible language courses offered by other entities or 
about PPT - Português Para Todos (Portuguese for All), a language programme managed by the ACM. 
Advisers  have  experience  in  setting  up/running  a  business  and  engaging  with  disadvantaged  social 
groups and may receive training on working with vulnerable social groups. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
A  highly  personalised  service  is  provided  and  the  advisers  thoroughly  review  every  detail  of  the 
participants’  (prospective) business.  If  the  advisers  go over  the  business  plans and  find  some  parts 
unfeasible they work together with the participant to improve these parts until the business plan can 

122 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
be deemed viable. It is the adviser’s job to remain firmly realistic and to consider all the aspects of the 
business and not be swept away by the participant’s enthusiasm.116 

Since the beginning of the scheme in January 2015, GAEM advisers have scheduled face-to-face initial 
consultations with 198 individuals and 148 people have received support through this service up until 
the end of May 2016. 

Besides providing support to business establishments/running a business, this scheme, through the 
involvement of its advisers, also offers moral and emotional support to migrants using their services.117 
The advisers keep in touch with and an ”eye on” the beneficiaries of this support and do tend to follow-
up with them on their own merit without being prompted by the migrants’ enquiries. 

A  beneficiary  highlighted  the  integrative  value  of  the  scheme  and  how  it  helps those  receiving  the 
support to integrate better into the host society. According to the beneficiary, all countries in the world 
should offer similar services to migrants so that migrants can integrate themselves better and fully into 
the host community/society and start to contribute to and elevate the standards of living of the host 
country and with this change the often negative view of migrants in the host communities.118 

The  National  Support  Centre  for  Immigrants where  the  GAEM  office  is  located and  with  which  the 
GAEM and the ACM cooperate very closely, has been recognised as a global best practice on numerous 
occasions.119 

One of the improvements that the GAEM is working on is the launch of better and more extensive 
online services within the second semester of 2016. This mechanism will include all the information 
that the office has at hand on entrepreneurship and the specificities of migrant entrepreneurship and 
will include an interactive part where advice will be provided in real time. 

Challenges 
A challenge to this scheme that has been highlighted by a beneficiary was the fact that if it were up to 
the participants, they would consult with the advisers as often as possible. In total there  are three 
advisers within the GAEM office that are  qualified to provide specialised support and who are  also 
involved in other activities of the office, therefore, sometimes  it may a be a little bit challenging to 
meet all the needs of the participants. However, the thoroughness of the advice given does not seem 
to be lacking, despite this “availability constraint”. 

A challenge that has been highlighted by the beneficiaries and that is being addressed by the service 
provider, is the fact that not many people have knowledge about this support (one found out about it 
by  “accident”  when  he  went  to  the  National  Support  Centre  to  ask  about  the  necessities  for    the 
Portuguese  citizenship).120  The  representative  of  the  scheme  highlighted  that  GAEM  promotes  the 
service  through  its  network  of  cooperating  organisations  (including  NGOs,  local  municipalities  and 

116 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in June 2016. 
117 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in June 2016. 
118 Interview with Roksolana Yakovleva, carried out in June 2016. 
119  For  example,  in  Council  of  Europe.  (2011).  City  of  Lisbon:  Intercultural  Profile  or  The  Hague  Process  on 
Refugees and Migration (2014). Migrant and Refugee Integration in Global Cities – The Role of Cities and 
Businesses. 

120 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in June 2016. 

123 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
other authorities) and that many times people are referred to them through other departments in the 
National Support Centres. It is possible that some migrants are not aware of this service just as it is 
possible that the migrants are not aware of the services offered by the National Support Centre for 
Immigrants.  A  lot  of  promotion  is  also  done  by  word  of  mouth  within  the  migrant  communities 
themselves.121 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The main success factor of this scheme is the advisers’ strong commitment to highly personalised and 
thorough service. The extent of the advisers’ knowledge and its transfer onto the participants is highly 
appreciated by the beneficiaries. The guidance provided in the development of business plans is crucial 
for the future successful establishment of the enterprise.122 

What makes this scheme successful is the strong commitment of the personnel to follow through all 
the ideas that the migrants approach them with and to encourage migrants to return, even if their idea 
is not feasible, and to come up with better solutions to their problems. 

Advice is given on every aspect of business creation and the extent of legal and regulatory knowledge 
is, in the words of an interviewed beneficiary, “exceptional”. The advisers also give counsel on exactly 
which permits each beneficiary needs for his/her business and explain why they do not need others.123 
The possibility of the adviser to come and see in person the establishment where the business will be 
conducted is also a positive factor as the advisers can point out the place’s shortcomings and can better 
visualise the business idea and its practicalities. 

Replicability 
This scheme provides individual advice on business to migrants with an entrepreneurial idea and to 
already established migrants. The replicability of this support scheme is easily achieved as the “only” 
demanding requirement is the expertise of the advisers and their willingness to engage in individual 
plans as much as possible. 

121 Interview with practice representative, carried out in June 2016. 
122 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in June 2016. 
123 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in June 2016. 

124 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – recipient of support in 2016: 

“The adviser from the Specialised Support for the Entrepreneurs keeps me motivated 
and keeps me on track whenever I deflect too much from my goal.” 

Roksolana  Yakovleva,  a  Ukrainian  national  who  has  been  living  in  Portugal  for  the  past  ten 
years. She had heard about this support from one of her neighbours who works on the premises 
where this support is provided. The support has given her the necessary knowledge and focus 
to open her business. She is planning to open her beauty and massage treatment business in 
September 2016 within the grounds of a gym. She will start to apply for the necessary permits 
shortly and is confident everything will go as planned as she will have the adviser’s support. She 
was informed about financing possibilities but will not have to make use of them at the moment 
as  she  has  amassed  enough  savings.The  only  difficulty  she  has  encountered  so  far  is  the 
possibility of using the Internet for her business and especially appointment bookings, as she is 
not very comfortable with this technology. 

125 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Alto Comissariado para as Migrações (2016). O que é o apoio especializado a 

empreendedores? http://www.acm.gov.pt/-/o-que-e-o-apoio-especializado-a-
empreendedores-. [Last Accessed: 02/06/2016] 

  Council of Europe. (2011). City of Lisbon: Intercultural Profile 
  The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (2014). Migrant and Refugee Integration in 

Global Cities – The Role of Cities and Businesses. 

  Malheiros, J. (2002). Portugal Seeks Balance of Emigration, Immigration. Migration Policy 
Institute. December 2, 2002. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/portugal-seeks-
balance-emigration-immigration. 

List of interviews 

  Ana Couteiro – GAEM Coordinator, ACM 
  Roksolana Yakovleva - Final beneficiary I 
  Márcio Souza - Final beneficiary II 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: ana.couteiro@acm.gov.pt; gaem@acm.gov.pt  

Website: http://www.acm.gov.pt/-/o-que-e-o-apoio-especializado-a-empreendedores-   

126 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Ethnic Business Coaching (Denmark) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Etnisk vejledning (Business Coaching for Ethnic Minorities) 

Vejle Kommune (Vejle municipality) 

Public body 

Denmark (Vejle municipality) 
2005 - ongoing 
Individual business support 
Between  2012  and  2014  the  scheme  was  supported  through  the 
national  plan  under  the  ESF  with  €20,000  per  year.  Since  2014  the 
adviser has been paid by the Business Support Centre in Vejle. 
The business coach provides a highly individualised approach through 
face-to-face  meetings  and  adapts  services  to  the  needs  of  each 
entrepreneur.  The  broad  informal  network  of  the  business  coach 
enables  bridging  between 
relevant 
stakeholders. 

the  entrepreneurs  and 

Overview 

National context 
Denmark has been a country of net migration  since the 1960s, with increasing numbers of asylum-
seekers arriving in 2013 and 2014. The country has 9.8% foreign born population. At the local level, 
municipalities have an important role in implementing the National Integration Act through the three- 
year long integration programme. In addition, local integration policies have been set up by several 
Danish municipalities, in particular, those with higher level of immigrants. The Vejle municipality has 
53,975  inhabitants124  and  a  growing  migrant  community  that  is  mostly  comprised  of  Turkish  and 
Northern  African  immigrants.  However,  nowadays  the  composition  is  more  varied  with  many 
immigrants coming from within the EU.125 

Objectives 
The municipality of Vejle provides entrepreneurship advice to anyone who is interested in setting up 
a business (mainstream measure). In addition, individual ethnic entrepreneurship support is provided 
with  the  aim  of  helping  migrant  entrepreneurs  to  overcome  specific  obstacles  encountered.  An 
entrepreneurship coach with a migrant background and knowledge about the Danish business culture 
works both as an adviser and cultural interpreter, or mediator, to this purpose. 

124 http://www.statistikbanken.dk/. 
125  OECD  Centre  for  Entrepreneurship,  SMEs  and  Local  Development  (2015).  Good  Practice  Compendium: 
Policies and Programmes that Support Inclusive Business Creation. Co-operative Action Programme on Local 
Economic and Employment Development (LEED). 28th October 2015. 

127 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Strengths 
This  scheme  is  focused  on  providing  highly  personalised  and  individual  business  support.  A 
considerable network of contacts has been developed that the beneficiaries can approach and that 
may help with, inter alia, facilities provision and marketing advice. The support provided is tailored to 
the needs of each beneficiary and in various cases the coach’s support is limited to bridging and referral 
to other actors. The coach is able to provide advice and support not only on entrepreneurship (such as 
legal advice, necessary permits, rent of facilities, marketing, financial advice, feasibility of the business 
plan and many others), but can also provide guidance in socio-cultural matters (for example customs 
and traditions) and in migrant specific issues, such as housing, immigration status, access to health 
service etc. 

Figure 12: Benchmarking of Business Coaching for Ethnic Minorities 

Ethnic business coach DK

(Language sensitivity)

(Facilities provision)

Visibility

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

(Networking)

(Legal and regulatory
advice)

(Access to finance)

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

(Mentoring)

(Group business training)

Implementation 

Activities  
Business Coaching for Ethnic Migrants started out in the Vejle municipality as a personal and informal 
initiative of Mr Muhsin Türkyilmaz. At the time, Mr Türkyilmaz was already counselling his relatives 
and acquaintances. This early experience led him to obtain funds and work with clients from the local 
business centre where migrants were experiencing difficulties in accessing mainstream services. On 
his  own  initiative,  his  services  have  since  then  become  part  of  the  business  coaching  and  advice 
provided by the municipality.  
The  Business  Coaching  Programme  provides  coaching  for  potential  entrepreneurs  from  ethnic 
minority groups. The services are provided on two levels, group information sessions and then one-
to-one advice sessions. The group session provides general information on how to set up a business, 
requirements  of  self-employment  and  support  services  available,  and  is  held  throughout  the  year 
(frequency  varies  with  demand).  One-to-one  sessions  identify  the  potential  of  each  individual 

128 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
entrepreneur to start up his/her own business and provide tailored support and advice according to 
the needs and potential of the entrepreneur. The initial one-to-one session comprises of an interview 
that can last up to two hours. Based on these  sessions, the coach can refer the  participants  to for 
example an entrepreneurship training course provided by local or regional authorities if relevant. In 
cases where specific knowledge is required, the extensive network of the coach is used to connect 
entrepreneurs  with  relevant  actors.  This  is  the  case  for,  for  example,  legal  and  regulatory  advice. 
Finally, it is important to mention that participants can continue to receive coaching for as long as they 
need, even after they have set up their business. 

The  role  of  the  business  coach  is  to  act  as  a  personal  business  adviser  to  assess  whether  the 
entrepreneur is ready to start a business or not. Indeed, there are cases where the migrants are advised 
not  to  start  a  business.  A feasibility  assessment of  the  beneficiary’s  business  plan/strategy  is  done 
together with the business coach, and such assessment takes into account not only the market, but 
also personal circumstances (health, family, economic situation) as the future entrepreneur must be 
aware and prepared for the challenges that entrepreneurship might imply. The service is extensive and 
personal  as  the  business  coach  follows  the  clients  over  a  long  period  of  time.  In  general,  a  client 
receives 10 hours of advisory services over five different sessions. The coaching sessions relate to, for 
example,  marketing,  legal  advice,  and  accounting.  The  business  coach  has  an  education  in 
entrepreneurship at university level and has gathered 12 years of experience in business advising and 
coaching. However, the business coach has no practical experience in setting up a business. 

Given the longevity of the scheme, the business coach has been able to build an extensive informal 
network of both private and public actors (at local and national level) which has further developed 
over the years. This network facilitates the provision of assistance to the entrepreneurs and where 
needed, the business coach can refer the migrants to other relevant services and contact persons in 
his network. 

As  mentioned  above,  the  individual  approach  of  the  support  enables  tailored  services  to  the 
beneficiaries. As an example, where assistance is needed to find facilities, this can be provided through 
the coach and relevant contacts in the network. The same approach is applied for mentoring. While 
no such activities are provided directly, information is given regarding the possibilities of taking part in 
mentoring  programmes  organised  by  the  Vejle  municipality  (these  programmes  do  not  specifically 
target migrants) where this is considered relevant for the entrepreneur. As the service provided is very 
personalised, its beneficiaries may develop a mentoring relationship with the business advisor. The 
example provided by the interviewed beneficiary indicates that this is the case and that the coach still 
comes to visit the shops to find out about the progress and give advice where needed.126 Furthermore, 
while no training programme is provided, training consultants have been hired on some occasions to 
give a presentation on a specific topic as part of the group session meetings. 

Facilitated access to finance is not part of the activities offered. According to the business coach127, 
funding opportunities are very limited in Denmark and the enterprises that have been set up following 
his  coaching  have  been  enabled  through  loans  or  contribution  from  family or  friends.  This  point  is 
further  confirmed  in  the  CLIP  case  study  on  Copenhagen  and  Denmark128  which  underlines  that 

126 Interview with a beneficiary, carried out in May 2016. 
127 Interview with service provider, carried out in April 2016. 
128 CLIP Network, Case study: Copenhagen, Denmark (2012). 

129 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
immigrant businesses are primarily financed by immigrants themselves and their networks. Indeed, 
the beneficiary who was interviewed in the context of this case study financed his start-up through his 
own savings and loans provided by his family. 

In regards to visibility, the scheme is advertised on the municipality’s website and has received some 
attention from local and national media (newspapers and magazines). When the coaching activities 
were initiated in 2005, the business coach used to reach out to find people in migrant communities 
through local contacts and mobile units. Currently, the interest for the services is high and very often 
information about the services is spread by word of mouth.129 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The  services  are  provided  in  Danish  only,  as  well  as  in  Turkish  as  this  is  the  mother  tongue  of  the 
business coach. Given that a large part of the migrant community in Vejle is of Turkish origin, this is 
very helpful. A good knowledge of the language is considered important in Denmark and it is crucial to 
understand  and  be  able  to  write  in  the  host  language,  in  particular  when  starting  up  a  company. 
Overall,  no  specific  difficulties  have  been  reported  in  regards  to  language/understanding  in  the 
provision of the advice. While the business coach has not received specific training in providing support 
to  people  with  a  migrant  background  or  from  vulnerable  groups,  he  has  12  years  of experience  in 
working  with  migrant  entrepreneurs  and  also  has  a  migrant  background  himself.  As  a  result,  the 
business coach is well aware of specific challenges encountered by this group. Only a few municipalities 
in Denmark provide similar services for ethnic entrepreneurs (4 or 5 out of 98 municipalities130) and 
this is therefore a unique service. Furthermore, on some occasions the coach also has functioned as a 
cultural mediator and the middle-man between migrant communities and national authorities. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Before  the  establishment  of  Business  Coaching  for  Ethnical  Minorities,  there  was  no  specialised 
approach  towards  migrant  entrepreneurs  in  the  Vejle  municipality.  The  relationship  between  the 
coach and the beneficiary relies on trust, mutual respect and understanding. This approach is much 
valued by the migrants and is essential to develop a well-functioning relationship. 

Since  2005,  210  people  have  set  up  their  business  out  of  about  900  that  the  coach  has  assisted, 
resulting  in  an  opening  rate  of  about  23%.131  Most  of  the  businesses  survive  their  first  year.132  A 
successful example is provided by the beneficiary that was interviewed. He started his first shop selling 
Turkish jewellery in 2005. Today, he has three shops in the centre of Vejle and employs 12 people out 
of  which  three  are  Turkish  and  the  others  are  Danish.  It  was  reported  that  the  support  from  the 
business  coach  was  helpful  in  the  first  years  of  the  business.  In  particular,  advice  and  support  on 
marketing  was  highlighted  as  key  for  the  success  of the  business.  Over  the years,  his  business  has 
become  part of  the  local market  and  uses  also  the mainstream  business  network.  For  example,  all 

129 Interview with service provider, carried out in April 2016. 
130 Interview with service provider, carried out in April 2016. 
131 Interview with service provider, carried out in April 2016. 
132  OECD  Centre  for  Entrepreneurship,  SMEs  and  Local  Development  (2015),  Good  Practice  Compendium: 
Policies  and  Programmes  that  Support  Inclusive  Business  Creation,  Co-operative  Action  Programme  on 
Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED), 28th October 2015. 

130 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
shops meet 1-2 times per year to discuss how the business environment could be improved and the 
interviewee is part of this forum. 

There is no external or internal evaluation, however, some limited monitoring data might be available 
through ESF requirements. 

The interest for the services  is high, however, the lack of funding limits  the  extent of the activities 
provided. The business coach has taken part in a number of EU projects with a different focus where 
the objective has been inter alia, the exchange with other municipalities providing similar activities. 
One project with a focus on refugees and migrant entrepreneurship is planned to start in 2016, with 
the involvement of other municipalities and funding from the European Social Fund. 

In 2007, the programme received the European Trailblazer Award and was selected as a European best 
practice in the Interreg IVC project, Enspire EU (Entrepreneurial inspiration for the European Union), 
in  2011.133  It  has  also  been  included  as  an  example  of  good  practice  in  the  2015  OECD  Centre  for 
Entrepreneurship,  SMEs  and  Local  Development’s  Good  Practice  Compendium:  Policies  and 
Programmes that Support Inclusive Business Creation.134 

Challenges 
The main challenge of this scheme is securing sufficient funds to be able to provide the service. At the 
beginning, the municipality was reluctant to provide funds for this activity due to the concern that it 
would create a parallel support system which the ethnic minorities would prefer to the mainstream 
one. However, the support provided through the mainstream system was not accommodating to the 
specificities of ethnic/migrant entrepreneurs and therefore they were not interested in them. Once 
the business coach suggested that he would offer his services via the municipality, the establishment 
of the services targeting migrant entrepreneurs altered the dynamic by approaching communities and 
showcasing that the service can complement the mainstream support, and also bridge to it. Project 
funding from the EU has in periods complemented the funds provided by the municipality. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The key success factor is the individual and highly personalised approach of the business adviser to its 
clients and the coach’s ability to relate to the beneficiaries’ problems and uncertainties, given that he 
himself  comes  from  a  migrant  background.  This  is  an  advantage  since  most  mainstream  business 
advisers  have  limited  knowledge  about  immigrant  communities  and  the  specific  challenges 
encountered.  Furthermore,  the  business  coach  functions  as  the  bridge  between  migrants  and  the 
mainstream support measures. 

133 OECD/The European Commission (2013), The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive Entrepreneurship 

in Europe, OECD Publishing. 

134  OECD  Centre  for  Entrepreneurship,  SMEs  and  Local  Development  (2015),  Good  Practice  Compendium: 
Policies  and  Programmes  that  Support  Inclusive  Business  Creation,  Co-operative  Action  Programme  on 
Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED), 28th October 2015. 

131 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Finally,  this  scheme  is  performed  on  a  very  small  and  local  scale  which  gives  it  an  advantage  over 
nationally applied programmes as it can be modified easier in accordance with the needs of the target 
audience. 

Replicability 
This low-cost project is easily replicable in any environment and can be applied to any target group. 
This is because it uses a coach who comes from within the migrant community and has experienced 
many of the situations the migrants are confronted with. This reality may improve migrants’ trust in 
mainstream  services  and  public  authorities.  For  this  approach  to  be  successfully  replicated  it  is 
absolutely  essential  that  the  coaches  and  beneficiaries  develop  a  personal  relationship  that  can 
motivate  migrant  entrepreneurs  to  develop  their  business  ideas  and  business.  In  addition,  the 
experience, knowledge, and network of the business coach is crucial.  

Testimonial from beneficiary of the coaching sessions 2005-2006 

“The beginning is difficult when you’re new in the country. I’m good at what I do and today I 
 
have three shops in the main street, but to start out you need help to know about taxes, how to 
start the shop, where you go and who to contact. I got all this from the business coach.” 

  A Turkish native arrived in Denmark in 2000, at the age of 20. After five years in the country he decided to 
start his own business. He knew the business coach from before through the migrant community and received 
support  over  two  years.  They  are  still  in  contact  and  sometimes  the  business  coach  comes  by  to  visit  his 
jewellery shop. As a foreigner in a new country, various aspects are more difficult in regards to both language 
and understanding the administrative system and procedures and the help provided through the business coach 
was  valuable.  It  was  also  helpful  that  they  could  communicate  in  Turkish.  Today,  the  beneficiary  has  three 
jewellery shops in the centre of Vejle and about 12 employees. He is satisfied with the growth of his business 
and his achievements, however, he highlighted that the beginning is difficult for everyone and therefore this 
kind of support is important, both for paper work and accounting, as well as, for advice on marketing and other 
aspects which might be specific to the new culture and market. 

132 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  CLIP Network (2012). Case study: Copenhagen, Denmark. 
  OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development (2015), Good Practice 
Compendium: Policies and Programmes that Support Inclusive Business Creation, Co-
operative Action Programme on Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED), 28th 
October 2015. 

  OECD/The European Commission (2013), The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive 
Entrepreneurship in Europe, OECD Publishing. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/industry-and-
services/the-missing-entrepreneurs_9789264188167-en.  

List of interviews 

  Muhsin Türkyilmaz – Ethnic Entrepreneur Consultant, Vejle municipality 
  Final beneficiary  

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: muhtu@vejle.dk  

Website: http://www.vejle.dk/Erhverv/Erhvervsudvikling/Kontakt-os/Vejle-Erhvervsudvikling.aspx   

133 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Enterprising Libraries (United Kingdom) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 

Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Enterprising Libraries  
The  British  Library  (BL),  The  Arts  Council  England  (ACE),  The 
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) 

Public body 

Individual  Business  Support,  Business  Training, 

United Kingdom 
2013 – ongoing  
Networking, 
Mentoring, Facilities Provision 
The Enterprising Libraries is a £1.3m partnership between the DCLG, 
the ACE and the BL (implementation period between April 2013 and 
March 2015). For the second stage, since March 2015, DCLG provided 
a further £400,000 and the BL also made a contribution of £253,000. 
Enterprising  Libraries  is  based  on  the  success  of  the  British  Library's 
Business  &  IP  Centre.  The  model  was  taken  and  implemented  in  16 
other  city  libraries  to  provide  advice  and  support  to  starting  and 
existing entrepreneurs. 

Overview 

National context 
Historically,  the  United  Kingdom  (UK)  has  seen  growth  in  both  immigration  and  emigration,  and 
especially so since the early 1990s with immigration exceeding emigration by more than 100,000 every 
year since 1998.135 

UK Governments have had a long-standing interest in boosting entrepreneurship as a way of driving 
job creation and economic growth in disadvantaged areas.136 While there has been some focus on how 
entrepreneurship can help to increase economic participation of the disadvantaged groups, including 
ethnic minorities and migrants, and to promote social cohesion, changes in the number of business 
owners from diverse backgrounds have been modest.137 

Libraries are not typically associated with business support. Public libraries in the UK in particular have 
been facing closures and spending cuts over the past five years while in need of refurbishment and 
modernisation.  The  Enterprising  Libraries  scheme  therefore  addresses  the  issue  of  weak  access  to 
business support among people from diverse communities while responding to the challenges libraries 
face  in  terms  of  making  their  resources  more  relevant  to  the  public  in  the  current  economic  and 
political climate.  

135 Hawkins, O. (2016) ‘Migration Statistics’, House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper Number SN06077, 26 
May 2016, available from: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06077.pdf. [accessed on 21/06/2016]. 
136 Ram, M. and Jones, T. (2008) ‘Ethnic minority businesses in the UK: An overview, in OLIVEIRA, Reis, C. and 
Rath, J. (eds.) Migrações Journal - Special Issue on Immigrant Entrepreneurship, October 2008, n. 3, Lisbon: 
ACIDI, pp. 61-71. 

137 Carter, S., Mwaura, S., Ram, M., Trehan, K. and T. Jones (2015) ‘Barriers to ethnic minority and women’s 
enterprise: Existing evidence, policy tensions and unsettled questions’, International Small Business Journal, 
Vol. 33(1), pp. 49-69. 

134 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Objectives 
Enterprising Libraries turn library spaces into incubators for business ideas, providing coaching, advice, 
meeting  rooms  and  desk  space,  mentoring  and  IT  support  to  people  interested  in  developing  a 
proposal and taking it to the market. The individual projects vary, to some degree, but the overall aim 
of the scheme is to improve social mobility through business start-up and support. 

Strengths 
The  scheme  has  a  number  of  strengths.  Firstly,  the  public  library  services,  according  to  the 
implementers, are generally impartial and trusted services; people can visit a library and feel that the 
services are neutral and available to all. Some people, for instance migrants, might be less willing to 
sign  up  to,  or  benefit  from,  mainstream  business  support  programmes  that  perhaps  do  not 
communicate and build relationships with minority groups to the same degree. Secondly, the scheme 
leverages the existing resources, including library spaces, staff expertise in the area of IP, facilities and 
information resources, as opposed to having to build new spaces, employ people or invest in various 
resources. Thirdly, libraries generally are centrally located, accessible and people typically know where 
their local library is. This provides good value for money. Because the scheme is open and accessible, 
it  attracts  a  higher  number  of  users  from  diverse  audiences,  including  disabled  people  and  ethnic 
minorities,  compared  to  other  business  support  programmes.  Fourthly,  considering  the  economic 
impact, the scheme offers a good return on investment; the cost per job is very low compared to other 
business  support  schemes.  The  services  are  provided  in  a  public  space  which  also  facilitates 
interactions with mainstream users and offers an added value beyond entrepreneurship support, for 
instance  by  enabling  migrant  and  other  minority  groups  to  create  useful  networks  beyond  their 
immediate community. 

135 

 
 
   
 
 
 
Figure 13: Benchmarking of Enterprising Libraries 

Enterprising Libraries

VISIBILITY

100%

(Language sensitivity)

Facilities provision

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Networking

Legal and regulatory
advice

Access to finance

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

Mentoring

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
The  individual  libraries  within  the  Enterprising  Libraries  scheme  adopted  different  approaches  to 
raising visibility of the scheme. The communication involved traditional marketing methods, such as 
posters, flyers, leaflets, local press, and online digital marketing using social media, for instance Twitter 
and Facebook, as well as mailing lists and newsletters. The British Library's Business & IP centre website 
provides  testimonials  from  case  study  entrepreneurs,  including  those  from  minority  groups, 
potentially  attracting  users  from  diverse  backgrounds.  Library  teams  also  approached  various 
organisations  connected  to  the  business  community  to  spread  the  word  about  their  services. 
Employing a range of marketing methods has been effective in raising awareness about the scheme. 

Some of the involved libraries held launch events to communicate the scheme and others organised a 
variety of outreach events and marketing campaigns targeting users from diverse groups, including 
unemployed people, women, young people, disabled people and those from Black, Asian and minority 
ethnic (BAME) and migrant backgrounds. For example, Haringey Libraries ran a month long series of 
'An  Audience  with'  events  during  Black  History  Month  in  October  2014,  profiling  successful  black 
entrepreneurs who talked about their areas of expertise and delivered hands-on support. The British 
Library holds quarterly events called 'Inspiring Entrepreneurs', attracting entrepreneurs from different 
backgrounds. In October 2015, the event was delivered in partnership with MOBO ("Music of Black 
Origin”),  featuring  a  panel  of  speakers  from  music  industry  and  media.  The  event  attracted  high 
numbers  of  BAME  attendees  (86%)  and  was  streamed  live  to  libraries  in  Manchester,  Leeds  and 

136 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Newcastle. This has increased interest in the scheme among BAME communities, as reflected in the 
evaluation report.138 

Multiple partners have been involved in creating  a network of Enterprising Libraries, including the 
Arts Council England, the British Library, 16 participating libraries across the UK, the Department for 
Communities  and  Local  Government,  the  UK  Intellectual  Property  Office,  and  the  private  sector 
providers of advice and support services. The individual libraries partner with local business support 
agencies and experts to complement their own resources and expertise. The partner agencies provide 
support in various areas, including finance, marketing, digital marketing and general business planning. 
The library teams, furthermore, reach out to organisations in their locality to market their services to 
potential  users.  For  instance,  the  Liverpool  library  launched  the  new  Business  &  IP  Centre  in 
partnership with the local chamber of commerce. 

The  workshops  and  events  organised  by  individual  libraries  provide  opportunities  for  business 
networking for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, some of 
the  participating  libraries  have  created  ‘maker  spaces’  for  local  entrepreneurs  to  get  together  and 
collaborate. For instance, the Exeter project connected with the Fab Lab Devon – the first ever Fab Lab 
opened in a UK public library. The Fab Lab enables people with innovative ideas for products to use 
the available tools, such as prototyping equipment, to create the products. They can then benefit from 
the  business  advice  and  support  services  offered through  the  Enterprising  Libraries  scheme  should 
they want to take their idea to the marketplace. 

The legal and regulatory advice across libraries covers primarily support with intellectual property, 
rather than a whole range of legal/regulatory issues. Each library works with the Intellectual Property 
Office to establish a national network of the Business & IP Centres providing expertise in the areas of 
IP,  copyright,  designs,  patents  and  trademarks.  This  advice  is  aimed  at  start-up  as  well  as  existing 
businesses with  innovative  ideas.  Additionally,  the  Birmingham  library  holds  a  ‘Legal  Advice  Clinic’, 
providing  free  independent  advice  service  covering  legal  compliance  and  taxation.  The  Newcastle 
library provides a ‘Chartered Accountant in Residence’ service. 

Library staff themselves have expertise in the area of IP and collaborate with the Intellectual Property 
Office  to  deliver  a  seamless  service.  Although  the  Enterprising  Libraries  overall  does  not  provide 
legal/regulatory advice on different aspects of starting and managing a business, users are typically 
signposted to business support agencies and other experts who are able to provide such advice. The 
service users can receive a one-to-one advice session on IP, including assessment of their inventions. 
This service is available to both start-up and existing businesses with innovative ideas. 

One-to-one  advice  and  support  tailored  to  individual  needs  is  extensive,  yet  varies  across  library 
projects. Generally, it covers a range of areas, including start-up idea development, business planning, 
support with growth, IP advice, marketing, digital marketing, networking, mentoring, and access to 
finance, including advice on funding eligibility, grants and loans. Some of the libraries have a dedicated 
‘Enterprise Champion’ whose role is to hold a one-to-one introductory session to tell users about the 
available services, to find out about the users’ business idea and to signpost them to relevant support.   

138  Sheppard,  S.  (2015)  Enterprising  Libraries  Programme:  Overall  Evaluation  Report,  Prepared  by  Adroit 
Economics for and on behalf of the British Library, the Department for Communities and Local Government 
and Arts Council England. 

137 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Libraries host roadshow and marketplace events where they invite local business support agencies to 
hold workshops and one-to-one advice sessions to discuss the feasibility of business ideas in relation 
to the market environment. Business & IP Centres provide various ongoing services, including regular 
one-to-one  assessments  of  the  economic  potential  of  an  invention.  Birmingham  library  holds 
‘Enterprise Club’ sessions where users can receive one-to-one advice from a SFEDI qualified Business 
Adviser.139  The  British  Library  organised  workshops  include  a  mini-masterclass  on  'Researching  a 
Business  Idea'. The masterclass helps entrepreneurs at the start-up stage to develop a strategy for 
identifying and finding the information that will help them realise their business idea.  It shows the 
attendees what information sources are freely available and how primary research, such as talking to 
customers, can be built into their strategy. 

In terms of business training, libraries provide a range of ongoing events, workshops and webinars. In 
the  six  Business  &  IP  Centres  already  open  around  the  UK  (in  Newcastle,  Birmingham,  Leeds, 
Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield), local entrepreneurs can receive face-to-face advice and training 
on how  to start, protect or grow their business, and can be shown how  to access market research 
databases and other information out of reach for most SMEs. The workshops and webinars are daily 
events, typically lasting between one to three hours and are mostly free of charge (some have a small 
fee  attached).  Some  of  these  events  are  organised  on  a  regular  basis,  for  instance  once  a  month. 
Additionally, the Business & IP Centre at the British Library also provides a 3-month long small business 
support programme called 'Innovating for Growth: Scale-ups', aimed at those who aspire to grow their 
business. The attendees are offered over £10,000 worth of specialist advice. 

The elements of training comprise physical and online workshops, events, and information resources, 
including  webinars  on  various  topics,  articles  on  the  British  Library  website  (for  example,  how  to 
protect  your  IP,  branding),  and  access  to  free  collections  of  datasets  and  publications.  The  British 
Library holds daily events on a range of business-related themes. The training is both theoretical and 
practical and provided to people at different stages, including start-up and growth. This variety and 
intensity of  services  offered  by  the  Enterprising  Libraries  provides  a  comprehensive  programme  of 
business support, with a special focus on intellectual property. The advice and training covered by the 
scheme  addresses  issues  such  as  how  to  get  a  new  product  to  market,  how  to  find  investors, 
introducing  a  patent  search,  getting  cash-flow  confident,  online  marketing  masterclass,  branding, 
introduction to social enterprise, and many others. 

The British Library organises quarterly 'Speed Mentoring' events where five to six mentors work with 
business  owners  in  smaller  groups  for  30  minutes  to  discuss  a  particular  aspect  of  business.  The 
entrepreneurs will receive the expertise from the mentor who is a specialist in the area. They then 
move to the next group and sit with a different mentor. The sessions typically last three hours and are 
held between 10am-1pm. Speed mentoring is not a traditional type of mentoring with ongoing long-
term  support  however  the  mentors  deliver  a  range  of  workshops  and  sessions  on  a  regular  basis, 
offering an opportunity for mentees to interact with them and to get further support. Speed mentoring 
events will  usually  have  a theme  or  topic,  such  as  getting your  business online,  how  to  run  a  food 
business, making and designing, publishing online, exporting, inventions advice, marketing, intellectual 
property, and so on.  Mentees talk to different mentors, not just one, and have the opportunity to 

139 SFEDI is the government-recognised, not-for-profit standards setting body for both Business Enterprise and 

Business Support. 

138 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
make  valuable  contacts.  The  sessions  have  proved  popular  with  the  users  and  are  usually  well-
attended. 

Librarians do not provide advice on access to finance but can signpost users to relevant information 
about sources of finance, market research reports and other information, and advice provided by local 
business support agencies. Some libraries organise workshops on finance-related issues, for instance 
how to find investors for business, getting your idea ready for start-up funding, and becoming cash 
flow confident. Some libraries are able to provide one-to-one support in developing a business plan in-
house but most will signpost users to their partners who can support users as they become investment 
ready.  One  of  the  scheme’s  partners  in  London  provided  a  small  amount  of  funding  for  young 
entrepreneurs through a business idea pitching competition. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Services offered through the Enterprising Libraries are provided in English. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
The economic impact evaluation of the Enterprising Libraries suggests that the programme supports 
around  40,000  users  per  annum,  across  libraries,  comprising  start-ups  and  potential  start-ups  at  a 
relatively low unit cost because it leverages existing library space, staff and resources. Users reported 
significant benefits from using the services; 91% were satisfied of which 49% were very satisfied with 
services, and 93% would recommend services to others.140 

The scheme is reported to have helped create 1,692 new businesses between 2012 and 2015 and an 
increase to 4,179 businesses is predicted by 2018. Additionally, the evaluation report suggests that the 
scheme helped to create 4,178 new jobs during the evaluation period and an increase to 22,092 jobs 
is  predicted  by  2018.141  These  figures  refer  to  users  overall,  rather  than  migrant  entrepreneurs 
specifically. 

Furthermore, Enterprising Libraries has helped to create £133million turnover per annum in the period 
between 2012 and 2015, and a further £621million per annum is anticipated in the coming years. In 
terms of the value added, £38million gross value added (GVA) pa has been generated and a further 
£177million GVA is anticipated. Based on GVA created so far, GVA leverage per £1 invested is £4.48 
and, based on GVA created so far and anticipated by users to be created over the next three years, 
GVA leverage is £25.45 per £1.142 

Libraries  are  often  visited  by  diverse  groups  of  people,  potentially  attracting  users  who  might  not 
typically  approach  mainstream  providers  of  business  support.  Findings  from  the  economic  impact 
evaluation indicate that 26% of the Enterprising Libraries' service users are from BAME backgrounds. 

140  Sheppard,  S.  (2015)  Enterprising  Libraries  Programme:  Overall  Evaluation  Report,  Prepared  by  Adroit 
Economics for and on behalf of the British Library, the Department for Communities and Local Government 
and Arts Council England. 

141 Ibid., pp. 4. 
142 Ibid., pp. 4. 

139 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
This is higher than the overall proportion of UK businesses that are BAME led (7%).143 The evaluation 
does not specify the number of beneficiaries from migrant backgrounds who became self-employed 
as a result of using the Enterprising Libraries’ services. 

Challenges 
A  number  of  challenges  have  been  encountered  during  the  implementation  of  the  Enterprising 
Libraries scheme. Firstly, the individual libraries had limited funding of their own to start with; they 
were only able to apply for the amount of funding through the scheme that matches their existing 
funds. In instances where they did not have much of their own resources, the projects were quite small 
scale and the potential for growth was therefore constrained. Some of the individual library projects 
would have been bigger if more funding was available to resource various aspects of their project, 
including staffing levels. Nevertheless, it has been shown that the individual libraries could achieve a 
lot despite limited resources. 

Secondly,  people  do  not  necessarily  associate  libraries  with  business  support  and  therefore  the 
libraries had to actively market their project in order to attract users. This was a challenge because 
libraries traditionally do not have a strong marketing background. They had to consider how best to 
inform potential users about the business support they offer and to change peoples’ perceptions about 
the role of a library. Many people, including business owners, who might not have been to a library for 
several years perhaps, felt that libraries have nothing to offer them. Hence changing such perceptions 
is an ongoing challenge as the scheme implementers strive to develop the network of Business & IP 
Centres across the country. 

local  partners  and  partner  networks, 

To market the scheme, a range of targeted events have been organised to attract users from different 
groups.  Moreover, 
including  other  business  support 
organisations, have been contacted and made aware of the new service in their local library. These 
partners helped to spread the word among their users. Building and developing good relationships 
with the business support landscape in the local area was one of the most effective ways of raising 
awareness. The libraries additionally used social media, such as Twitter and Facebook accounts, their 
own websites and emailed newsletters to send out regular updates to existing users or to attract new 
ones. This multi-faceted approach enabled libraries to reach out to people from diverse backgrounds. 
While some library projects required more guidance, libraries participating in the scheme were able to 
share knowledge and help each other.  

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The libraries’ unique selling point is the access to business information resources and the capacity to 
teach people how to use them to enhance their own business. Libraries provide a variety of business 
resources such as market research reports, company databases and sector reports and trends which 
can be easily accessed with the help of librarians who know how to use such resources. This unique 
service offers a more efficient way of trying to find the right information as opposed to researching 
information through search engines which could be more time consuming. 

143 Ibid., pp. 4.  

140 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
                                                 
The capacity of the Enterprising Libraries’ implementers to be adaptive in response to drawbacks and 
changing  circumstances  has  contributed  to  the  overall  effectiveness  of  the  scheme.  The  libraries’ 
approach has adapted, to some degree, during the scheme implementation. Many of the individual 
library projects have changed and evolved over time from what the project ideas initially envisaged. 
For instance, events and workshops have been trialled initially to see if they would attract local users 
and the business community. One of the library projects organised a series of road shows focusing on 
particular groups, for instance creative industries, women or ethnic minority entrepreneurs.  If some 
of the events did not work, the organisers then learned from their experience and developed their own 
approach. 

Additionally, some of the participating libraries have created ‘maker spaces’ for local entrepreneurs to 
get together and collaborate. For instance, the Exeter project connected with the Fab Lab Devon – the 
first ever Fab Lab opened in a UK public library. 

Replicability 
The British Library’s model of Business & IP Centre introduced in London is considered a good practice 
in terms of supporting business start-up and management. The model was consequently reproduced 
in other UK cities. The Enterprising Libraries initiative, based on the model, was adopted by 16 other 
public libraries, creating a national network of projects aimed at providing a range of business advice 
and support services for the local community. Given its success, the scheme received a further financial 
boost in 2015 to scale up. 

The initiative has potential for being transferable to other contexts, given that there is a sufficient level 
of investment  in developing the  network of  libraries. The Enterprising Libraries implementers have 
already been approached by libraries in other countries which are seeking to develop similar business 
service  provision,  in  order  to  learn  from  their  experiences.  Libraries  exist  in  most  cities  and  towns 
across Europe and so the Enterprising Libraries model is highly replicable. Not all libraries necessarily 
provide  access  to  business  resources  such  as  market  research  reports  but  that  has  helped  the 
Enterprising Libraries scheme to stand out alongside other business support services. To successfully 
implement  the  model  in  other  contexts,  there  would  have  to  be  an  investment  in  those  kinds  of 
resources in order to attract users. The intellectual property support provided through library expertise 
is unique and there is already a European patent network that is delivered through libraries across the 
UK and other European countries. The PATLIB centres, based in public libraries and other organisations, 
have been set up to provide patent information for clients such as SMEs.144  

144 PATLIBs are local patent information centres. For more information, see:  http://www.epo.org/searching-for-

patents/helpful-resources/patlib.html. 

141 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Excerpts from the case study testimonials, the Enterprising Libraries scheme (2013-15):  

“The library informed me of workshops, funding to support my 
business, websites to access to give further information, how to 
register your business, making an active list of things you need to do 
whilst putting the business together. They are very knowledgeable 
and can give you advice in all areas, directing you to the appropriate 
external services where necessary.” (Nailah Berryman, user of the 
Business & IP Centre, the Library of Birmingham) 

“You’ve got all this data there, there’s free internet access and it’s just 
a good place to do research and to get all the information that you 
need.” (Zehir Kadra, user of the Business & IP Centre, the Library of 
Birmingham) 

142 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Business & IP Centre Network (2015) ‘Enterprising Libraries: Case Studies 2013-2015’, the 
British Library, the Department for Communities and Local Government and Arts Council 
England. 

  DCLG (2012) ‘Creating the conditions for integration’, Department for Communities and Local 

Government, UK.  

  Carter, S., Mwaura, S., Ram, M., Trehan, K. and T. Jones (2015) ‘Barriers to ethnic minority 
and women’s enterprise: Existing evidence, policy tensions and unsettled questions’, 
International Small Business Journal, Vol. 33(1), pp. 49-69.  

  Hawkins, O. (2016) ‘Migration Statistics’, House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper Number 

SN06077, 26 May 2016, available from: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-
papers/sn06077.pdf. [Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 

  Ram, M. and Jones, T. (2008) ‘Ethnic minority businesses in the UK: An overview’, in 
OLIVEIRA, Reis, C. and Rath, J. (eds.) Migrações Journal - Special Issue on Immigrant 
Entrepreneurship, October 2008, n. 3, Lisbon: ACIDI, pp. 61-71. 

  Saggar, S. and W. Somerville (2012) ‘Building a British Model of Integration in an Era of 

Immigration: Policy Lessons for Government’, University of Sussex and the Migration Policy 
Institute, available from: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/UK-countrystudy.pdf. 
[Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 

  Sheppard, S. (2015) Enterprising Libraries Programme: Overall Evaluation Report, Prepared 

by Adroit Economics for and on behalf of the British Library, the Department for 
Communities and Local Government and Arts Council England.  

List of interviews 

  David Gimson – Project Manager, Business & IP Centre National Network, The British Library 
  Testimonial taken from Business & IP Centre Network (2015) ‘Enterprising Libraries: Case 
Studies 2013-2015’, the British Library, the Department for Communities and Local 
Government and Arts Council England. 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: david.gimson@bl.uk  

Website:  
 
 
  and the Arts Council England: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/enterprising-libraries  

the British Library: http://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre  
the UK Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/enterprising-libraries  

143 

 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship – PEI (Portugal) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Projeto  Promoção  de  Empreendedorismo 
Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship) 
Alto  Comissariado  para  as  Migrações,  Gabinete  de  Apoio  ao 
Empreendedor  Migrante  (High  Commission  for  Migrations,  Office  to 
Active Migrants in Portugal) 

Imigrante 

(Project 

Public body 

Portugal 
2009 - ongoing 
Business Training, Individual Business Support 
Between April 2009 and June 2014, the PEI project received backing 
from the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals 
to the total amount of €552,375.67. 

tailored 

individual  approach  oriented 

A  highly 
the 
development of entrepreneurial and social skills. The group business 
training  and  individual  support  provided  cover  a  wide  range  of 
topics/information within the area of entrepreneurship with emphasis 
on practical exercises. 

towards 

Overview 

National context 
While Portugal has a history of emigration (for example migration to France or Switzerland), it is also 
a host country to many incoming migrants from the country’s former colonies and other countries, 
such  as  China  or  the  republics  of  the  former  Soviet  Union.145  Through  the  Project  Promoting  the 
Immigrant  Entrepreneurship  (PEI)  and  the  High  Commission  for  Migrations  (ACM),  the  Portuguese 
state is facilitating entrepreneurship activities within the migrant community, with special attention 
given to those who reside in vulnerable neighbourhoods. 

Objectives 
The overall objective of PEI is to help migrants structure and implement their business ideas, as well 
as  to  develop  an  entrepreneurial  attitude  towards  life  itself.  To  achieve  this,  the  activities  aim  to 
promote self-esteem and self-confidence in participants and to develop fundamental personal, social 
and  business  management  competencies  for  the  creation  of  a  business.  Furthermore,  PEI  aims  to 
promote  a  sustainable  form  of  business  creation  and  aims  to  facilitate  ties  between  potential 
entrepreneurs and existing programmes supporting migrant entrepreneurship carried out by various 
entities. An additional objective is to promote the formalisation of existing businesses in the informal 
economy. 
Strengths 
The PEI project provides  business  training and individual business  advice that cover a wide area of 
topics that pertain not just to business development (business strategies, growth, licences, permits, 

145 Malheiros, J. (2002). Portugal Seeks Balance of Emigration, Immigration. Migration Policy Institute. December 

2, 2002. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/portugal-seeks-balance-emigration-immigration. 

144 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
etc.), but also to, for example, socio-cultural areas such as literacy (Portuguese customs and language 
nuances)  and  financial  literacy  (for  example,  taxes  or  fees).  Participants  are  encouraged  to  draft  a 
business  plan  whose  feasibility  is  assessed  throughout  the  course  and  advice  is  given  on  the 
underdeveloped  parts.  As  part  of  the  individual  support,  advisers  may  also  assess  and  assist  with 
contractual formalities. To complement these measures, the project offers various additional services, 
such  as  events  and  workshops  where  participants  can  interact  with  each  other  and  with  past 
participants and a variety of stakeholders relevant to entrepreneurship and migration specificities. The 
support also provides legal and regulatory advice, not only in the business sector but can also provide 
information or referrals to other topics, such as residency or naturalisation. 

Figure 14: Benchmarking of the PEI project  

LANGUAGE SENSITIVITY

Facilities provision

PEI

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

Mentoring

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
The High Commission for Migrations has been supporting measures for entrepreneurship since 2006. 
In 2009, the Project Promoting the Immigrant Entrepreneurship was developed to further facilitate the 
development of entrepreneurs among migrant communities. The PEI project is mainly implemented 
by the National Support Centres for Immigrants (Centro Nacional de Apoio ao Imigrante  – CNAI) in 
Lisbon and Oporto. In other parts of the country, the project is implemented by various entities, such 
as NGOs or local and regional authorities through partnerships. There is also a close co-operation with 
various migrant societies, networks and communities that may also implement the project. 

PEI targets migrants (including returnees from the Portuguese diasporas abroad), who have a business 
idea and are ready to take it forward, or migrants who are thinking about the possibility of setting up 
their  own  business.  The  High  Commission  for  Migrations  publicises  the  PEI  project  online  on  their 
website and has also created a specialised page on Facebook dedicated to migrant entrepreneurship 

145 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
in Portugal. Each implementing entity is asked to promote the project and to target future participants 
in ways they find most useful to reach the final audience. 

The project can be divided into three areas of support provision: business training; tailored individual 
business support sessions; and the organisation of workshops, meetings, and events. 

The  main  part  of  the  project  is  business  training  provided  through  a  10-week  long  course  which 
comprises ten group sessions and eight one-to-one sessions (in total 62 hours of training). The time 
allocation of the group sessions is agreed upon before the course begins, taking into account the needs 
of  the  participants  and  the  trainer.  To  meet  the  required  eight  one-to-one  sessions,  the  trainers 
announce  at  the  beginning  of  the  course  their  attending  hours  for  the  one-to-one  sessions  (in 
agreement with the participants). 

The topics are covered in depth and include the business environment in Portugal, the European Single 
Market, accounting, regulatory requirements, market research, and management. The course includes 
both theoretical and practical exercises (such as role-playing), and the participants’ business ideas are 
often taken as examples to make the exercises as concrete as possible. Furthermore, the participants 
are encouraged to develop their ideas in practice by approaching potential clients and/or suppliers. 

At the beginning of the course, each participant receives a booklet containing all the information that 
is  then  explored  further  during  the  group  sessions.  To  help  trainers  and  other  entities  who  are 
implementing the project, GAEM has devised a guide on how to implement the course. The trainers 
that  give  the  sessions  are  mostly  professionals  with  previous  experience  in  creating  and  running  a 
business.  The trainers  are actively  involved  in  the  participants’  business  plan  development  and  are 
known to disseminate various additional information to their pupils, such as newsletters from public 
authorities or commercial entities and they might even keep in touch with the participants after the 
project has ended.  

At the end of the course, the participants who attend at least seven group sessions and two one-to-
one sessions, receive a certificate of attendance which may improve participants’ future employability 
possibilities (about 60% receive this certificate146). The participants who produce a business plan at the 
end of the course that is deemed viable by the trainers receive a recommendation letter that they may 
use  in  the  future  to  obtain  financing  and/or  secure  work  space  (about  25%  receive  this  letter147). 
Participants with a viable business plan may continue to the second phase of the project, while those 
who have not yet reached this stage, may choose to continue developing their business idea through 
the Specialised support for the Entrepreneurs programme provided by the Office to Active Migrants in 
Portugal of the ACM (see Case Study 10). 

The second part of the project consists of tailored individual sessions that provide further advice and 
support to its  participants until they implement their business  plan. In this part of the project, the 
trainers can focus solely on the individuals and provide them with all the necessary support to develop 
and fine-tune their business idea and turn it into reality. The support may take a form of information 

146  Centro  de  Estudos  de  Desenvolvimento  Regional  e  Urbano  (2014).  Estudo  de  Avaliação  de  Impacto  e 

Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante – Sumário Executivo. Junho 2014. 

147  Centro  de  Estudos  de  Desenvolvimento  Regional  e  Urbano  (2014).  Estudo  de  Avaliação  de  Impacto  e 

Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante – Sumário Executivo. Junho 2014. 

146 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
provision regarding access to finance, help with filling in licences and forms needed, assistance with 
securing  a  work  space/station,  or  going  over  the  contracts  with  participants  and  explaining  the 
language/obligations. In cases where the information/advice required cannot be provided in-house, 
the trainers will refer the participants to relevant external actors or authorities. 

The  third  part  of  the  project,  that  runs  in  parallel  with  the  other  two,  is  the  hosting  of  various 
workshops, meetings and events that further support migrant entrepreneurs in their quest to run an 
independent business. During these events, the project participants are encouraged to interact with 
other participants of the project, as well as with the guest speakers. While networking is not the main 
objective of these events, participants are encouraged to take advantage of the presence of various 
actors.  The  guest  speakers  come  from  a  large  network  of  stakeholders  and  include  officials  from 
different  public  authorities,  chambers  of  commerce,  entrepreneurs  and  businesses.  Furthermore, 
CNAI Lisbon, one of the implementers of the project, hosts a “Week of Entrepreneurship” within the 
framework of this project where they invite previous participants of the project that are now running 
their  own  enterprise,  as  well  as,  other  entities,  such  as  banks  or  associations  that  can  provide 
information about particular areas of the Portuguese business environment. 

There is no mentoring offered within the scope of the project, however, participants may make use of 
the mentoring programme offered by ACM. In regards to the provision of facilities, some of the entities 
where the project is implemented may offer a space with a desk, computer and internet connection 
on their premises which the participants may use to further develop their business ideas. The course, 
as well as the individual support provided after the course include advice on access to finance, such as 
where to obtain financing for business ventures, the necessary documents needed, the requirements 
for obtaining a loan, how to negotiate repayment instalments and others. During the second phase, 
individual support, the advisers may also go over the prospective contracts with the participants and 
explain the language. Some financial institutions may also be invited to the events to present their 
financial tools. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The  course  and  all  course  material  are  provided  in  Portuguese  only,  given  that  the  majority  of 
attendees come from Portuguese-speaking countries. 148 However, even for some of these participants 
an adjustment may be needed as they might not be used to the dialect/expressions. The participants 
are encouraged to help each other and the trainers may help as well regarding the language aspect, 
especially to those who lack knowledge of Portuguese. 

In cases where the trainers have no previous experience in working with vulnerable groups they may 
receive training prior to coaching. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
One of the highlighted positive impacts of the project is the confidence gained by its participants to 
tackle day-to-day situations (like approaching public authorities) and the facilitation of integration into 

148  Centro  de  Estudos  de  Desenvolvimento  Regional  e  Urbano  (2014).  Estudo  de  Avaliação  de  Impacto  e 

Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante – Sumário Executivo. Junho 2014. 

147 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
the host society (gained knowledge of customs and habits). Another added value of this project is that 
migrants gain better financial literacy which helps them also with, for example, family budget planning. 
The increased knowledge of financing can also help migrants make better choices regarding loans and 
credits and may lead to improved living standards.149 

An external evaluation of the scheme was conducted in 2014 and highlighted the promotion of literacy, 
financial literacy, and socio-cultural understanding. Overall, the  participants  seemed to be satisfied 
with the project.150 Since the start in 2009, 1880 migrants participated in the project and about 120 of 
them opened their own business which makes up about 6.5%. The survival rate in 2014 was about 72% 
out of the 77 businesses opened between 2009 and 2013. 

The project takes into account the feedback from its participants. For instance: 

  PEI  started  with  only  56  hours/8  collective  sessions,  the  number  of  hours  and  sessions 
increased based on suggestions and on recommendations from the participants. Introduction 
of more group sessions and one-to-one sessions lead to more information being provided and 
to participants receiving more tailored advice. 

  During  2010,  the  project  introduced  the  concept  of  having  one  coach  for  the  course  and 
another one for the tailored individual sessions that take place after the course ends, instead 
of having only one coach that would accompany the participants from the beginning of the 
project until the creation of their own business. However, participants were dissatisfied with 
this  introduction  and  deemed  it  counterproductive,  preferring  the  existence  of  one  coach. 
Based  on  this  feedback  the  idea  of  having  two  trainers  was  discarded.  Having  one  person 
follow  the  participants  from  the  commencement  of  the  course  until  the  opening  of  their 
business venture means that they are more invested in it and have a deeper knowledge about 
that particular enterprise, leading to the provision of better and more personalised advice and 
support. 

Challenges 
One  of  the  main  challenges  PEI  faces  is  reaching  the  target  population  and  promoting  the  project 
among them. Participants do tend to spread information about this project by word of mouth, yet, it 
was reported by beneficiaries interviewed that many migrants considering entrepreneurship are not 
aware of this initiative.151  The  service provider is working on raising awareness and visibility of the 
project  through  the  engagement  of  various  communication  means,  such  as  the  internet  or  social 
media, and is also cooperating closely with migrant communities and public authorities on spreading 
information and support. 

A  potential  challenge  for  the  participants  is  the  comprehensive  information  and  advice  given  out 
during each session. The format is very interactive and is in some instances quite hard to grasp and 
catch up with should a participant miss one of the sessions.152 To this end, a participant who missed a 
session may address the topic in the individual advice session or through the specialised support of 

149 Information based on Centro de Estudos de Desenvolvimento Regional e Urbano (2014). Estudo de Avaliação 
de Impacto e Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante – Sumário Executivo. Junho 
2014 and interviews. 

150 The Evaluation Study conducted in 2014 found that about 95% were satisfied with the project. 
151 Interview with Paulo Eleutério, carried out in May 2016. 
152 Interview with Eduardo Sturges, carried out in May 2016. 

148 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
GAEM (see Case Study 10). On the other hand, the interviewed beneficiaries feel that the length of the 
business training is sufficient and should not be prolonged. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The key success factor of this scheme is the volume of the information provided, the involvement of 
the trainers and the individual advice provided. The beneficiaries appreciate in particular the individual 
approach from the trainers and the help offered with the practical implementation of their business 
plans.153 The participants are encouraged throughout the project to apply the knowledge gained into 
practice. This key success factor is reflected mainly  in the business training and individual business 
support  measures  and  spills  over  to  legal  and  regulatory  advice,  access  to  finance  and  networking 
measures. 

Another  aspect  of  the  project  that  is  much  appreciated  by  the  beneficiaries  is  the  organisation  of 
various  workshops  and  events  such  as  the  CNAI  Lisbon’s  “Entrepreneurship  Week”  where  the 
participants and the public can interact with each other and where it is possible to find connections 
for  established  suppliers,  retailers  and  other  actors.  The  participants  also  value  the  talks  given  by 
various public and private entities, such as banks, on their view of business opportunities and valuable 
insight into, for example, how to best secure financing for a new venture.154 

Replicability 
Given that the project is implemented not only by the public authority that established it, but also by 
interested  entities,  it  is  easily  able  to  be  replicated  and  is  uncomplicated.  The  guide  on  how  to 
implement the project for participating organisations makes the application of the project easier and 
also allows for adaptation of the project to its participants and to the strengths of the implementing 
organisations and its trainers. The ACM and GAEM is already providing advice to other entities abroad 
about  how  to  best  implement  this  kind  of  project  and  how  these  schemes  can  exchange 
knowledge/experience.  The  involvement  of  the  trainers  and  advisers  in  the  development  of 
participants’ business ideas, the commencement of business preparations and the consequent start of 
the business, is invaluable. 

153 Interviews with beneficiaries, carried out in May 2016 
154 Interview with Eduardo Sturges, carried out in May 2016. 

149 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – course participant 2016: 

“Without the PEI project I would not have been able to achieve the level and implementation of 
my business plan in such a short period of time. The PEI course is essential for migrant 
entrepreneurs.” 

Eduardo Sturges, a Brazilian native living in Portugal since November 2014, applied for the PEI project after 
hearing about it from his friend. He participated in the course at the beginning of 2016. Currently, in May 
2016, he is receiving tailored individual advice and support from the PEI coach. At times, suppliers might 
not be so willing to take a risk and cooperate with businesses that are not established. With the support of 
the PEI project, the participant has managed to secure suppliers for his business venture and he is currently 
in the process of acquiring a workspace and going over the contractual formalities with his PEI business 
adviser.  His  business  will  be  in  the  area  of  video  and  card  games.  His  plans  are  to  employ  one  or  two 
additional people within 6 months of the opening of his business. 

150 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Alto Comissariado para as Migrações. Gabinete de Apoio ao Empreendedor Migrante. PEI - 
Promotion of Immigrant Entrepreneurship Project (Presentation of the project in English 
provided by an interviewee) 

  Alto Comissariado para as Migrações. O que é o PEI – Projeto Promoção do 

Empreendedorismo Imigrante? http://www.acm.gov.pt/-/programa-de-empreendedorismo-
imigrante-pe-1. 

  Centro de Estudos de Desenvolvimento Regional e Urbano (2014). Estudo de Avaliação de 
Impacto e Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante. Junho 2014. 
http://www.acm.gov.pt/documents/10181/0/Estudo+de+avalia%C3%A7%C3%A3o+de+impa
cto+e+resultados+do+PEI_junho+2014.pdf/4678f85b-1da9-42f7-8b41-282993bf4b98. 
  Centro de Estudos de Desenvolvimento Regional e Urbano (2014). Estudo de Avaliação de 
Impacto e Resultados do Projeto Promoção do Empreendedorismo Imigrante – Sumário 
Executivo. Junho 2014. 

  Malheiros, J. (2002). Portugal Seeks Balance of Emigration, Immigration. Migration Policy 
Institute. December 2, 2002. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/portugal-seeks-
balance-emigration-immigration. 

List of interviews 

  Ana Couteiro – GAEM Coordinator, ACM 
  Eduardo Sturges - Final beneficiary 
  Paulo Eleutério - Final beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: ana.couteiro@acm.gov.pt; gaem@acm.gov.pt  
Website: http://www.acm.gov.pt/-/programa-de-empreendedorismo-imigrante-pe-1  

151 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Eliemental (European Union) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 

Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Eliemental: Breaking down barriers to enterprise 
Lancaster  University;  South  East  Europe  Research  Centre;  Black 
Training and Enterprise Group; The Business Group; University of Lodz; 
Valahia University Targoviste; The Ergani Centre 

Different types of organisations (NGOs, public bodies, etc.) 

European Union: United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Romania 
2013 - 2015 
Mentoring, Business Training 
The  project  has  been  funded  with  the  support  of  the  European 
Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme. 
The necessities of the participants were clear before the creation of 
the  programme  thanks  to  a  previous  study  and  the  activities  were 
developed  accordingly.  The  Community  Access  Points  (CAPs),  the 
places  which  reach  out  to  the  target  communities,  were  the  key 
success factors in reaching the target audience. The CAPs were located 
in  places  visited  by  the  target  groups  in  their  daily  life  (bakery, 
launderette, etc.) and not in the usual places used for training.  

Overview 

Context 
The Eliemental project is the continuation of the ELIE (Employability: Learning through International 
Entrepreneurship)155 Project. The aim of ELIE was to develop new methods for providing migrants with 
the capabilities and favourable conditions to start up their own business. ELIE worked with migrant 
entrepreneurs across Europe analysing their experiences of starting up and maintaining a business in 
a new country. Using action research methods to explore the experience of immigrant entrepreneurs, 
ELIE brought together key features of their success into learning frameworks. This allowed the creation 
of  cross-cultural  environments  for  employability  and  entrepreneurship,  suitable  for  the  delivery  of 
both formal and informal training. In order to analyse the situation and act more thoroughly, the ELIE 
team gathered more than 500 questionnaires and conducted 100 interviews. Moreover, the project 
analysed the life experience of almost 200 immigrant entrepreneurs across Europe to identify the key 
features critical for their success or failure. The extensive research enabled them to develop learning 
materials.156  Based on the  research of  the ELIE Project, the Eliemental project was created, named 
after the former project and using the skills and knowledge acquired from it. Eliemental was conducted 
in the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece and Romania. 

155 http://elie-project.eu/. 
156 Carolyn Downs, academic lead of Eliemental. 

152 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Objectives 
The  Eliemental  project  aimed  to  achieve  four  objectives  targeted  at  migrant  and  other  vulnerable 
groups, including minority ethnic groups underrepresented in business start-ups (including the Roma 
community), older women who had been out of the labour market, people with long-term mental or 
physical  health  problems,  recovering  substance  abusers  and  long-term  unemployed  people.157  The 
objectives are listed below. 

  Firstly, the identification of socio and cultural barriers to employment. The project was based 
on ELIE’s research and the continuity of it allowed the  identification of cultural barriers for 
vulnerable and migrant groups. 

  Secondly, provision of entrepreneurship training. Once cultural barriers had been identified 
and analysed, specific training material was created, and the targeted groups were trained in 
entrepreneurship. 

  Thirdly, improvement of employability by developing entrepreneurial skills. The participants 
were thoroughly trained in entrepreneurship and social skills. The skills acquired were useful 
not only for creating a new enterprise, but also for facilitating inclusion in the labour market 
in general. 

  As  a  final  objective,  increase  the  social  and  cultural  capital.  The  activities,  training  and 
mentoring were  shared by different  vulnerable groups and their experiences  increased the 
knowledge  about  the  socio-cultural  barriers  they  face  when  entering  the  labour  market  or 
starting a new business project. 

Therefore,  after  the  mentoring  and  training,  the  participants  should  be  able  to  create  their  own 
company or they should have significantly increased their possibilities of entering the labour market. 

Strengths 
The main strengths of Eliemental are the business training and the mentoring, which are specific and 
adequate for migrants and other vulnerable groups. Likewise, the networking and its powerful visibility 
campaign  for  the  target  groups  have  had  a  significant  influence  on  the  impact  of  the  scheme.  In 
addition, Eliemental have shown considerable sensitivity regarding the language  barriers which the 
migrants may face and have developed the material and information in four languages (English, Greek, 
Polish and Romanian). 

157 ELIEMENTAL: Breaking down barriers to enterprise, Interim Report. 

153 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 15: Benchmarking of the Eliemental Project  

Implementation 

Activities  
The  activities  of  the  Eliemental  project  were  based  on  three  main  pillars,  whose  correlation  was 
fundamental for the success of the scheme: visibility, business training and mentoring. 

The project was targeted at vulnerable groups which are usually difficult to reach for those types of 
training  activities  focused  on  entrepreneurship.  For  that  reason,  the  visibility  campaign  needed  to 
have targeted measures. The previous project, ELIE, demonstrated that the creation of events and the 
use of social media were important for the visibility, although the collaboration with key gatekeepers 
(Job Centre Plus, Public Health England, etc.) enabled the target groups to get to know the project in 
the  most  efficient  way.  In  addition,  based  on  extensive  research  and  the  creation  of  events,  the 
implementers came to the conclusion that the best way to reach the target communities was through 
CAPs (Community Access Points). Through extensive research, the gatekeepers analysed where the 
target  audience  usually  go  in  their  day-to-day  life.  With  this  information,  they  contacted  the 
appropriate  places  and started working there,  firstly, in the promotion campaign and then, for the 
training.158 The study made it clear that colleges, schools and libraries were actually not appropriate 
locations  to  access  the  target  groups.  As  a  consequence,  the  places  selected  for  the  activities,  the 
previously mentioned CAPs, included shops and socialisation places (for example a betting house, a 
launderette,  bakery,  etc.).159  Besides  this,  the  project  implementers  and  service  providers  were 
matched  with  the  target  groups.  In  the  case  of  the  migrant  participants,  personnel  from  the same 
communities were chosen to reach them, as they already knew where migrants could be found. 

158 Community Access Points, Report April 2014. 
159 Community Access Points (CAPS), How to identify and use CAPS with groups vulnerable to social exclusion, 

ELIEMENTAL. 

154 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Once the target groups were reached, the next step was to provide them with  business training in 
entrepreneurship  skills.  For  the  target  group,  the  research  indicated  that  online  training  was  not 
appropriate for a distinct variety of reasons (no computer available, not used to online training, etc.). 
However,  all  materials  were  available  online  and  Skype  sessions  were  conducted  for  training, 
depending on the participants’ circumstances. There was a good balance of materials between theory 
(for example mind-set) and practical (for example problem solving). Training was delivered over four 
sessions of four hours each, if possible always with lunch included. The didactic modules were varied 
(such as What is Enterprise? Who is an Entrepreneur? Mind-set - Communication Skills, Planning Skills, 
Problem Solving, Team working, Creative Thinking, Networking Skills, Business Planning). The trainings 
could be delivered over a longer period and if further or very specific training was required for any of 
the participants, it would be signposted to another organisation that was usually part of the network 
of the partners. 

In  addition,  there  were  three  different  models  of  mentoring,  creating  a  three  stage  system:  One 
mentor during and immediately after the training to support the participants in the learning process 
and in the generation of business ideas, one mentor (could be considered a business adviser) to help 
with  the  specifics  of  setting  up  a  business  (legal,  finance,  taxes,  market,  etc.),  and  one  to  provide 
support through the first year of business. At least a six week mentoring process was put in place, but 
several relationships went far beyond this.160 The mentoring was also provided via Facebook, where, 
after research, it was found that it was the most successful place to reach the target. The mentors 
were from the same community as the mentees (except for the Roma community in Romania, where 
it was not possible to find mentors with the same background). In any case, mentors and mentees 
were always matched according to their necessities and knowledge. A mentoring evaluation system 
was in place for data collection and success indicators. Mentees and mentors participated in a survey 
and post-evaluation of satisfaction after participation in the programme. The mentors and mentees 
had to provide each other feedback at the end of the relationship, which showed that in most cases 
both parties were satisfied. 

The networking was important for the achievement of the objectives of integration. For that reason, 
the network in each country included business associations, local employment agencies and chambers 
of commerce. All Eliemental trainees were able to develop new networks as a result of interactions 
with these institutions, assisted by the service providers. 
The trainees were linked with relevant professionals and public administration experts in legal and 
regulatory  terms  through  several  means.  Firstly,  mentors  supported  the  trainees  in  accessing 
professionals (such as accountants or lawyers). Secondly, the social employment office (in Poland) has 
directed trainees from Eliemental to the various public administration offices necessary for starting a 
business. Third, CAPS have linked up trainees with local officials.161 

While,  there  was  no  financing  provided  for  the  projects,  the  participants  were  advised  on  how  to 
develop  bankable  business  plans,  which  increased  the  possibility  of  getting  finance  from  other 

160 Carolyn Downs, academic lead of Eliemental. 
161  Using the example of one of the UK participants, he needed various food safety licences to prepare for opening 
his business, and the CAP used has experience of obtaining such permissions. They helped the beneficiary in 
contacting the relevant office and supported his application.   

155 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
institutions.  In  addition,  the  service  providers  redirected  the  participants  to  the  relevant  finance 
institutions when required. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The language and cultural sensibility was an important strength of the project. The participants were 
able to choose the language in which they wanted to be trained. Nonetheless, most of them chose the 
host country language for the training, except from Greece, where English was used instead of Greek 
after  a  decision  was  taken  by  the  participants.  The  service  providers  (mentors  and  trainers),  were 
trained to support each specific target community and usually they had the same background as the 
participants.  These  service  providers  also  acted  as  cultural  mediators  with  the  aim  of  translating 
cultural nuances. Moreover, the use of trainers and service providers as cultural mediators at the same 
time made the participants feel more comfortable and consequently they did not leave the programme 
in the beginning phase. Besides, the information about the project and the materials for the trainers 
were developed in the four host languages of the countries and are still accessible on the website. The 
materials cover training for the mentors, tutors and trainees, as well as how to stablish a CAP. 

On the other hand, the website is only available in English. However, in order to reach a wider public, 
the homepage of the website has been translated into Polish, Greek, German and French. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
The added value of the scheme for the participants has been significant. After the Eliemental project, 
most  of  the  participants  created  a  company  or  moved  into  employment,  while  others  moved  into 
further education or employment. Consequently, it must be highlighted that there has been a relevant 
impact on the lifes of all the participants. 

In the first year, 100 people took part in total in the four participant countries.  

 

In the UK nine businesses were created from the 22 people completing the training, plus 3 
unemployed moved into employment and five to further training.  

  From Greece 25 people completed training, 6 new businesses were created plus 8 moved to 

 

 

further training.  
In Romania, from the 25 Roma people that completed the training, 10 new businesses were 
set up.  
In  Poland  21  participants  completed  the  training,  4  new  businesses  were  created,  while  6 
moved into employment and two into further training. 

Consequently, apart from the 29 business created, between 20 and 30% (depending on country) of 
trainees  who  participated  in  the  Eliemental  pilot  moved  into  enterprise  or  employment.  This  is  a 
considerable success  especially  given that they were hard-to-reach groups (minority  ethnic groups, 
older women out of the labour market, people with long-term mental or physical health problems, 
recovering substance abusers and long-term unemployed). 

The project is growing and starting to develop in other European countries due to the good results and 
the collaboration of the partners and the network. New organisations have joined the network. The 
project should have finished in December 2015 but many other organisations (employment agencies, 

156 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NGOs, coaching centres, etc.) are setting up Eliemental training. Via these new organisations over 150 
trainers  will  deliver  Eliemental  resources.  Agreements  have  been  set  up  so  that  the  Eliemental/EU 
branding is retained and that the organisations using the materials report back on how many people 
are trained, how many mentors are recruited and the outcomes for trainees. There is a large number 
of other organisations wanting to adopt the training. Furthermore, Lancaster University is supporting 
the academic lead Carolyn Downs in order to analyse the impact of the project. 

Challenges 
One  of the  biggest challenges  for the  organisers  was  reaching  the  target vulnerable  groups  as  this 
required great effort and time. They had to make an extensive research to analyse the places where 
the target groups usually go, although the previous ELIE Project did some research and facilitated part 
of this work. Establishing contact with people from the target groups and selecting them as service 
providers was vital in the sense that they were able to communicate and reach a wider population. 
Moreover, the service providers helped choosing the places for the CAPs and recruited a large number 
of participants. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
There are two key factors for the success of the project. First of all, the thorough assessment of the 
needs of the target vulnerable groups, partly building upon the previous ELIE Project. The research 
discovered how to overcome several barriers to reach the vulnerable target groups and retain them in 
the training. This information was successfully used by Eliemental for the communication campaign.  
The  places  selected  for  providing  the  services  were  the  second  key  point  of  success.  The  CAPs 
(Community  Access  Points)  empowered  more  people  to  attend  and  finish  the  training.  Thus,  the 
participants  were  prepared  uninterruptedly  in  management  and  in  social  skills  (in  groups  and 
individually),  improving  their  opportunities  to  continue  on  the  entrepreneurship  path,  as  well  as, 
entering into the labour market. Due to the high rate of participants who finished the programme and 
acquired the necessary skills, the success has been higher than in similar programmes. The use of the 
CAPs and the training provided had a positive impact on the participants. 

Replicability 
The Eliemental and the idea of the CAPs have huge potential for a wide range of other initiatives to 
help people integrate and work together. The Eliemental project is scaling up around Europe through 
other organisations. The project finished in December 2015 and many other organisations are setting 
up Eliemental training. Furthermore, there is a large number of other organisations wanting to adopt 
the training. UK Training is implementing the training and it will be available nationally in the UK within 
24 months, while Remploy are proposing moving training into the Netherlands. Romania is adopting 
training more widely and adapting the model for students. In Poland, the social employment office is 
running a larger trial. In Greece, additional pilots are set up.162 The training for the trainers is also being 
replicated.  The  CAPs  need  well-trained  service  providers,  therefore,  the  training  is  a  must  for  the 
success. 

162 Carolyn Down, academic lead of Eliemental 

157 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – course participant 2016: 

“The training really made me see my skill set in a different way and it 
has helped me complete my business plan; something I could not do in 
other courses.” 

158 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Community Access Points (CAPS), How to identify and use CAPS with groups vulnerable to 

social exclusion, ELIEMENTAL. 

  ELIEMENTAL: Breaking down barriers to enterprise, Interim Report, Eliemental 
  Community Access Points, Report April 2014, ELIEMENTAL. 

List of interviews 

  Carolyn Downs – Academic Lead, Lancaster University 
  Alison Clifton – Project Manager, Lancaster University 
  Testimonial  taken  from  the  video  of  the  last  conference  of  the  project.  Available  at: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7oZyUG-ADUWeHI5VWtiWktoOFk/view?pref=2&pli=1. 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: info@eliemental.org; Dr Carolyn Downs c.downs@lancaster.ac.uk   

Website: http://www.eliemental.org/    

159 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Enterprise and Diversity Alliance - EDA (United Kingdom) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

The Enterprise and Diversity Alliance (EDA) 
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), 
University of Birmingham 

Public 

United Kingdom 
2008 - ongoing163 

Visibility, Networking, Mentoring, Access to Finance 

Small and large grants from a range of stakeholders, including research 
councils,  government  departments,  regional  and  local  agencies  and 
the private sector.164 The EDA's work is largely built on goodwill and 
voluntary contributions of its partners. Events are often co-funded by 
the partners.  
Putting diversity on the agenda of large institutions, including banks, 
has been the key success of the EDA. The initiative has helped to build 
mutual  understanding  between  diverse  SMEs  and  large  institutions 
and, in doing so, improve access to finance and market opportunities 
for  minority  businesses,  with  a  positive  impact  on  their  growth 
ambitions. This has been achieved by undertaking several activities: 1) 
raising  awareness  about  minority  enterprise  through  research  and 
knowledge  dissemination;  2)  developing  communication  between 
minority  businesses  and  large  institutions  by  organising  events  and 
creating  a  platform  for  knowledge  exchange;  and  3)  facilitating 
mentoring  for  minority  businesses  and  in  doing  so  opportunities  for 
support, networking and growth.  

Overview 

National context 
Historically,  the  United  Kingdom  (UK)  has  seen  growth  in  both  immigration  and  emigration,  and 
especially since the early 1990s with immigration exceeding emigration by more than 100,000 every 
year since 1998.165 Yet it has been noted that few public policies have specifically sought to advance 
immigrant integration and while some programmes have been launched, they often lacked sustained 
funding and have not been done systematically.166 

163 Between 2008-2010 known under different name. Since 2010 known as the EDA. The initiative is ongoing in 

2016. 

164  REF  2014  (2014)  ‘Impact  Case  Study  (REF3b):  The  Enterprise  and  Diversity  Alliance’,  The  Research 
Excellence Framework 2014, available from: http://results.ref.ac.uk/Submissions/Impact/160. [Accessed on 
31/05/2016]. 

165 Hawkins, O. (2016) ‘Migration Statistics’, House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper Number SN06077, 26 
May 2016, available from: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06077.pdf. [Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 
166 Saggar, S. and W. Somerville (2012) ‘Building a British Model of Integration in an Era of Immigration: Policy 
Lessons  for  Government’,  University  of  Sussex  and  the  Migration  Policy  Institute,  available  from: 
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/UK-countrystudy.pdf. [Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 

160 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The UK Government has had a long-standing interest in boosting entrepreneurship as a way of driving 
job creation and economic growth in disadvantaged areas.167 While there has been some focus on how 
entrepreneurship can help to increase economic participation of the disadvantaged groups, including 
ethnic minorities and migrants, and to promote social cohesion, changes in the number of business 
owners from diverse backgrounds have been modest.168 

Objectives 
The  Enterprise  and  Diversity  Alliance  (EDA)  is  a  knowledge  exchange  network  on  diversity  and 
enterprise.  It  is  a  unique  collaboration  between  corporations,  banks,  professional  associations  and 
academics with an aim to pioneer new ways of promoting development and growth of diverse SMEs, 
including those led by ethnic minority, migrant and women entrepreneurs. The  EDA’s mission is to 
‘make diversity and enterprise everyone’s business’ by pooling ideas and promoting action in a wide 
range of settings.169 EDA’s work is divided into two broad strands of activities: 1) Access to finance - 
aims to improve information flow between banks and minority businesses; and 2) Access to markets - 
aims to encourage growth in minority firms, develop links with the corporate sector and influence the 
wider corporate and procurement communities. EDA’s priorities for 2014-2015 included a number of 
key actions, such as developing an evidence base on diversity and enterprise; working with banks to 
engage directly with minority businesses; boosting mentoring provision; developing minority business 
networks; engaging with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and engaging international partners. 

Strengths 
Businesses  from  minority  backgrounds,  including  migrants  and  ethnic  minorities,  are  often 
disadvantaged in the marketplace because of weaker access to support networks and mentoring. The 
unique  asset  of  EDA  is  the  strong  commitment  of  its  founders  and  partners  to  support  minority 
businesses  by  undertaking  activities  that  help  develop  understanding  and  facilitate  relationships 
between minority firms and large institutions. To this end, EDA can leverage the extensive networks 
established over the years with both mainstream and minority actors.  The particular strengths of the 
initiative are its activities around awareness raising, networking, mentoring and access to finance. The 
initiative enables business owners from minority backgrounds to widen their networks and, in doing 
so, to access support they may not necessarily obtain otherwise.  

167 Ram, M. and Jones, T. (2008) ‘Ethnic minority businesses in the UK: An overview, in OLIVEIRA, Reis, C. and 
Rath, J. (eds.) Migrações Journal - Special Issue on Immigrant Entrepreneurship, October 2008, n. 3, Lisbon: 
ACIDI, pp. 61-71. 

168 Carter, S., Mwaura, S., Ram, M., Trehan, K. and T. Jones (2015) ‘Barriers to ethnic minority and women’s 
enterprise: Existing evidence, policy tensions and unsettled questions’, International Small Business Journal, 
Vol. 33(1), pp. 49-69. 

169 EDA (2014) ‘EDA Briefing - Progress and Priorities 2014’, available from: 

http://www.researchcatalogue.esrc.ac.uk/grants/ES.J020699.1/outputs/read/3d12a3a4-f065-4bbf-b162-
8fd780932783. [Accessed on 31/05/2016]. 

161 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 16: Benchmarking of the Enterprise and Diversity Alliance  

(Language sensitivity)

(Facilities provision)

EDA

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

(Legal and regulatory
advice)

Access to finance

(Individual business
support)

MENTORING

(Group business
training)

Implementation 

Activities  
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Birmingham Business School 
is  the  home  of  EDA.  CREME  has  long-standing  links  with  ethnic  minority  and  migrant  community 
networks, for instance the Black Country Asian Business Association.  

One  of  the  core  activities  of  the  EDA  has  been  to  raise  awareness  of  diverse  businesses  among 
corporate institutions, policymakers and academics and to facilitate communication between minority 
firms and large institutions. Building relationships between the two meant that the institutions, such 
as banks,  could understand the  nature of minority businesses, their needs and challenges,  and the 
minority businesses could understand how large institutions work. This has improved the capacity of 
minority firms to develop and grow, for instance by learning how financial decisions are made by bank 
managers  and  thus  increasing  their  chances  of  accessing  finance.  To  facilitate  this,  the  EDA  has 
undertaken  various  activities  in  partnership  with  the  corporate  sector,  government,  business 
associations and the community leaders.  

The  EDA’s  partnership  with  the  British  Bankers  Association  (BBA)  has  led  to  the  development  of  a 
programme of seminars and outreach events to strengthen understanding of banks and minority firms. 
Under the Better Business Finance programme, managed by the BBA, banks have organised workshops 
on 'Access to finance' and 'Mentoring' enabling business customers and groups to meet with key staff 
from the  banks  to  answer  questions  and  explain  what  services  are  available.  Banks  have  also  held 
programmes of events targeted at ethnic minority communities in many parts of the UK, for example, 
an 'Exporting' event held in conjunction with UK Trade and Investment and the Birmingham Chamber 
of Commerce.  

162 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Events  have  been  organised  to  disseminate  research  on  minority  entrepreneurship  and  the  EDA’s 
activities with minority business communities. For example, CREME have staged an annual conference 
for 20 years which usually has a variety of minority networks in attendance. Additionally, testimonials 
have been used in communication to raise awareness of EDA’s activities, for example a case study of 
the 12/8 peer network group facilitated by EDA includes comments from minority business owners on 
the benefits and successes of the mentoring scheme.170  

Building  relationships  between  minority  businesses  and  large  institutions  is  at  the  heart  of  EDA’s 
mission. EDA has a long-standing relationship with a network of minority community groups, banks 
and  other  institutions.  Its  partners  include  the  Association  of  Chartered  Certified  Accountants,  the 
British  Bankers’  Association,  Lloyds  Banking  Group,  Barclays,  Business  in  the  Community  and  the 
Equality  and  Human  Rights  Commission.  EDA  has  been  working  with  SFEDI,  the  government-
recognised  UK  Standards  Setting  Body  for  Business  Support  and  Business  Enterprise,  to  promote 
engagement  strategies  with  the  Local  Enterprise  Partnerships  (LEPs).  Furthermore,  EDA  facilitates 
networking opportunities for minority businesses, for instance through its peer-mentoring scheme.171 
The  seminars,  events  and  conferences  organised  through  the  initiative  also  provide  networking 
opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to meet their peers and potential buyers or suppliers. 

Providing  mentoring  opportunities  for  minority  businesses  features  centrally  in  the  EDA’s  plans  to 
promote  enterprise  and  growth.  EDA  worked  in  partnership  with  Jackie  Jenks,  Senior  Manager 
Enterprise  Mentoring  from  Lloyds  Bank,  to  address  this  issue  by  organising  workshops  and  events 
aimed at enabling and encouraging growing enterprises to receive guidance from established business 
mentors. It influenced provision of, and helped facilitate, mentoring between large institutions and 
minority  entrepreneurs.  EDA  does  not  deliver  mentoring  schemes  itself;  it  promotes  mentoring 
through  its  events  by  sourcing  and  connecting  experienced  mentors  with  mentees  from  minority 
backgrounds.  The  partner  organisations  providing  mentoring  (the  BBA,  Lloyds  Bank  and  corporate 
sector) match mentors and mentees on the basis of mentees' needs. In 2016, EDA is working mainly 
with SFEDI, as the skills sector body for business support, and Leapfrog Mountain. 

In the past, EDA had set up peer network/mentoring where the participating entrepreneurs support 
each  other.    CREME  directly  facilitates  a  number  of  innovative  peer-mentoring  groups  comprising 
minority  entrepreneurs  from  different  backgrounds.  The  most  established,  since  2004,  is  the  12/8 
group  which  consists  of  six  African-Caribbean  business  owners.    The  12/8  group  mentees  receive 
interactive, long-term and ongoing, peer-to-peer support through monthly meetings where objectives 
and  goals  are  set  and  revisited  in  the  follow  up meetings.  The  EDA-facilitated mentoring  has  been 
successful in terms of meeting its goal of supporting development and growth of minority businesses, 
unlike mainstream mentoring schemes that perhaps do not engage with minority communities to the 
same extent.  Testimonials from minority business owners highlight the successes of schemes such as 
the 12/8 group and the benefits of this particular mentoring model.172   

170  EDA  (2012)  ‘EDA  CASE  STUDY:  Effective  Business  Mentoring  and  CSR’,  The  Enterprise  and  Diversity 
http://mentorsme.co.uk/images/uploads2/Case_Study_-_Mentoring_-

available 

Alliance, 
_Branded_v_2.pdf. [Accessed on 31/05/2016]. 

from: 

171 Ibid., pp. 1-12.  
172 Ibid., pp. 1-12.  

163 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Finally, EDA has been working with the finance sector to develop linkages between large institutions 
and minority businesses in order to support their growth through better access to finance. This has 
been achieved by facilitating communication and building relationships between minority businesses 
and  the  banks.  The  EDA’s  partnership  with  the  BBA  has  led  to  seminars  and  outreach  events  to 
strengthen mutual understanding between banks and minority firms.  The events enable minority firms 
to meet with bank managers and discuss the challenges they face and how banks can support them. 
The events provide an opportunity for the business owners to understand how decisions are made so 
that they can become investment ready, and for bank managers to understand the nature of minority 
enterprises and their heterogeneity.  

A  series  of  road  show  events  have  been  delivered  across  the  country  in  co-operation  with  BBA, 
targeted  in  areas  with  high  concentration  of  ethnic  minority  communities,  to  raise  awareness, 
understanding and confidence in accessing finance in order to increase investment readiness among 
ethnic minority businesses. The road shows include workshops on writing business plans, mentoring 
and  professional  help.  Representatives  from  the  community,  the  finance  institutions,  professional 
advisers and other business support groups, such as LEPs, are involved in these events. Moreover, EDA 
have organised a series of 'Meet the Buyer' events, providing opportunities for minority entrepreneurs 
to meet the potential customers and grow their business.  

Access  to  finance  is  facilitated  through  the  support  for  establishing  connections  between  minority 
businesses  and  finance  institutions.  For  example,  the  BBA  has  recently  developed  a  strategic 
partnership with the British Business Angels Association, in conjunction with the Business Growth Fund 
(launched  in  2011),  and  has  considered  how  these  linkages  can  further  support  ethnic  minority 
businesses.173 EDA collaborates with all high street banks and the BBA to further its diversity agenda. 
Visitors to the EDA website are referred to the Better Business Finance programme which was set up 
by  a  number  of  banks  and  is  managed  by  the  BBA.174  The  programme  aims  to  build  on  the  work 
undertook in 2012 in London, Leicester, Birmingham and Bristol, where 250 ethnic minority businesses 
and business networks have been reached.175   

Language and cultural sensitivity 
Events and activities facilitated by EDA are delivered in English. The EDA members come from diverse 
cultural backgrounds themselves and while not trained specifically to support people from different 
cultures, they have insights into issues faced by minority and migrant communities living and working 
in the UK. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
EDA  is  an  important  knowledge  exchange  mechanism  for  creating  linkages  between  minority 
businesses  and  the  corporate  sector.  It  helps  support  minority  and  migrant  entrepreneurship  by 
facilitating mentoring and access to finance through better understanding and relationship building 

173 DCLG (2013) ‘Ethnic Minority Businesses and Access to Finance’, Department for Communities and Local 

Government, U.K. 

174 See: http://www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk/. 
175 DCLG (2013) ‘Ethnic Minority Businesses and Access to Finance’, Department for Communities and Local 

Government, U.K. 

164 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
between  minority  firms  and  large  institutions,  such  as  banks.  For  example,  EDA  found  that  the 
challenges minority firms face in accessing finance are not necessarily due to direct discrimination but 
the continuing perception of unfair treatment. EDA works with banks to ensure they understand the 
nature and diversity of minority firms and the challenges they encounter. It also works with minority 
firms so that they understand the way financial decisions are made by the banks.  

EDA disseminates its research to various stakeholders, including academics, minority entrepreneurs, 
large institutions and policymakers. Its work has informed policy, for example the recent Burt Report 
on inclusive support for women enterprise.176 As a knowledge exchange mechanism that promotes 
and supports minority and migrant entrepreneurship, EDA has contributed to the visibility of minority 
businesses in the UK and helped promote the diversity agenda among large institutions, policymakers, 
academics and others.  

EDA does not directly contribute to business or job creation; it helps to inform these mechanisms. The 
support provided to various mentoring schemes sponsored by large institutions ensured that business 
owners from minority backgrounds have taken advantage of the additional support that was available 
to them, which might not have been the case otherwise. Failing to get access to adequate information 
and networks, these businesses would have remained without a mentor and without an awareness of 
how large institutions, such as banks, work and thus make decisions. They would have missed out on 
opportunities  to  grow  as  individuals  and  to  develop  their  businesses.  EDA  has  helped  widen  their 
collaborative network beyond their immediate community, which is of fundamental importance for 
business success. 

EDA’s strength is the capacity to bring together people from very different walks of life: the community 
leaders  involved  with  their  community  and  the  businesses;  the  corporate  institutions  involved  in 
corporate business; and the academics sharing their research findings for wider benefit. The power of 
everybody coming together with the same agenda, having very different skillsets and experiences and 
points  of  view,  is  what  makes  the  EDA  effective  and  unique.  Although  the  initiative  has  not  been 
formally evaluated by an external party, the implementers conduct their own informal evaluation on 
a  regular  basis.  The  formation  of  EDA  was,  furthermore,  submitted  to  the  Research  Excellence 
Framework  2014  as  an  impact  case  study,  illustrating  the  application  of  its  research  activities  in 
practice.177  For  instance,  EDA’s  research  found  that  ethnic  minority  businesses  overall  are  not 
disadvantaged  in  terms  of  start-up  capital  from  banks  but  that  the  perception  of  prejudice  is  a 
significant  barrier.  Improving  the  information  flow  and  engagement  between  banks  and  ethnic 
minority  businesses  were  some  of  the  recommendations  stemming  from  this  research.  EDA  has 
subsequently worked with banks to implement these recommendations.     

Challenges  
EDA’s successes have been well documented, yet there  are  a number of challenges  that  should be 
highlighted. First, EDA is led by a small number of individuals who are passionate and committed to its 
mission, and willing to put time and effort into developing support for minority businesses through 

176  BIS  (2015)  ‘The  Burt  report:  inclusive  support  for  women  in  enterprise’,  A  report  by  the  Ambassador  for 

Women in Enterprise, Lorely Burt MP, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, U.K. 

177  REF  2014  (2014)  ‘Impact  Case  Study  (REF3b):  The  Enterprise  and  Diversity  Alliance’,  The  Research 
Excellence Framework 2014, available from: http://results.ref.ac.uk/Submissions/Impact/160. [Accessed on 
31/05/2016]. 

165 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
long-term  engagement  with  different  stakeholders.  This  may  be  a  challenge  if  a  more  formalised 
approach, based primarily on salaried work as opposed to goodwill, tries to replicate the  initiative. 
Having the right people who are leaders and knowledgeable in their field is crucial to the success of 
the  EDA.  Second,  while  the  initiative  reaches  out  to,  and  engages  with,  businesses  from  minority 
backgrounds to help them develop networks beyond their immediate community, not everyone may 
be able to take advantage of the networking opportunities. Perhaps migrants new to the country will 
not benefit as much as those who are already well connected with ethnic minority networks linked to 
the  initiative,  suggesting  that  the  outreach  activities  aimed  specifically  at  migrants  could  increase 
EDA’s effectiveness.  

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
Putting diversity on the agenda of large institutions, such as the banks and the LEPs, has been one the 
key success factors of EDA. It has helped to build understanding and relationships between diverse 
SMEs and large institutions and, in doing so, improve access to finance and market opportunities for 
minority businesses, with positive impact on their growth ambitions. Facilitating such linkages has had 
an impact on the integration of minority communities.  

EDA has addressed challenges about the way diverse communities engage with large institutions and 
how those relationships can be more open for mutual benefit rather than a level of distrust on both 
parts. The initiative is not only about the obvious business results, such as turnover growth; it is about 
people from diverse backgrounds feeling comfortable that they can talk to business people.  It is also 
about business people being comfortable that they understand the diverse communities’ needs and 
challenges. The power of that positive relationship can be a foundation for further confidence built 
between different communities.  

According to the manager of the mentoring scheme facilitated by EDA, each intervention has been 
designed very carefully, using the knowledge and experience of everybody involved. As a result, the 
outreach  events  and  mentoring  have  been  well  received  and  without  any  major  challenges.  For 
example,  efforts  have  been  made  at  events  not  to  use  technical  language  and  allow  time  for 
discussions and informal questions and answers to ensure that everybody understood the objectives. 
Any cultural differences have been positively addressed. For example, a particular group of Muslim 
females wanted to participate in the mentoring scheme but felt that they would need to seek their 
families’ permission. One of them went ahead with the scheme and had mentoring with one of the 
male bankers on the basis that her husband would attend the session as well. Although mentoring 
typically involves a one-to-one relationship where information is shared openly, it was the only way 
this particular person felt comfortable in proceeding. Her husband, a business owner himself, was so 
impressed with the support that eventually both of them became mentees of the scheme. 

Replicability 
EDA  is  a  sustainable  and  potentially  transferable  model.  Yet  it  is  built  on  a  long-term  networking 
endeavour of its founders. Having the right people who are leaders in the field and are passionate, 
knowledgeable and committed is essential to its success. It is the volunteers from the business and the 
community world that are genuine ambassadors for its mission and are happy to put work and effort 
in to bringing everybody together. While replicable, the initiative might not be as effective on a formal 

166 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
basis  according  to  the  mentoring  scheme  manager  who  emphasised  the  importance  of  personal 
commitment. The founders’ and steering committee members’ involvement, for example, has been 
primarily  voluntary.  The  mentors’  time  was  sponsored,  however,  most  of  them  went  above  and 
beyond doing things in their own time.   

Testimonial – Manager, Enterprise Mentoring Scheme (collaboration with the EDA) 2016: 

“What it meant for myself personally and for the mentors was that we were working 
with the communities that we would not necessarily have otherwise reached.…I was 
the speaker for an event in the Birmingham area, it was mainly the Jamaican 
community, I had very specific feedback from the community there, but they did not 
know that the support existed to help them because all the advertisements we have 
done were in channels they would not necessarily engage with.  Having the EDA 
there, engaging directly with those community leaders meant we were engaging in a 
better way and in an open way to actually help each other.” [Jackie Jenks, Manager, 
Enterprise Mentoring Scheme] 

167 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Literature list 

Sources 

  BIS (2015) ‘The Burt Report: inclusive support for women in enterprise’, A report by the 

Ambassador for Women in Enterprise, Lorely Burt MP, Department for Business, Innovation 
and Skills, UK.  

  Carter, S., Mwaura, S., Ram, M., Trehan, K. and T. Jones (2015) ‘Barriers to ethnic minority 
and women’s enterprise: Existing evidence, policy tensions and unsettled questions’, 
International Small Business Journal, Vol. 33(1), pp. 49-69.  

  DCLG (2013) ‘Ethnic Minority Businesses and Access to Finance’, Department for 

Communities and Local Government, UK. 

  DCLG (2012) ‘Creating the conditions for integration’, Department for Communities and Local 

Government, UK.  

  EDA (2014) ‘EDA Briefing - Progress and Priorities 2014’, available from: 

http://www.researchcatalogue.esrc.ac.uk/grants/ES.J020699.1/outputs/read/3d12a3a4-
f065-4bbf-b162-8fd780932783. [Accessed on 31/05/2016]. 

  EDA (2012) ‘EDA CASE STUDY: Effective Business Mentoring and CSR’, The Enterprise and 

Diversity Alliance, available from: http://mentorsme.co.uk/images/uploads2/Case_Study_-
_Mentoring_-_Branded_v_2.pdf. [Accessed on 31/05/2016]. 

  Hawkins, O. (2016) ‘Migration Statistics’, House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper Number 

SN06077, 26 May 2016, available from: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-
papers/sn06077.pdf. [Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 

  Ram, M. and Jones, T. (2008) ‘Ethnic minority businesses in the UK: An overview’, in 
OLIVEIRA, Reis, C. and Rath, J. (eds.) Migrações Journal - Special Issue on Immigrant 
Entrepreneurship, October 2008, n. 3, Lisbon: ACIDI, pp. 61-71. 

  REF 2014 (2014) ‘Impact Case Study (REF3b): The Enterprise and Diversity Alliance’, The 

Research Excellence Framework 2014, available from: 
http://results.ref.ac.uk/Submissions/Impact/160 . [Accessed on 31/05/2016]. 

  Saggar, S. and W. Somerville (2012) ‘Building a British Model of Integration in an Era of 

Immigration: Policy Lessons for Government’, University of Sussex and the Migration Policy 
Institute, available from: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/UK-
countrystudy.pdf.[Accessed on 21/06/2016]. 

List of interviews 

  Professor Monder Ram - Co-founder of EDA, University of Birmingham  
 

Jackie Jenks - Former Manager of Enterprise Mentoring Scheme that benefited from 
collaboration with the EDA  

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: m.ram@bham.ac.uk  
Website: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/business/research/creme/enterprise-diversity-
alliance/index.aspx  

168 

 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Macken (Sweden) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Macken Företagsskola (Macken Entrepreneurship Centre) 

Macken Co-operative 

Social entrepreneurship/co-operative 

Sweden (Växjö) 
2005 - ongoing 
Business Training, Mentoring, Individual Business Support 
Public funding through the municipality with additional project funding 
in some periods. Previously partly funded by ESF. 
The holistic approach of this business training can be considered as a 
success  factor.  While  individual  business  support,  legal  advice,  or 
facilities provision are not main activities, they are all provided to the 
training participants depending on their needs.  

Overview 

National context 
Sweden has been a destination country for migrants since the 1950s. It is estimated that about 75,000 
to  100,000  new  migrants  come  to  Sweden  every  year.178  In  2014,  1.6  million  out  of  the  Swedish 
population were born in another country, representing 16% of the overall population. The same year, 
the majority of immigrants were from Syria. Migrant entrepreneurship is considered as an important 
investment that creates work opportunities both for migrants and native residents. A significant part 
of the national funding goes to IFS ALMI and the national coverage of individual business support for 
migrant entrepreneurs provided by them. 

The  Swedish  Agency  for  Economic  and  Regional  Growth  has  been  active  in  the  area  of  migrant 
entrepreneurship through the funding of various projects. In particular, in 2015 - 2016, the activities 
have been evaluated with the aim of improving the integration of these groups in the labour market, 
and  to  further  reach  out  to  these  groups.  The  agency  is  co-operating  with  other  authorities  to 
strengthen integration and focus on these groups, and commissioned a study, in 2015 - 2016, to look 
into obstacles and opportunities regarding migrant entrepreneurship. 

Objectives 
The social enterprise Macken was set up in 2005, and business training for marginalised groups has 
been provided since 2007. The objective is to assist new entrepreneurs with migrant backgrounds, and 
to provide a meeting point for this target group. An additional aim is to help families to become self-
sufficient and leave the system of economic assistance provided by the state. One way of doing this is 
to provide business training held in an easy and accessible Swedish for people who are not integrated 
on the labour market, very often migrants. The overall aims of the various activities are sustainability, 
contribution to society, as well as contribution to, and individual development of the people that they 
are working with. 

178 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Sweden. http://www.mipex.eu/sweden. 

169 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Strengths 
Macken offers a large variety of support measures to migrant entrepreneurs. The business training 
provided by Macken applies an individual approach adapted to the needs of the participants. While 
this represents the main activity of this scheme, individual business support and mentoring are also an 
important part of the services provided. Finally, the availability of facilities and assistance in finding a 
workshop/shop floor for the business in question can be provided. 

Figure 17: Benchmarking of Macken Entrepreneurship Centre  

Language sensitivity

Facilities provision

Macken

Visibility

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

Legal and regulatory
advice

Access to finance

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

MENTORING

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
As  mentioned  above,  business  training  constitutes  the  main  activity  of  Macken’s  Entrepreneurship 
Centre. Courses take place twice a year over 20 weeks and include modules on business plans, budgets, 
marketing, legal and regulatory advice, insurance and accountancy. The course is organised part-time 
and takes place in the afternoons. However, the premises are open for the participants to stay and 
study/work if needed. In 2016, half of the 11 participants were from other countries, while the others 
were Swedes. 

The business training is offered onsite only as it is considered that a distance course requires a good 
knowledge of Swedish (however, material has been developed to this purpose). Training sessions are 
held  three  afternoons  per  week,  while  participants  are  expected  to  conduct  work  at  home  the 
remaining  days  of  the  week  (for  this  purpose,  tasks  are  communicated  via  email).  Practical  and 
theoretical  training  are  mixed  with  the  aim  of  making  the  training  as  interactive  and  concrete  as 
possible. This can take the shape of guest lectures, study visits, work in the pop-up shop etc. This is an 
important aspect, as many of the participants are not used to listening to long lectures. Furthermore, 
an assistant is available on the site for homework/study assistance in the mornings. This possibility is 

170 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
a good support in particular for those with a low level of Swedish or those that have no time to attend 
all the afternoons due to work activities or other commitments. 

The overall objective of the  training is that every participant will have a thoroughly  developed and 
feasible business plan at the end of the training programme. The course plan includes the following 
themes/modules:  the  entrepreneur;  the  business  plan;  context  analysis;  economics;  rules  and 
regulations;  and  individual  work.179  In  addition,  individual  needs  of  the  participants  are  taken  into 
consideration and the content of the training is addressed accordingly where needed. The trainers that 
are working at Macken generally have a background as entrepreneurs with experience in setting up a 
business. Furthermore, they often have an interest in working with people from diverse backgrounds 
or vulnerable groups. Relevant practitioners from the public administration and other professionals 
are invited to the business training to give guest lectures on specific themes (for example tax, customs, 
food  regulations).  In  addition,  study  visits  are  organised  together  with  the  class  to  different 
administrative offices with whom Macken has an established collaboration. All the course participants 
that complete the training receive a certificate outlining the skills obtained throughout the training.  

The trainers also act as coaches for the participants. The business support is tailored to the needs of 
each participant and any kind of assistance related to the business set-up can be provided. Where the 
assistance cannot  be  provided by Macken, participants  are referred to other experts or authorities 
with relevant competence. However, advice in regards to tax, social security, and the labour market 
are generally provided in-house. Tailored assistance is offered as part of the business training in the 
section of the course plan called “individual work”. In this context, an assessment of the business plan 
is performed in collaboration with the entrepreneur and includes work on, for example, the business 
idea and the budget, in order to make the plan as realistic as possible. Nevertheless, it is always up to 
the entrepreneur to decide whether to go ahead with the business idea or not. Once the training ends 
after  20  weeks,  the  individual  business  support  is  available  for  as  long  as  it  is  needed.  Indeed,  a 
beneficiary that was interviewed and who took the course three years ago mentioned that he is still 
asking Macken in case he needs assistance. As the service providers tend to have a background in self-
employment  and  entrepreneurship,  they  have  hands-on  experience  with  the  administrative 
procedures.  

Legal and regulatory advice is also provided as part of the business training. There is no legal expert 
available within the group of trainers, however, on some occasions, guest lecturers with expertise in 
specific areas are invited to the entrepreneurship centre, this involves, for example, national and local 
authorities  such  as  the  municipality,  the  tax  authorities,  or  food  safety  authorities.  This  central 
involvement  of  relevant  authorities  and  professionals  (also  accountancy  agencies)  is  considered 
valuable.  Where  required,  Macken  refers  the  participants  to  external  experts  with  the  right 
competence. 

After a few weeks of the business training, the mentoring activities are initiated. Matching procedures 
are in place through which the service providers aim to find a mentor that can match the specific needs 
and interests of each participant, taking into consideration the level of Swedish and the business idea. 
The frequency and content of the mentoring activities depend on the needs of the entrepreneur and, 
therefore, vary for each of the mentorships. Normally, the mentors are volunteers and activities are 

179 Course plan, Macken Entrepreneurship Centrum. 

171 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
performed  through  meetings,  emails  and  phone.  However,  in  some  cases  where  a  lot  of  time  is 
required for the mentorship due to specific needs of the beneficiary, there is a possibility of the mentor 
receiving a salary for the work carried out. No specific period of time is set for the mentoring activities 
and  it  is  common  that  the  mentorship  continues  for  many  years  following  the  completion  of  the 
training course.  

Macken  also  provides  support  regarding  facilities  where  this  is  needed.  Space  is  available  for  the 
course participants to use and there is also a kitchen that can be used for those who are working with 
food/catering/restaurant ideas, as it is difficult to find kitchens that have passed all quality and hygiene 
controls. This enables the course participants to try out their ideas at a lower scale to start with, while 
not investing in renting a space/kitchen. According to the interviews conducted, it is difficult to find 
facilities for start-up entrepreneurs, and a significant amount of time is spent by the service providers 
on a daily basis looking at adverts, contacting the municipality, and potential opportunities. As a result, 
Macken has also started a pop-up shop where a number of different entrepreneurs can share a space 
while  they  market  their  business  and  try  out  sales  techniques  and  ideas.  Finally,  information  is 
provided about finding facilities or shop floors and Macken assists with the negotiation of the contract 
if this is required. The interviewed beneficiary reported that Macken offered him to have his business 
on their premises when he was unsuccessful in his search for a work space. Indeed, in combination, 
with the activities provided, Macken also offers space for rent to various companies.  

Macken is part of various networks enabling exchange with relevant actors, such as universities, the 
municipality,  the  region,  and  other  actors  working  with  entrepreneurship.  While  no  specific 
networking events are organised for the course participants by Macken, information is given about 
relevant events organised by other actors such as Almi Entrepreneur Advice, universities (for example 
Linnéuniversitetet),  and  Coompanion  (which  provides  advice  for  social  entrepreneurs).  There  is  an 
ongoing  exchange  of  experience  between  these  actors  and  Macken,  involving  also  the  course 
participants. Furthermore, Macken organises entrepreneurial breakfasts once per month that enable 
networking for native and migrant entrepreneurs, including course participants, trainers, and mentors 
that are often established entrepreneurs. However, also external entrepreneurs are welcome to these 
events in which there is a lecture or a talk with an entrepreneur telling about his/her experience, as 
well as, opportunities and difficulties encountered.  

While  no  financial  support  is  provided  by  Macken,  they  provide  information  and  refer  course 
participants to relevant actors. These actors include Almi Entrepreneur Advice, a local microcredit fund 
which functions without interest rates, other regional funding opportunities, and JAK Banken which 
offers loans that are interest free. Some of these funding opportunities are particularly interesting as 
they enable possibilities for those that cannot take loans with interest rates due to religious, economic, 
or other reasons. However, in most  cases the participants  benefit from loans provided by families, 
friends, or relatives. Macken’s policy is to always advise the entrepreneur to start up at a very small 
scale and then let the company grow.  

Information about Macken’s activities are provided through the website. However, there is also a good 
coverage in the media (local newspapers, radio, Facebook, and other news websites). In May 2016, a 
documentary  about  Macken  was  broadcast  on  Swedish  national  television  (SVT).  Furthermore,  the 
entrepreneurial breakfasts that have been mentioned above, also serve as a dissemination activity. 
This is true also for the pop-up shop that has been set up in the local mall enabling some of the course 
participants  to  try  out,  and  sell,  their  products.  The  pop-up  shop  activities  also  result  in  a  way  of 

172 

 
 
 
 
 
 
marketing and promotion of Macken’s activities at the local level. In addition, the target group for the 
business  training  is  often  reached  through  the  Swedish  Employment  Agency  and/or  social  service 
offices. These two institutions have specific agreements with Macken (for example reserved places in 
the business training) and the collaboration is important for reaching the target group of people that 
are not integrated on the labour market. In addition to this, migrant communities are reached through 
contacts and word of mouth. Overall, various communication channels are used for awareness raising 
and presence in the media and on social media is high.  

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The business training and related services are provided in Swedish. However, the aim is to provide the 
assistance and training in an accessible/easy Swedish. Furthermore, participants help each other as 
they often have common languages that can be used as an intermediary (for example Arabic). On some 
occasions, an interpreter is invited in case  of very technical or specific lectures. While no language 
training is provided by the entrepreneurship centre, other parts of Macken work with language training 
in  interactive  ways  through  language  workshops.  It  is  also  important  to  note  in  this  context,  that 
Swedish language courses are provided to all newly-arrived immigrants at the municipality level. The 
business trainers generally have experience and interest in working with vulnerable groups and people 
of different cultural backgrounds and aim to take their specific needs or difficulties into account in 
their work.  

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Activities have been conducted successfully since 2008, and it was reported that about ten companies 
are created every year following the participation in the course of 15-20 students yearly, which implies 
a success rate of 50 to 75%. However, it was mentioned that sometimes it takes more than a year 
before  a  company  is  established  following  the  course.  Finally,  it  was  reported  that  the  mentoring 
activities often result in a relation of friendship and therefore may continue for several years, providing 
additional support to the migrant entrepreneur.  

Challenges  
On occasions in the past, up to 50% of the participants have left the course before the end. This can 
be explained by the fact that the Swedish Employment Agency changed their plan (if the person's level 
of  Swedish  is  sufficient  for  other  courses  organised  by  the  employment  agency  for  example),  or 
because they find a job, start education, get  ill, or move  away from the city. This can be seen as a 
challenge as it complicates the planning of the course.  

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
While individual business support, legal advice, or facilities provision are not key activities, they are 
provided in addition to the  training depending on the  needs of the participants, resulting in very a 
comprehensive service. Indeed, in this type of training it is not only the level of language knowledge 
that differs, but also the background of the participants. Some have university degrees, while others 
hardly  went  to  school.  Therefore,  this  individual  approach  is  crucial.  Another  success  factor  is  the 
involvement of both native Swedes and immigrants that can be seen as contributing to integration. 

173 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
One interesting aspect of the scheme is the facilities provision that is enabled through the pop-up shop 
in which course participants share a common space in the local mall to market and sell their products. 
Furthermore,  it  was  highlighted  in  one  of  the  interviews  that  Macken  is  not  only  about 
entrepreneurship but also an introduction to, and a support of, the Swedish society. The provision of 
training and support in an “easy” Swedish is also an important aspect. 

Furthermore, the strong contact with the authorities results in a good overview of the Swedish system 
provided  to  the  course  participants.  The  holistic  approach  tailored  to  the  specific  needs  of  the 
participant is particularly successful as it creates a personal link with the participants and tailors the 
assistance to each individual.  

Replicability 
The scheme could be replicated in another context. One crucial aspect for successful replicability, is 
the presence of a network and the collaboration with various actors, including both the public and 
private  sector.  Service  providers  do  not  have  a  specific  training  but  have  generally  been  active 
entrepreneurs themselves, therefore it can be said that similar trainings could be set up following this 
example.  

Testimonial – course participant 2012: 

“I’m very grateful. One of the trainers often stayed with me after the end of the class and 
helped me with paper work, taxes, and administrative questions. I’m interested in those things, 
but it is so difficult in a new language and system.” 

Ahmed is 33 years old and a native of Chechnya. He came to Sweden in 2007 and studied Swedish for 
foreigners  offered  by  the  municipality  and  then  took  additional  language  courses.  His  first  plan  was  to 
become a policeman but as the police school required Swedish citizenship he started Macken’s business 
training  three  years  ago  with  the  idea  of  setting  up  a  company  selling  design  and  decoration  stones. 
According to Ahmed, the training was helpful and he had the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and 
relevant parties, as well as receive individual support. After 6 months of training he got start-up funding 
from the Swedish Employment Agency and set up his own company in 2014. The main difficulties have 
been to find facilities and to understand the tastes of the Swedish people in regards to the products he 
sells. Today, his business is on the premises of Macken and he has a trainee. While it is a tough job and 
the  company  has  not  yet  grown  significantly,  he  is  proud  of  his  achievements  and  very  committed  to 
continue. 

174 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Literature list 

Sources 

  Macken course plan 
  Macken website: http://www.macken.coop/foretagscenter/. 
  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Sweden. http://mipex.eu/sweden.  

List of interviews 

  Ann Sellbrink, Macken 
  Ahmed – Final beneficiary, Designsten 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: info@macken.coop  
Website: www.macken.coop  

175 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Ester Foundation (Sweden) 

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Stiftelsen Ester (Foundation Ester) 

Stiftelsen Ester (Foundation Ester) 

Foundation 

Sweden (Helsingborg, Skåne) 
2012 - ongoing 
Networking, Business Training, Mentoring, Access to Finance 
Initial pilot programme activities were funded by the region of Skåne 
and  the  Swedish  Agency  for  Economic  and  Regional  Growth.  The 
current programme is financed by the city of Helsingborg. 
The  scheme  uses  an 
individualised  and  holistic  approach  that 
encompasses  access  to  finance,  training,  access  to  information,  and 
access  to  social  capital  and  network.  The  target  audience  is  women 
with  a  migrant  background  who  are  not  integrated  in  the  labour 
market.  While  training  is  the  main  activity,  individual  coaching, 
mentoring and access to finance are also crucial parts. 

Overview 

National context 
Sweden has been a destination country for migrants since the 1950s. It is estimated that about 75,000 
to 100,000 new migrants come to Sweden every year.180 In 2014, 1.6 million of the Swedish population 
were born in another country, representing 16% of the overall population. The same year, the majority 
of immigrants were from Syria. Migrant entrepreneurship is considered as an important investment 
that  creates  work  opportunities  both  for  migrants  and  native  residents.  A  significant  part  of  the 
national funding goes to IFS ALMI and the national coverage of individual business support for migrant 
entrepreneurs provided by them. 

The  Swedish  Agency  for  Economic  and  Regional  Growth  has  been  active  in  the  area  of  migrant 
entrepreneurship  through  the  funding  of  relevant  schemes.  In  particular,  over  the  past  year,  the 
activities have been evaluated to improve activities in this area (both on the labour market, and to 
reach out to these groups). The agency is co-operating with other authorities to strengthen integration 
and  focus  on  these  groups,  and  commissioned  a  study  to  look  into  obstacles  and  opportunities 
regarding migrant entrepreneurship which is currently being finalised.181 

In spring 2015, the agency published a national strategy on equality and entrepreneurship for 2015-
2020 providing recommendations to the government.182 Following this strategy, the government has 
made changes to regulations related to business support in line with the strategy. One of the main 

180 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Sweden. http://www.mipex.eu/sweden. 
181 Interview with the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, carried out in March 2016. 
182 Nationell strategi for ett foretagsframjande pa likvardiga villkor 2015-2020, 

http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/download/18.616dceef1493ce03c8e23a24/1443039665100/Strategi+f%C3%B6
retagsfr%C3%A4mjande+p%C3%A5+lika+villkor.pdf. 

176 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
objectives of these changes is to reach women and people from a migrant background to a greater 
extent.  

Objectives 
The  Ester  Foundation  was  set  up  in  2012  with  the  aim  of  supporting  women  coming  from  non-
European  backgrounds  in  setting  up  their  own  business.  The  overall  objective  is  to  support 
marginalised groups on the labour market in regards to entrepreneurship and small business activities, 
as well as to disrupt social and economic marginalisation. Thus, the target group also includes women 
that for other reasons (such as cultural tradition, etc.) are not integrated in the labour market also 
come from an immigrant background. 

Strengths 
The foundation provides both financial support, as well as skills development and social support, as it 
has been shown that in most cases financial support is not sufficient. Rather it should be combined 
with knowledge and skills about entrepreneurship, as well as support through networking, mentorship, 
and  business  relations.183  The  foundation  works  together  with  Swedbank  for  the  provision  of 
microfinance, and with Helsingborg City in order to enable economic support for the participants. The 
methodology used consists of education and training resulting in the provision of knowledge, social 
and financial capital. 

Figure 18: Benchmarking of Ester Foundation 

ESTER Foundation

VISIBILITY

100%

Language sensitivity

FACILITIES PROVISION

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

MENTORING

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

183 Mikrofinans och foretagande bland utsatta grupper I region Skane, Ester, 2011. 

177 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
                                                 
 
Implementation 

Activities  
As mentioned below the holistic approach and the combination of skills development, social capital, 
and  financial  support  is  characteristic  for  this  scheme.  While  training  is  the  main  activity,  various 
activities are included in the concept. 

Training  activities  are  organised  onsite  three  days  per  week,  while  the  remaining  two  days  the 
students are encouraged to carry out their own studies from home or carry out training, apprenticeship 
or similar. The full training period is six months and follows a set schedule which includes a number of 
different  modules  which  are  not  only  related  to  entrepreneurship.  Modules  on  Swedish  culture, 
communication, rhetoric and speech, and how to set and reach objectives are also provided with the 
aim of strengthening the participants and preparing them as much as possible for potential challenges. 
Marketing and economics are also included in the training, as well as, mapping of network, leadership, 
law and regulations. At the end of the course, the participants work on the development of a business 
plan. The modules are structured in a way to make it easy for the participants to relate to the content. 
There are three phases to the course:  

- 

- 
- 

The  first  phase  provides  an  introduction  to  life  and  culture  in  Sweden,  as  well  as,  to  the 
business environment and relevant questions to entrepreneurship; 
The second phase enables the participant to focus on the registration of the company; and 
The  third phase  in which  the  role of the Ester Foundation is limited to advice and support 
where needed in the first stages of the company’s life.  

Each phase is six months long. The training targets the start-up phase of new companies. In general, 
participants have no company when they start. The aim is to provide a concrete and practical training, 
including physical activities, study visits, and lectures which may imply the involvement of relevant 
public administrations. Participants receive economic support from the municipality in order to take 
part  in  the  course  and  should  therefore  be  able  to  participate  in  the  compulsory  training  sessions 
without the need to combine it with part-time work or similar activities. 

As  part  of  the  business  training,  a  personal  business  adviser  is  provided  to  the  participants.  This 
individual support can encompass themes such as communication, marketing, discussions about how 
to  reach  certain objectives,  as  well  as,  questions  about  regulation,  labour market,  and  mapping  of 
networks. A feasibility assessment of the business plan is performed as part of the training programme, 
upon which participants receive assistance in applying for start-up grants (provided by the Swedish 
Employment  Agency).  As  part  of  the  work  on  the  business  plan,  participants  are  also  assisted  in 
conducting  their  own  market  research.  Since  the  service  providers  often  have  a  background  in 
entrepreneurship, they are used to work with different clients/customers and understand the specific 
challenges encountered by them.  

Another element of the training is the mentoring services which normally are part of the second and 
third phases of the training. In order to perform these activities, a match is made based on individual 
needs  and  interests  of  the  participants.  The  matching  procedure  is  being  done  through  interviews 
taking  into  account  both  personality  and  competence.  It  was  reported  in  the  interview  that  the 
matching is a difficult task, and finding good and committed mentors is not always easy. This seems to 
be related to the lack of time of the mentors, however, the service providers are working to further 

178 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
understand this and improve the matching accordingly.184 Once the matching has been finalised, each 
mentoring couple identifies which ways of communication work best for them, and also how often to 
meet depending on availability and needs. The mentorship is not limited to entrepreneurship, but also 
includes assistance with other more personal tasks such as contact with banks, sales of a flat, divorce 
etc.  Regarding  the  entrepreneurship,  specific  objectives  and  sales  targets  are  set  for  each 
mentee/mentor couple. There is no set end to the mentorship and if it is successful the idea is that the 
relation will result in a continuous support and relation. It is considered by the service providers that 
there  is a need for the mentorship to last for at least  a few years. While it may be difficult to find 
mentors that are ready to engage for so long, successful examples where a relation is established were 
mentioned in the interviews.  

Regarding the provision of social capital, the access to networks is another aspect of this scheme. The 
Ester  Foundation  is  part  of  various  formal  and  informal  networks  and  has  a  number  of  relevant 
collaboration  partners  in  both  the  public  and  the  private  sectors.  While  no  specific  events  with 
networking as a main purpose are organised, participants take part in events/fairs that are organised 
by  other  members  of  the  networks.  Furthermore,  language  cafes  are  organised  involving  ethnic 
entrepreneurs, as well as, Swedish entrepreneurs, and guest lectures are organised. All these events 
have  as  a  secondary  outcome  access  to  the  network  and  its  members.  Finally,  contacts  with  the 
authorities are also enabled through study visits.  

Following the completion of the first part of the training course, advice and/or assistance is available 
to help the participants with the registration of the company, including legal advice and accountancy. 
Depending on the kind of assistance required by the course participants, the Ester Foundation aims to 
provide this. In cases where the specific knowledge or skills are not available in-house, the trainers and 
service  providers ensure  that  bridging is made  to the  relevant  services and/or experts. However, a 
lawyer is part of the board of the foundation and provides advice where this is needed for a specific 
participant. Finally, guest lectures and study visits are organised as part of the course involving relevant 
professionals from public authorities and administrative offices in order to familiarise the participants 
with these actors.  

In addition to the above activities aiming to provide social and knowledge capital, the  provision of 
financial capital is also highlighted by the Ester Foundation. To this aim, support is available to the 
course participants to develop a bankable business plan. In addition to information provision about 
financing  possibilities, Ester  Foundation  has  its own microcredit  system  through  which  the  training 
course  participants  can  take  out  loans  in  a  less  costly  way  and  with  reduced  risks.  This  is  enabled 
through a collaboration with Swedbank (one of the Swedish banks) and Johaniterhjälpen (charity). The 
charity has set up an account which guarantees 80% of the loan of each entrepreneur, and the loan 
should be paid back within three years. The amount of the loan may vary between 20,000 – 300,000 
SEK  (2,140  –  32,120  EUR).185  Furthermore,  if  the  business  plan  has  been  approved  by  the  Swedish 
Employment  Agency,  the  entrepreneur  can  receive  financial  start-up  support  from  them  and  are 
allowed loans from Swedbank.  

184 Interview with service provider. 
185 Article, 11 June 2015, Sydsvenska dagbladet (local newspaper). 

179 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
While facilities provision is not the main activity provided by the Ester Foundation, assistance can be 
provided to find facilities/workspace. The course participants are advised to start out with very low 
costs,  and  therefore  it  is  always  recommended  to  start  the  business  from  home  or  to  use  Ester’s 
facilities where possible. The service providers are flexible and adapt the way they work and services 
provided to the specific needs of each participant. As a consequence, facilities provision and assistance 
in this regard might be an important part of the training for some while others have different priorities 
and needs. 

The  Ester  Foundation  has  a  user-friendly  and  informative  website  with  correct  and  updated 
information, listing also sponsors and collaboration partners. Information about the services provided 
is also available in media such as national newspapers, and relevant websites for entrepreneurship 
and/or  migrant  entrepreneurship  in  particular  (for  example  IFS  –  International  Entrepreneur 
Association in Sweden). Ester is also present on social media (Facebook and Instagram), and one of the 
founders  has  a  blog  referring  to  the  activities.  Based  on  this,  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  online 
coverage is satisfactory. In addition, awareness raising is conducted at the local level through existing 
associations  with  relevant  activities/target  groups,  as  well  as,  through  the  Swedish  Employment 
Agency  and  SFI  schools  (Swedish  for  foreigners  –  language  training  provided  by  municipalities  in 
Sweden  to  all  immigrants).  Awareness  raising  activities  are  considered  effective  and  there  is  a 
significant  interest  in  the  training  activities.  In  particular,  participants  have  been  recruited  through 
word of mouth, informal networks and contacts, as well as dissemination through relevant community 
organisations. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The  services  and  information  about  the  services  are  provided  in  Swedish  only.  However,  an 
information folder has been created for marketing purposes and is available in English and Arabic.186 
Language training is not provided by the Ester Foundation as this is provided to all immigrants through 
the  municipalities.  However,  as  mentioned  in  the  above  sections,  language  cafes  are  organised  to 
practice  language  skills  with  native  and  migrant  entrepreneurs.  Furthermore,  interviews  with 
beneficiaries have reported that while the language used is Swedish, the groups of participants are 
small  and,  therefore,  support  can  be  provided  and  concepts  explained  by  other  participants  and 
trainers in English where needed.  

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
Thescheme started out as a project for integration methods and was initially supported by the Swedish 
Agency  for  Economic  and  Regional  Growth  and  the  Region  of  Skåne.  It  has  then  been  working 
successfully, and was fully implemented in, and supported by, the city of Helsingborg in the south of 
Sweden.  In  addition  to  skills  in  entrepreneurship  and  integration  on  the  labour  market,  the 
participating  women  are  gaining  a  number  of  skills  and  strengthening  their  personalities  and 
confidence through the training course which also aims to build personal leadership.  

186 Ester Foundation, information folder, 

http://www.stiftelsenester.se/uploads/1/6/2/8/16282646/folder_ester_hbg_23_aug_2014_eng_web.pdf . 

180 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
During  the  period  2012-2016  (May),  21  women  had  completed  the  programme,  divided  in  five 
different groups. In total 11 companies were set up, i.e. more than 50%. 10 of the 11 companies that 
were established in that period are still running (the one which closed down was due to a return to 
training by the beneficiary). Since the project became financed by Helsingborg City, four out of five 
course  participants  have  started  companies  (80%).  In  addition  to  the woman  leading  the  business, 
three of the companies have one employee hired (per hour where needed), and one company has a 
full-time employee on a permanent contract. In addition, one of the new companies has a trainee. 
Furthermore, 80%  of the course  participants  are  no longer dependent on economic state  benefits. 
They either work, study, or make a living from the business they set up. Based on these statistics, the 
impacts  resulting  from  this  scheme  are  considered  important  both  in  terms  of  business  creation, 
integration and economic independence of the course participants. 

According to the service providers, the future objective is to have five companies started for every 7-
8 course participants (about 62% compared to the current 50%). 

In addition to skills in entrepreneurship and integration on the labour market, it has been reported 
that the participating women are gaining a number of skills and strengthening their personalities and 
confidence  throughout  the  training  course.187  Finally,  the  foundation  has  been  nominated  for  two 
national awards regarding entrepreneurship initiatives.188 

Challenges  
One challenge that has been identified is the difficulty to find committed mentors for the mentorship 
activities. In addition, as this service occurs in stage 2 and 3 of the training course, the participants are 
generally  stronger  and  more  confident  compared  to  the  initial  phase.  Therefore,  if  they  are  not 
satisfied with the support provided by the mentor they feel sufficiently confident to speak up and ask 
to  change  the  mentor  in  order  to  have  a  mentorship  relation  that  they  can  benefit  from.189  As  a 
consequence,  the  Ester  Foundation  is  working  to  further  improve  the  matching  procedures  and 
identification of committed mentors. 

Another challenge relates to raising awareness and visibility. While relevant institutions are used for 
spreading  the  word  about  the  activities  (Swedish  Employment  Agency,  social  services  etc.),  the 
potential participants often lack confidence in these authorities. Therefore, the service providers have 
provided  information  and  advice  to  social  assistance  providers  to  enable  them  to  market  Ester’s 
activities in a successful way. This has been done by bringing in successful participants that can inform 
the social workers about the needs of these women. Currently, about 50% of the participants come 
from contacts through other participants.190 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The individualised and holistic approach of this scheme is important. Interviews reported that there is 
nothing that the Ester Foundation would not assist with where the participants need help, including 

187 Interview  with beneficiaries  carried out in  May 2016; interview  with service  providers,  carried out in  April 

2016. 

188 Ester website, http://www.stiftelsenester.se/nyheter.html . 
189 Interview with service providers, carried out in April 2016. 
190 Interview with service providers, carried out in April 2016. 

181 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
more  personal  problems  to  anything  related  to  entrepreneurship.  This  was  further  highlighted  in 
interviews with beneficiaries.191 The collaboration with different partners through formal and informal 
networks is also of great importance. Such collaboration also enables funding provision both through 
the microcredit system set up, and through the Swedish Employment Agency which provides a start-
up grant. 

However, in cases where assistance is not available in-house,  bridging to other services, experts or 
professionals is ensured.  

Replicability 
The project is replicable and it is currently being discussed whether to start similar schemes in Malmo 
and Stockholm. What is key for the replicability is the collaboration with the financial institutions that 
are  crucial  to ensure  the  financial  support.  Furthermore,  access  to  a  network  and  the  provision  of 
service providers with the right background both in terms of skills and contacts, are crucial.  

Testimonial – course participant 2015-2016: 

191 Interview with beneficiaries, carried out in May 2016. 

182 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Sources 

Literature list 
  MIPEX 

Index 

2015: 

Policy 

(2015). 

Migrant 

Integration 

Sweden. 
http://www.mipex.eu/sweden.Mikrofinans  och  foretagande  bland  utsatta  grupper  I  region 
Skåne, 
2011, 
Ester, 
http://utveckling.skane.se/siteassets/publikationer_dokument/mikrofinans_och_foretagand
e_forstudie_20120211.pdf. 
Information 
http://www.stiftelsenester.se/uploads/1/6/2/8/16282646/folder_ester_hbg_23_aug_2014_
eng_web.pdf.  
Information 
http://www.stiftelsenester.se/uploads/1/6/2/8/16282646/broschyr_ester.pdf. 

leaflet. 

leaflet. 

 

 

  Dagens 

samhalle. 

http://www.stiftelsenester.se/uploads/1/6/2/8/16282646/ds_nominering.pdf.  

  Strategy  on  equality  and  entrepreneurship  2015-2020.  Swedish  Agency  for  Economic  and 
Growth. 
Regional 
http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/download/18.616dceef1493ce03c8e23a24/1443039665100/Str
ategi+f%C3%B6retagsfr%C3%A4mjande+p%C3%A5+lika+villkor.pdf. 

  Mikrolån stöttar svenska småföretag, 11 June 2015, Sydsvenska dagbladet (local newspaper) 

List of interviews 

Lena Andersson - project leader, Ester Foundation 

 
  Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth 
 
Ladachart Punyaratabandhu - Final beneficiary 
 
Jamila El-Halah - Final beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: lena@stiftelsenester.se  
Website: http://www.stiftelsenester.se/  

183 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. FAIE (France) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 

Country (region/municipality): 

Implementation period: 

Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Favoriser, Accompagner les Initiatives Économiques (FAIE) 
(Facilitate and Accompany the Economic Initiatives) 

Organisme Asmoune 

Not-for-profit organisation 

(Île  de  France,  Midi  Pyrénées,  Languedoc-Roussillon, 

France 
Dunkerque) 
The  FAIE  project  was  implemented  between  2011  and  2012.  The 
activities  developed  during  the  project  are  ongoing  (the  partner 
organisations keep on implementing them). 
Networking,  Individual  Business  Support,  Mentoring,  Language  and 
Cultural Sensitivity 
In the period 2011 - 2012: €159,300 (€86,800 from ESF, €30,000 from 
Ministry  for  Overseas  Territories  and  Immigration,  €42,500  auto-
financing). After 2012, the Regional Council of Île de France provides 
funds. 
FAIE  specifically  targets  low-skilled  migrants  from  North  Africa.  In 
particular,  the  measure  applies  a  research-action  approach  that 
favours the needs assessment through survey and adjustment of the 
service. The measure also provides an effective supporting mentorship 
programme that involves heads of companies to help visibility of the 
business  and  get  clients.  The  intervention  can  also  count  on  a  well-
established network of partners including large migrants network and 
on qualified personnel that are trained on cultural diversity and use 
migrants’ native languages.  

Overview 

National context 
About  one  quarter  of  France's  population  (around  21  million)  has  an  immigrant  background.  The 
country also has a large population of second generation immigrants. Two thirds of its foreign-born 
population comes from countries outside of the European Union.192 

Initiatives targeting migrant entrepreneurs, tend to address a precise migrant subgroup (for example, 
migrants coming from a specific geographic area, low-skilled migrants, etc.). FAIE belongs to this type 
of initiatives, focusing its efforts on low-skilled migrants from North Africa. 

Objectives 
FAIE has its roots in a previous project implemented between 2009 and 2010, that aimed to support 
business initiatives and training workshops. The project brought to light the fragility of migrants’ start-
ups and their difficulties in carrying out projects because of the lack of tailored support. FAIE aims at 
changing  this  attitude  with  two  main  goals.  The  first  is  to  develop  the  professionalisation  of  the 
advisers in migrant business creation and the second goal is to contribute to the setting up of a service 
and support platform to strengthen the creation and development of enterprises founded by migrants 

192 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: France. http://www.mipex.eu/france. 

184 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
from North Africa and with a low level of qualification (through the provision of information, tutoring 
and mentoring).  

Strengths 
In contrast to other programmes, FAIE applies a positive discrimination to better address the target 
audience, taking into account specific needs and/or differences. This emphasis on a specific group of 
migrants enables the scheme to perform well in several domains. The scheme organises a number of 
networking activities to support migrants in establishing their own contact networks with a number of 
differing stakeholders. These  relations contribute to migrants’ personal and business  development. 
The  scheme  offers  mentoring  with  high-level  professionals  who  provide  their  experience  to  the 
starting migrant entrepreneurs. 

Figure 19: Benchmarking of FAIE 

Implementation 

Activities  
FAIE is an ESF193 funded project that combines a national and cross-national dimension. The project 
participants  came  from  several  EU  countries,  namely  France,  Italy,  Romania,  Spain,  Greece  and 
Portugal. In France, FAIE developed several services, in order to meet one of its main objectives which 
was  to  help  North  African  participant  with the  creation  of their  business.  The  core  features  of the 
services implemented in France are described below. 

The  not-for-profit  organisation  Asmoune  that  coordinates  the  FAIE  project  is  really  active  in 
networking activities, such as organising events, as well as conferences during which it is possible for 
migrants  to  establish  contacts  with  professionals,  including  the  ones  working  in  chambers  of 

193 European Social Fund. 

185 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
commerce or business associations and able to contribute to migrants’ business project developments. 
For  instance,  these  and  other  organisations  have  stands  at  the  organised  events  and  migrants  can 
directly  ask  questions to  the  experts.  Additionally,  several opportunities  of  networking  are  created 
mainly  to  meet  other  migrant  entrepreneurs.  The  FAIE  approach  is  that  it  is  important  to  show 
migrants  the  successful  cases  to  encourage  them  to  engage  in  creating  a  business  activity.  One 
example is the event (forum) that takes place at the end of 2016 for migrant businesses creators and 
owners.  The  idea  is  to  generate  an  opportunity  for  exchanges  between  migrant  entrepreneurs, 
professionals  and  other  business  leaders.  The  events  planned  also  take  into  account  the  current 
economic situation, for instance, one event is dedicated to migrant business creation in the context of 
the financial crisis in Europe. This forum mobilises experts and migrant testimonials. Other than events, 
migrants  can  also  profit  from  Asmoune’s  extended  network  that  includes  partner  organisations 
Boutique Gestion PaRIF194, COFRIMI195 (Toulouse), CEFIR196 Dunkerque, AETE197 (Montpellier), public 
institutions (Regional Council Île-de-France), NGOs active in social matters, OPCA198, and many others. 

Individual business support is another core service available for migrants. One-to-one assistance to 
develop and implement their project, advice on risk taking, as well as support for a provisional budget 
and business plan are provided. Asmoune is very flexible with its activities to meet the needs of the 
beneficiaries and offers its services also during evenings and on Saturday mornings. Furthermore, a 
partner  organisation  -  the  Maison  de  l'  Entreprenauriat  (House  of  Entrepreneurship)199  -  groups 
together migrants that want to undergo similar business activities (for example by sectors) to explain 
them the common risks and those related to that particular sector.  

These services are complemented by a mentoring programme. Heads of companies, who have first-
hand business experience, help the migrant entrepreneurs’ new activity to get visibility and to facilitate 
contacts with suppliers and/or clients. The matching between the mentee and mentor is based on the 
needs of the migrant entrepreneur. The main factor in choosing the mentor is the sector of activity. 
There must be a correspondence between the new business to be created and the sector in which the 
mentor is operating/is experienced in. The aim is to have a dynamic relationship. Asmoune encourages 
the migrants to be proactive. However, this depends on the personality of the different individuals 
involved. There is no determined length/frequency of the mentoring, it is left up to the mentor and 
mentee to decide the practical side of the mentorship. 

In addition to these central activities, migrants can benefit from basic information and referral on legal 
and regulatory issues. Entrepreneurs are redirected to legal experts200 to receive exhaustive advice. In 
this case, Asmoune opts for the mobilisation of mainstream instruments to avoid the creation of a 
"ghetto" service for the migrants and encourages them to use all the services set up by the French 
state or by professional organisations. 

194 Organisation that supports the creation of business in the region (Ile de France). 
195 Organisation that gives advice and training on cultural sensitivity, intercultural relation and migration. 
196 Organisation aiming to offer migrants and their children training opportunity to ensure their place in society. 
197 Association Euro-Méditerranéenne pour le Travail et les Échanges (Euro-Mediterranean Association for Job 

and Trade) is active in training, support to business creation and international cooperation. 

198 Organisation active in training. 
199 The Maison de l'Entreprenauriat is an organisation dedicated to support entrepreneurs and its staff is expert in 

these matters. 

200 Asmoune suggests which experts the migrants should contact. 

186 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Moreover, the group of migrants targeted is often quite well aware of Islamic finance provisions, but 
Asmoune also informs about other types of financing opportunities (for example ADIE201 opportunities 
of microcredit, donations from foundations and competitions202). Less efforts are directed at banking 
possibilities because microcredit is considered a more suitable way to fund the types of projects these 
groups  of  migrants  want  to  implement.  Additionally,  migrants  who  have  disabilities  can  receive 
support in the application phase with drafting of the cover letter and the provisional budget for the 
project for getting funds from specialised organisations, namely Agefiph203. 

Through  the  Maison  de  l'  Entreprenauriat,  FAIE  tried  to  share  facilities  (for  example  buying  a 
photocopier machine for migrants to co-use) but the initiative was not successful due to a lack of funds 
and time. In Paris, the Boutique Gestione (that is part of the network) provides a co-working space. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
FAIE  specifically  targets  North  African  migrant  entrepreneurs  and  attaches  a  great  importance  to 
language  and  cultural  sensitivity  in  developing  its  services.  Therefore,  the  advisers  speak  Arabic, 
Berber, French which are the most common languages spoken by the targeted population. The written 
materials are in French, but really simple and basic words are used. In addition, the organisation also 
provides business French classes, which are useful to ensure that the migrant entrepreneurs reach a 
proficient level to communicate with clients and suppliers. Moreover, the staff attend seminars on 
intercultural  sensitivity  and  psychology.  An  important  part  of  the  FAIE  project  is  dedicated  to  the 
professionalisation of the trainers and advisers, thus this emphasis is a quite natural consequence. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
FAIE  took  advantage  of  ESF  funding  (Regional  Competitiveness  and  Employment  -  Innovative 
Transnational  Actions).  This  has  provided  a  good  opportunity  for  the  partners  from  different  EU 
countries204  to  brainstorm  together  and  produce  tools  and  working  methods  in  a  dynamic 
experimental approach. This experimental approach would probably have not been funded by solely 
national funds since they tend to finance more consolidated projects. Between 2011 and 2012 FAIE 
contributed to the professionalisation of 80 advisers (55 in Languedoc and 25 in Île de France) and to 
the support of 90 migrants (60 in Languedoc and 30 in Île de France). As mentioned before, thanks to 
the  project,  various  tools  were  created  such  as  guides  and  audio  visuals  to  support  the  potential 
entrepreneurs and the trainers/advisers. These tools are still employed by around 12 organisations. 

Moreover, around 50% of the businesses created were still running after one year.205 However, for 
those who closed down their business, the entrepreneurship experience helped to find a job easily as 
they were more informed about the market and had a better knowledge of business topics, thus having 

201 ADIE (Association pour le Droit à l’Initiative Economique - Assotiation for the right to economic initiative) is 

an association focused mainly on microcredit and small projects. 

202 Interview with beneficiary. 
203  Agefiph  (Association  de  Gestion  du  Fonds  pour  l'Insertion  Professionnelle  des  personnes  Handicapées  - 
Association  for  the  management  of  the  funds  for  the  employability  of  disabled  people)  supports  disabled 
people to get a job. 

204 France, Italy, Romania, Spain, Greece and Portugal. 
205 Interview with Asmoune representative. This is an estimation, but there is no systematic data collection. 

187 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
a competitive advantage vis-a-vis other migrants that had not received any kind of support. This is also 
true for migrants who just participated in activities related to their project development, even if they 
have never finalised their projects. Even if FAIE is not officially monitoring the results of their activities, 
it is really attentive to the effectiveness of its services. Migrants have been involved in the set-up of 
the  services  by  giving  their  opinions  through  a  survey  and  constant  comparisons  with  effective 
schemes in other EU countries have been made. Migrants’ needs are taken into account and, when it 
is possible, considering also funding constraints, the services are adapted accordingly. For this reason, 
between 2011 and 2012 a survey was conducted with a twofold objective: 
a)  Check/validate the path and actions that FAIE had already started to implement; and 
b)  Involve the migrants and shape together the offer of services/actions to better match their needs 

(needs assessment). 

Some  examples  of  the  results  of  the  survey  and  “corrective/improving”  actions  taken  by  FAIE  are 
mentioned below: 

  The possibility to meet peers through discussion meetings on topics such as marketing, local 
economic development, participation at breakfasts and dinners and especially the presence of 
experts is welcomed by the migrants (and especially women).  

  Migrants  expressed  an  interest  in  meeting  heads  of  companies  and  the  mentorship 

programme has been the answer to this request. 

  With reference to questions on equipment and facilities, the migrants’ response rate was low, 
however, migrants expressed interest in services related to copier machines, computers and 
the internet. This issue of shared copier machines was addressed by FAIE, but due to a lack of 
time and funds the initiative was not successful. Considering that it was not a priority for the 
migrants, there has not been a second trial. 

FAIE is not only a good example of support adjusted to migrants’ needs but also of mutual learning 
among  EU  countries.  Since  FAIE  is  an  ESF-funded  project  involving  cross-national  collaboration,  it 
benefits from an exchange of ideas and of effective examples of schemes that are already working 
quite  well  in  the  other  EU  countries  involved  in  the  project,  namely  France,  Italy,  Romania,  Spain, 
Greece and Portugal. In general, each country had to apply a different approach to achieve the same 
objectives due to a different migration history (for example presence of colonies, etc.) and a variegated 
presence of migrant groups. In addition, due to national company laws and regulations, it has been 
impossible to generalise the information provided to migrants, so they have to be country specific. 
However,  this  was  not  a  reason  to  impede  a  positive  exchange  of  ideas  and  good  practices.  For 
example, French law does not provide for a co-operative-type of organisation, as is the case in Italy. 
Nonetheless, Asmoune and the French partners built on the essence of the inspiring spirit of Italian co-
operatives, to develop an initiative. Migrant entrepreneurs (fruit and vegetables retailers) gathered 
together in groups of 3/4 people and organised trips, using just one truck, to source the fruit from a 
wholesale market in Barcelona. This allowed them to decrease their procurement costs as wholesale 
prices  in  Spain  were  cheaper  than  in  Montpellier  and  the  use  of  a  shared  means  of  transport  was 
economically advantageous. 

Challenges  
In general, after having set up the services between 2011 and 2012, the main challenge was to find the 
funds to keep on providing the services. Asmoune successfully finds coverage from different sources 

188 

 
 
 
 
 
depending on the service. For instance, DIRECCTE206 and Pole Emploi207 (public organisations) finance 
the  activities  that  support  the  creation  of  businesses,  thus  allowing  the  replication  of  successful 
activities set up between 2011 and 2012. The Regional Council of Île de France finances the training 
and professionalisation of advisers. For other actions, since there is no specific public funding, NGOs 
are  involved  to mobilise  volunteers,  for example,  for  mentoring.  New  partnerships  have  also  been 
established and consolidated partnerships continue to operate. 

With reference to contextual challenges, in the first years of the initiative, the economic crisis was a 
relevant factor that could hinder FAIE’s positive effect, for example, the survival of businesses could 
have  been  very  limited.  Nonetheless,  the  individual  business  (and  moral)  support  provided  by  the 
advisers,  their  targeted  suggestions  and  their  efforts  to  prepare  in  advance  the  entrepreneurs  for 
potential difficulties was crucial for the entrepreneurs’ successes despite the crisis.208 

Conclusions  

Key success factors 
The  services  developed  by  FAIE  offer  a  coherent  set  of  targeted  measures  for  a  specific  group  of 
migrants (low-skilled Northern Africans). Due to this precise target, language and cultural sensitivity 
has  been  one  of  the  key  success  factors.  The  use  of  migrants’  native  languages  and  the  staff’s 
participation in seminars on intercultural sensitivity and psychology are definitely the main reasons. In 
addition to this horizontal dimension that has positive repercussions especially on individual business 
support, other activities performed really well. During events and conferences migrants can establish 
contacts  with  professionals,  chambers  of  commerce,  business  associations  and  successful  migrant 
entrepreneurs  through  networking.  One-to-one  assistance  on  various  themes,  for  example, 
implementation of project, risk taking, provisional budget or business plan, is provided at a convenient 
time for the beneficiaries, during evenings and on Saturday mornings. This is complemented by small 
support group divided, for example, by sectors of activity. 

Mentors with first-hand experience are involved (heads of companies in the same sector) in raising 
migrants’ businesses visibility and to find clients/suppliers. In addition, basic information is provided 
on  legal  and  regulatory  issues,  access  to  finance  and  facilities  provision.  In  case  migrants  need 
exhaustive  advice,  they  are  redirected  to  experts  in  the  particular  field.  However,  this  choice  was 
deliberately constructed to avoid a “ghetto” service and to encourage migrants to use services already 
available for the mainstream population. 

Asmoune never missed an opportunity to reinvest results and findings from previous projects and has 
been able to give continuity to the services set-up during FAIE’s initial experimental phase, by finding 
other  sources  of  financing.  The  organisations  involved  keep  on  implementing  the  services,  but 
improving and adapting them to the local/regional/national context 

206 Directions régionales des entreprises, de la concurrence, de la consommation, du travail et de l'emploi (Regional 

directorates of enterprises, competition, consumption, jobs and employment). 

207 Public Employment Service. 
208 Interview with beneficiary. 

189 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The cross-national dimension of the ESF stimulated a positive exchange of schemes and experiences 
among  organisations  coming  from  different  EU  countries.  FAIE’s  approach  couples  the  support  of 
migrant  entrepreneurs  with  the  support  of  trainers  and  advisers,  by  developing  their 
professionalisation and skills. FAIE focuses its efforts on activities in which migrants need more tailored 
and specific support, thus taking into account their cultural and language diversity, but at the same 
time in other dimensions, for example in access to finance, it encourages the migrants to make use of 
mainstream instruments. 

Replicability 
The  tools  such  as  guides  and  audio-visual  materials  produced  by  FAIE  are  still  used  by  at  least  12 
organisations. Other institutions active in the field of entrepreneurship, but not specifically targeting 
migrants,  are  using  the  guides  created  by  the  project  because  of  their  simple,  clear  and  straight-
forward  approach.  Therefore,  at  least  partial  replicability  would  be  possible  through  translation  of 
these documents. 

Testimonial – beneficiary 2016: 

190 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Literature list 

Sources 

  Asmoune, Resume du projet - La lutte contre les discriminations par l’appui à la création 

d’activité par les migrants et les publics fragilisés 

  Actions Innovantes et Transnationales -Projet Entreprendre Quand Même -ASMOUNE-AETE –
CEFIR –BG PaRIF12, D’ACTIVITELES 10 CLES POUR CREER, UN GUIDE POUR LES CRÉATEURS 
D’ACTIVITE 

  Asmoune, Favoriser et Accompagner les Initiatives Économiques, Projet d’expérimentation 
d’une plateforme de services destinée aux porteurs de projets et créateurs d’entreprises 
migrants - UNE MAISON DE L’ENTREPRENEURIAT 

  ASMOUNE-AETE –CEFIR –BG PaRIF12, CONSEILLER CONSEILLERE en CRÉATION et REPRISE 
d’ENTREPRISE Intervenant(e) dans l’accompagnement de publics migrants maghrébins  

  Asmoune, Favoriser, Accompagner les Initiatives Économiques, Modules de 

professionnalisation proposés 

  Asmoune, UNE MAISON DE L’ENTREPRENEURIAT-Resultats Enquetes 
  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: France. http://www.mipex.eu/france. 

List of interviews 

  Bassou BENYOUCEF – Director, Organisme Asmoune 
  Ahmed HMIMOU, Beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: asmoune.bb@wanadoo.fr  
Websites:  

  http://www.grdr.org/IMG/pdf/programmecolloque-vf-65310.pdf  
  http://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/creation_entreprise_par_immigres_apce.pdf  
  http://www.academia.edu/12079026/La_cr%C3%A9ation_dactivit%C3%A9_par_les_personn
es_%C3%A9trang%C3%A8res_et_immigr%C3%A9es_un_levier_dint%C3%A9gration_et_de_c
roissance_pour_la_France  

  http://bge-parif.com/sites/bge/accueil.html  
  http://www.cefir.fr/  
  http://www.aete.fr/  
  http://www.proyectosites-scout.complejoideal.com/nav/noticias/noticia_0001.html  
  http://www.ciofs-fp.org/fr/partenaires-et-projets/projets-europeens/  

191 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. RAISE (Serbia) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 

Main activity/dimension: 

Ruralna i poljoprivredna integracija u podržavajućoj okolini 
(Rural and Agricultural Integration within a Supportive Environment - 
RAISE) 

NGO Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac (Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac) 

Non-governmental organisation 

Serbia 
January 2009  - January 2011  (RAISE) &  January 2011  - January 2013 
(RAISE 2). 
Access to Finance 

Funding: 

Private donors including UniCredit Foundation & UniCredit Bank. 

Summary: 

A  multi-faceted,  labour  and  resource  intensive  approach  to  socio-
economic integration of refugees  which  combined provision of rural 
housing  with  business  development  training,  psycho-social  support 
and access to finance. 

Overview 

National context 
Since  the 1990s, Serbia has been the  largest recipient  of refugees and internally-displaced persons 
(IDPs) from conflicts across the former Yugoslav Republic. In 2015, the number of refugees and IDPs 
residing in Serbia stood at around 240,000 individuals (around 3.5 % of the country's population).209 
The  country's  legislative  and  strategic  framework  recognises  refugees  and  IDPs  as  one  of  its  most 
vulnerable  population  groups.  Provision  of  permanent  housing  solutions  and  creation  of  self-
employment opportunities have been identified as key support measures to empower the refugees 
and IDPs economically and to successfully integrate them into local communities across the country. 

Objectives 
The  RAISE  project  was  initiated  to  integrate  IDP  and  refugee  households  into  rural  communities 
throughout  Serbia.  The  project  supported refugee and IDP families  residing in collective  centres  to 
start up small businesses in rural environments, primarily in agriculture, livestock and handicraft. The 
aim of the initiative was to resolve these households’ challenges of housing and economic dependency 
on the state and charitable organisations. The project’s two key objectives were to provide support 
and continuous one-to-one mentoring in order to develop sustainable agribusinesses for beneficiaries, 
and to provide social integration assistance and socio-psychological support to the beneficiaries during 
their transition from collective housing to independent living.210  
Strengths 
The  RAISE  project  included  a  variety  of  measures  to  support  migrant  entrepreneurship.  The 
beneficiaries became owners of rural households from which they launched agribusinesses. They also 

209 Based on the June 2015 data from the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, 

http://www.kirs.gov.rs/articles/onama.php?lang=SER. 

210 RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2009 – 15th January 2011), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 

192 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
received the tools needed to start their businesses, such as irrigation equipment. Individual business 
support was provided by agronomists who were allocated to the beneficiary households on one-to-
one basis. Beneficiary families received on-the-spot training on how to grow their crops, breed animals 
or  produce  crafts,  and  they  had  continuous  personal  contact  with  their  advisers  throughout  the 
duration of the project. Support by psychological counsellors in order to facilitate the beneficiaries’ 
socio-psychological integration into local communities was also a key project component. The project 
was designed so that the beneficiaries had regular, weekly, contact with both their business mentors 
and counsellors. The project’s networking component was also exceptionally strong, because project 
implementers  liaised  with  the  local  authorities,  neighbours  and  local  NGOs  in  order  to  ensure 
smoother integration of beneficiaries into their local communities. 

Figure 20: Benchmarking of the Rural and Agricultural Integration within a Supportive Environment - RAISE 

(Language sensitivity)

FACILITIES PROVISION

RAISE

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

LEGAL AND REGULATORY
ADVICE

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

MENTORING

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
A key characteristic of the RAISE project is its multi-faceted approach to the socio-economic integration 
of refugees, both in terms of the number of stakeholders it involved and the number of measures it 
implemented in order to support its beneficiaries. 

The  financing  structure  of  the  project,  which  relied  on  individual  philanthropic  and  corporate 
donations,  determined  the  implementer’s  approach  to  project  visibility.  Because  of  the  celebrity 
profile of the organisation’s founder (Vlade Divac is a former Serbian basketball player and one of the 
most  successful  NBA  players  of  all  time),  raising  awareness  was  geared  towards  reaching  out  to 
corporate and diasporic communities through charity events where individual success stories about 
the integration of people displaced by the Yugoslav wars could be presented. This approach attracted 

193 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
substantial  funding  for  the  project,  which  allowed  for  the  implementation  of  a  number  of 
complementary measures to the core activity of access to finance for agribusiness start-ups.211 

The selection of beneficiaries relied on a large network of stakeholders. The Foundation Ana and Vlade 
Divac partnered with two local NGOs who had direct field experience with the target population. They 
then jointly trained Integration Outreach Officers (IOOs), who were paid social work professionals or 
psychologists rather than volunteers. IOOs screened potential beneficiaries from the collective refugee 
centres  via  introductory  personal  contact.  They  assessed  whether  the  applicants  had  realistic 
expectations from the  project and whether they were  physically and emotionally ready to become 
economically independent. The final selection of beneficiaries was made by the IOOs. RAISE supported 
a total of 100 families, while  RAISE 2 supported  additional 28 families. IOOs then worked with the 
selected  beneficiaries  on  an  individual  basis  in  order  to  develop  their  customised  RAISE  plans  and 
provide them with social transition assistance and socio-psychological counselling. 

The project relied on local authorities and the existing infrastructure of local ombudsmen for refugees 
(established  after  the  Yugoslav  wars)  in  order  to  support  the  integration  of  families  into  their  new 
environments. It did not rely on the refugee/IDP communities and their leaders because they wanted 
to take the families out of the collective centres where they were together with other refugees and 
integrate them into new environments with predominantly local populations.212 

As an initial activity, community orientation was given to each beneficiary household. This included 
informing them how to claim their rights in the areas of social security, employment and healthcare, 
and  how  to obtain  documents.  Facilitating  access  to  social  security  would  have  been  a  particularly 
important component of this effort, because Serbia has a generally low take up of social assistance 
due to administrative barriers associated with it, especially in rural areas.213 Furthermore, community-
based resources such as agricultural co-operatives, agricultural extension services, vocational training 
centres  and  employment  centres  were  identified  as  institutions  that  could  further  support  the 
households’ integration and provide supplementary sources of income to them. Apart from the formal 
support from municipal and national authorities and the civil society organisations, the beneficiaries 
were introduced to their neighbours, so that those neighbours could, for example, provide support 
services  such  as  childcare,  while  the  beneficiaries  were  working  on  the  establishment  of  their 
businesses.214 Also, a beneficiary reported additional guidance on pest management in her greenhouse 
from her neighbours who were in the same line of business.215 

Individual business support to the beneficiaries consisted of personal agronomists who were allocated 
to the  beneficiary  households. They provided advice and instructions for business  initialisation and 
development.  These  consultants  were  continually  monitoring  the  families  during  the  period  of  the 
project implementation so they could be considered to have also provided mentoring services. 

211 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 
212 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 
213 Arandarenko, M.,  Avlijas, S., Randjelovic, S., Vladisavljevic, M.  & J.  Zarkovic Rakic, (2013) “Simulating 
Policy Reform: Distributional and Poverty Outcomes of the New Social Welfare Law in Serbia”. In Ruggeri 
Laderchi C. and Savastano S. (eds.), “Poverty and Exclusion in the Western Balkans – New Directions in 
Measurement and Policy”, Springer. 

214 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 
215 Interview with final beneficiary Sanja Milić, carried out in May 2016. 

194 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The IOOs used an individualised approach with each beneficiary and they worked with beneficiaries 
on the ongoing problems that they had. They provided emotional support,  helped them overcome 
conflicts within the family, and did therapeutic work to moderate depressive moods, motivate family 
members,  and  increase  their  self-confidence  and  self-respect.  They  also  worked  on  helping  each 
household to set out specific goals for themselves, from how they envisaged their business to how 
they envisaged their socio-economic integration into the new community. Access to the consultants, 
as well as the IOOs was available throughout the duration of the project, as well as, up to two years 
after the project ended if it was perceived as necessary. 

The internet was not a relevant source of information because many areas of rural Serbia do not have 
landlines  or any internet  infrastructure. Personal contact was, therefore, the key way of conveying 
information to the beneficiaries, whether it came to legal and regulatory advice or to business training. 
Existing local resources, established by the National Commissariat for Refugees during the 1990s, such 
as the municipal ombudsmen for refugees, were relied upon in order to support integration of the 
beneficiaries.  While  the  ombudsmen  were  not  directly  involved  in  project  activities,  they  were 
familiarised with the initiative and were key points of contact at the municipal level for the families 
concerning all legal and administrative matters. This was especially the case before the families found 
and purchased their houses. Once they obtained housing, the ombudsmen continued to monitor their 
circumstances. 

In order to obtain a grant voucher of €2,000 to finance the launch of their businesses, the families 
developed business plans with the assistance of agronomists and IOOs, which the IOOs then presented 
to the RAISE Committee. The RAISE Committee consisted of permanent members of the UNHCR, the 
Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac, its two NGOs implementing partners, the Commissariat for Refugees 
of the Republic of Serbia and a non-voting member from the UniCredit Bank. The purpose of the Grant 
Committee was to assess each case individually in order to decide whether to issue the grant voucher. 
Apart from this grant voucher, families were actively encouraged to seek additional funding to expand 
their  businesses,  in  the  form  of  municipal  agricultural  subsidies  or  other  sources.  For  example,  a 
partner of the interviewed beneficiary  obtained an additional greenhouse from municipal funding, 
because  he  qualified  for  it  as  a  highly  unemployable,  vulnerable  individual.  This  allowed  them  to 
expand their business beyond the scope of the RAISE project.216  
The start-up grants were intentionally kept small in terms of scale and value, so that individual mentors 
could handle them. The key project objective was to offer tailored assistance and support in order to 
make  the beneficiaries, who were  not even paying their electricity during the years of living in the 
collective centres, economically and socially independent again.  

Concerning facilities provision, the beneficiaries were relocated from the collective refugee centres to 
rural houses which they purchased within the budget of €10,000. Additional construction material was 
also provided, as well as expert engineering assessments of the condition of existing properties prior 
to their purchase. The beneficiaries were taught how to run independent households after years of 
assisted living and their agribusinesses from these households. Provision of housing was identified as 
the key prerequisite for starting up an agribusiness, because this would not have been feasible from a 
collective centre or a social housing estate, even if the families had access to a plot of land. 

216 Interview with final beneficiary Sanja Milić, carried out in May 2016. 

195 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Language and cultural sensitivity 
Language sensitivity was not a component of the project since refugees from the former Yugoslavia 
speak the same language as the official language of the host country, Serbian. Nevertheless, the project 
provided  a  lot  of  support  to the  refugees’  successful  integration  into  their  new  communities,  both 
through  formal  and  informal  engagement  with  the  relevant  stakeholders,  as  well  as  through 
psychological support to the beneficiaries. 

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
The economic integration and status of beneficiary households improved substantially as a result of 
RAISE efforts. By the end of the RAISE project, 87% of the beneficiary households had monthly income 
which exceed the national absolute poverty line217 - 8,000 RSD218 per family member. Furthermore, 
44.5%  of  the  beneficiaries  assessed  their  material  status  at  the  end  of  the  project  as  ‘significantly 
better’  than  before  (they  increased  their  income  by  more  than  6,000  RSD  per  family  member  per 
month), while 38% viewed it as ‘quite better’ (they increased their income by between 3,000 and6,000 
RSD per family member per month). While 17.5% of the participants assessed that their material status 
was ‘slightly better’ (they increased their income by between 0 and 3,000 RSD per family member per 
month), none of the families reported a worse outcome than before they participated in the project.219 
An assessment of RAISE 2 showed slightly inferior results, which could be explained by the fact that 
these families were not selected in the first round of the project, meaning that this group had more 
challenging personal characteristics or more difficult circumstances.220 

Furthermore, all beneficiaries were assessed through a psychological test at the beginning and at the 
end  of  project  period.  100%  of  RAISE  beneficiaries  improved  their  performance  on  a  battery  of 
psychological tests that measured their satisfaction with their living circumstances. Their psychological 
condition improved once they received their rural house and moved out of the collective centre. After 
they started their business activity and increased their income, their psychological condition became 
even more stable. Furthermore, 100% of RAISE beneficiaries were participating in community activities 
such as social, cultural and sports clubs by the end of the project.221 Those families that did not improve 
their  financial  circumstances  substantially  also  reported  the  lowest  progress  on  psychological  and 
social integration dimensions of the evaluation.222 This suggests an important link between material 
success and emotional wellbeing, in particular for displaced persons. 

The evaluation and monitoring mechanism was in place whereby economic and psychological baseline 
data  was  gathered  for  all  participating  households.  At  the  end  of  the  period,  graduation  data  was 

217 All these families lived in collective refugee centres before, where they had free food and accommodation, and 
on rare occasions got small social assistance, up to €80 a month, which is way below the poverty line. They 
had no other sources of income, apart from occasional physical work, casual jobs on the black market, which 
were also paid way below the poverty line. Moving into their own homes and getting the start-up grants was 
a major change in their lifestyles. 

218 1,000 RSD (Serbian Dinars) is equivalent to approximately €8.   
219 RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2009 – 15th January 2011), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 
220 RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2011 – 15th January 2013), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 
221 RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2009 – 15th January 2011), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 
222 RAISE 2 project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2011 – 15th January 2013), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 

196 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
gathered and the differences were analysed in the final project report. Furthermore, IOOs and business 
consultants continually monitored their beneficiaries qualitatively and reported on their progress. 

Overall, the project was assessed as highly successful, particularly for its recognition that refugees and 
IDPs  require  more  intensive  individual  work  and  a  multidisciplinary  approach  to  their  social  and 
economic integration. 

Challenges 
While all of the families are considered fully socially integrated in their local communities, it was a long 
and painful process for many of them. Many beneficiaries moved to the rural house which was far 
away from the collective centre where they had lived before. They, therefore, had to integrate into an 
entirely  new  community.  The  low  educational  level  of  the  beneficiaries  (most  of  the  beneficiaries 
finished primary school only) and whether they came from the city or rural areas, were some of the 
other  obstacles  to  their  social  integration.  Their  social  integration  was  also  influenced  by  their 
prolonged residency in collective  centres, war traumas, cultural differences  between them and the 
local  population,  ill  health  of  family  members  and  bad  family  relationships.223  Although  the 
beneficiaries were selected through a detailed ex ante assessment of their circumstances, they still 
varied in their capacities and levels of enthusiasm and motivation to develop their agribusinesses. To 
overcome these challenges, the support and involvement of the IOOs, advisers and counsellors was 
crucial as they provided not only knowledge transfer but also helped participants overcome mental 
and personal obstacles. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
Key  performance  indicators  to  measure  the  quality  and  effectiveness  of  the  RAISE  project  were 
economic integration, psychological status and social integration of the beneficiaries. Ownership of a 
rural house was recognised as a prerequisite for entrepreneurial activities of the beneficiaries, because 
collective living in social housing and the so-called ghettoisation of these communities has shown to 
be an extreme impediment to their socio-economic integration.224 Another key success factor is that 
already  at  the  stage  of  project  design  the  refugees  and  IDPs  were  recognised  as  a  highly 
psychologically-vulnerable  group.  They,  therefore,  received  additional  support  to  build  their 
motivation and self-esteem in order to start believing that they can establish and run an economically 
sustainable household. Such support included psychological screening tests at the various stages of 
project implementation, as well as, regular visits by social workers and mental health professionals. 
Furthermore, the project had an extensive, already established, municipal infrastructure to rely on. 
The  National  Commissariat  for  Refugees  established  local  refugee  ombudsman  offices  across  the 
country  during  the  1990s,  which  supported  the  integration  of  RAISE  beneficiaries  into  the  wider 
community and supported their access to additional socio-economic entitlements. 

RAISE is the only initiative in Serbia (and the wider Western Balkans) that has focused on the economic 
integration  of  refugees  and  IDPs  in  a  holistic  fashion  through  paying  attention  to  the  various 
determinants of socio-economic inclusion, such as housing provision, mental and emotional wellbeing 

223 RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2009 – 15th January 2011), Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac. 
224 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 

197 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
and social integration within the host community. All of the components that satisfy a good practice 
for migrant entrepreneurship have been included into the RAISE project design. This is also reflected 
in  its  high  success  rate.  The  project’s  key  innovation  is  the  provision  of  psychological  support  to 
refugees  in  order  to  support  their  business  development  efforts,  and  their  integration  into  the 
local 
community.  Furthermore,  the  project  placed  a  strong  emphasis  on  networking  with 
organisations,  neighbours  and  local  authorities  in  order  for  their  beneficiaries  to  tap  into  as  many 
additional support services as they could. 

Replicability 
Given the growing problem of ageing and depopulation in rural areas across Europe, RAISE is a highly 
replicable  model  that  could  be  geared  towards  the  revival  of  rural  areas  and  food  production 
businesses.  The  fact  that  business  survival  rates  were  very  high,  despite  the  low  educational 
attainment and employability of the project’s beneficiaries indicates that this is an effective model for 
the socio-economic integration of the most vulnerable populations.  

Nevertheless,  this  is  an  expensive  project.  The  low  cost  of  rural  land  and  housing,  as  well  as 
professional  services  in  Serbia  allowed  for  a  very  labour  and  resource-intensive  project  design  and 
intensive engagement of agronomists, business consultants, social workers and psychologists. Such an 
integrated  approach  in  a  different  context  may  be  a  lot  costlier.  The  replicability  of  the  project’s 
financing model may also prove challenging in a different context. While corporate and philanthropic 
donors from Serbia and the diaspora donated a large amount of resources to support refugees and 
IDPs who fled to Serbia from Croatia and Kosovo during the 1990s, this support is yet to be replicated 
in  the  case  of  the  ongoing  refugee  and migration  crisis.  The  Ana  and  Vlade  Divac  Foundation  was, 
however, successful in obtaining funding from international charitable organisations and corporations 
in order to implement their activities to support migrants that have been passing through Serbia since 
2015.225  

While RAISE will not be implemented again in its current format, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation 
has been using some of their experiences from this project to more effectively respond to the ongoing 
migrant  crisis  in  the  region,  because  Serbia  is  one  of  the  key  transition  countries  for  many  of  the 
migrants en route to Western Europe. Their approach, however, has been modified to concentrate on 
the build up of transferable skills, as most of these people do not plan to stay in Serbia permanently. 
At the same time, having learned the value of psychological and therapeutic support for refugees from 
RAISE, the organisation is incorporating that component into all of their future activities focusing on 
the socio-economic empowerment of migrant populations.226  

225 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 
226 Interview with project implementers Maja Vranić and Marija Tomić, carried out in March 2016. 

198 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – course participant 2011-2013: 

“Getting the greenhouse was the most important, but all of the other support around it added even 
more value. Although our children will go to school, I really like that they will have something to fall 
back on if one day they are not able to find work. They would be able to make a living from this. 
This has been really good for us, in every sense, spiritually too. This has saved us.” 

Sanja is an ethnic Serb from Croatia. She initially fled to Serbia in 1995 at the age of 15. She went to Germany 
after a few years but she was deported in 2002 while pregnant. As a single refugee mother with low skills and 
without job prospects or a housing solution in the city, she qualified for RAISE in 2010 and obtained a rural 
house and a greenhouse for vegetable production. She participated in the project for two years. Since then, 
her  partner  obtained  an  additional  greenhouse  from  the  municipality  because  he  was  unemployed.  They 
recently managed to buy a car, which will allow them to expand the business and bring more produce to the 
market place than they were able to do on a bus. They now plan to expand into fruit production and they want 
to use the car to also transport their neighbours’ produce to the marketplace. In addition, she would like to 
obtain an organic produce certificate for her vegetables. 

199 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  RAISE project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2009 – 15th January 2011), Fondacija Ana 

i Vlade Divac 

  RAISE 2 project Final Narrative Report (15th January 2011 – 15th January 2013), Fondacija Ana 

i Vlade Divac 

  Arandarenko, M., Avlijas, S., Randjelovic, S., Vladisavljevic, M. & J. Zarkovic Rakic (2013). 

“Simulating Policy Reform: Distributional and Poverty Outcomes of the New Social Welfare 
Law in Serbia”. In Ruggeri Laderchi C. and Savastano S. (eds.). “Poverty and Exclusion in the 
Western Balkans – New Directions in Measurement and Policy”. Springer. 

List of interviews 

  Maja Vranić - Development manager, Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac   
  Marija Tomić - Project assistant, Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac 
  Sanja Milić - Final beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: hod@divac.com   

Website: http://fondacijadivac.org/Foundation-Ana--Vlade-Divac/632/RAISE-Project.shtml/nav_start  

200 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Kompass (Germany) 

Name of initiative:  

Kompass - Zentrum für Existenzgründung  
(Kompass – Centre for Entrepreneurship) 

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

Kompass Zentrum für Existenzgründungen GmbH 

Non-governmental organisation 

Germany (Frankfurt am Main) 
2000 - ongoing 
Individual Business Support 
Public 

Kompass  provides  comprehensive  support  to  start-ups  throughout 
their lifecycle through the 4+1 model. The practice provides a mapping 
tool  that  contains  all  start-up  resources  that  are  available  in  the 
Frankfurt area where the service is provided. 

Overview 

National context 
Since the 1960s, Germany has been one of Europe’s major destination countries for migrants. Migrant 
businesses employ 2.2 million people, which represents 18% of all jobs in owner-managed small- and 
medium-sized enterprises. In addition, they contribute to the internationalisation of SMEs. 

Due to the fact that Germany is federally organised and migrants are distributed very heterogeneously 
in  Germany,  a  vast  variety  of  different  initiatives  can  be  found  on  regional  (Land)  and  local  level 
(Kreise). The ‘Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Business Start-up Portal’ serves as a 
multilingual platform for information. In addition, initiatives on the regional level focus at least partially 
on migrant entrepreneurship.  Those initiatives are rather heterogeneous and target different aspects. 
Some initiatives focus on highly-qualified migrants, other initiatives focus on specific immigrant groups 
(migrants from Turkey, Serbia etc.) but mostly on migrants from traditional migrant destinations. 

Several  measures  are  adapted  to  the  needs  of  this  specific  population  meaning  that  the 
service/scheme, which was established initially for domestic entrepreneurs was slightly altered with 
migrant specific requirements and is offered in foreign languages, including specific information for 
migrants etc. 

Objectives 
The main objective of Kompass is to support entrepreneurs establishing successful businesses in the 
city of Frankfurt taking into account changing social and economic market conditions. Kompass does 
not only offer direct support but also contacts and is an active and pivotal member of the “Rhein-Main 
Network”. The aim is not to focus only on the start-up phase of enterprises, but to provide assistance 
over the entire lifecycle of start-ups. This includes the start-up simulation phase, the pre-start-up phase 
and  the  post-start-up  phase.  Guiding  principles  of  Kompass  are  to  foster  a  holistic  approach  to 
entrepreneurship support; to create an entrepreneurial spirit within regions of the Frankfurt area; to 
create new jobs and a lower unemployment rate; to provide equal entrepreneurship opportunities; to 

201 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
improve the competitiveness of the region – through self-employment and new firms; and to enable 
efficient use of public money for start-up support institutions. 

Strengths 
Kompass  is  a  well-established  institution  in  Frankfurt,  widely  known  among  its  target  group 
(unemployed, migrant community etc.), and recognised for its services not only by its (former) clients. 
It provides a wide range of services at different stages of the start-up process and their combination, 
tailor-made nature and access to the regional “Rhein-Main network” (consisting of more than a dozen 
local and regional institutions engaged in economic development at all levels including policymaking, 
industry  clusters,  banks,  universities,  employee  and  employer  associations,  and  chambers  of 
commerce) are accompanied by a highly knowledgeable and experienced team of staff.  
Overall Kompass’ success in the start-up support area can be attributed to its good practices including: 

Lifecycle support of the start-up (the 4+1 phase model explained below); 

- 
-  Network of transparent regional start-up resources (Mapping Tool); 
-  Competence assessment and gap identification (Profiling Tool); 
-  Networking start-ups for customers, suppliers, or potential partners – in local or international 

areas to make new connections; 

-  Affordable facilities for start-ups and small enterprises. 

Figure 21: Benchmarking of Kompass 

Implementation 

Activities  
Kompass’s activities are “founded on three pillars”: 

- 
- 

Start-up Support: Across genders, nationalities, professional backgrounds and ages; 
SME Support: Small and Medium Enterprises; 

202 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-  Consultation  and  training  projects  to  support  entrepreneurship  development  and  boost 

economic activity nationally and internationally. 

The start-up support is organised along the “Lifecycle Support – 4+1 Phase Model”, which refers to 
four phases of the start-up process and in addition the start-up simulation phase227: 

 

 

In the start-up simulation phase the aim is to approach potential entrepreneurs. Therefore, 
potential entrepreneurs are approached and contact is established (via events, media etc.). 
The  phase  also  includes  informing  about  the  required  steps  of  the  start-up  process  and 
regional resources. A “mapping tool” (transparent network of regional start-up resources) has 
been established for that. 
In  Phase  1  orientation  on  start-up  risks  and  opportunities  is  provided.  This  includes  the 
assessment of socio-economic competences, as well as, identification and advice on strengths 
and gaps of the business plan. A profiling tool has been developed for that purpose. Only after 
the successful completion of this phase, the next phase can be started. 

  Phase 2 is still part of the pre-start-up phase and concerns the support to acquire required 
training and qualifications. It also includes assistance in business and financial planning and 
preparation. A mapping tool with structured information relevant for this phase is available. 
Only after the successful completion of this phase, the next phase can be started. 

  Phase  3  concerns  the  post-start-up-phase.  It  includes  assistance  in  business,  tax  and  VAT 
registration, as well as, networking assistance along the value chain (suppliers, partners etc.). 
Phase 3 includes continuous coaching. 

  Phase  4  aims  at  supporting  business  growth  by  providing  ongoing  coaching,  support  in 
strategic planning and troubleshooting and networking assistance. A matching tool has been 
established for support in Phase 3 and 4. 

In addition to these core activities, Kompass is also involved in other relevant projects. This includes, 
for example, the project “Start-up workshop – Refugees take action” (Gründerwerkstatt – Flüchtlinge 
tun was) that offers refugees who already have professional experience or were self-employed before 
in their home-country the chance to start a career in Frankfurt and international projects like “BARTOK 
- strengthening counselling and empowerment of contact persons in the public business promotion” 
(BARTOK – Stärkung der Beratungs- und Handlungskompetenz von Ansprechpartnern der öffentlichen 
Wirtschaftsförderung). 

There are also activities for migrants who wish to establish an enterprise in their country of origin. The 
measure  is  called  “Business  Ideas  for  Development”.  Migrants  are  bridge  builders  between  their 
countries of origin and the countries in which they currently live  and work. With their skills, ideas, 
experience  and  contacts,  they  are  key  drivers  of  change  in  both  settings  and  contribute  to  the 
development  of  their  countries  of  origin.  Many  migrants  contribute  to  their  home  countries’ 

227 Tools have been developed for all four phases. For example, in the "entrepreneur check" in the first phase of the 
decision,  the  step  to  go  into  self-employment  is  assessed  based  on  the  potential  of  the  entrepreneur.  If  an 
enterprise  is  to  be  established,  additional  skills  are  required.  Phase  two  includes  specific  tools  to  support 
founders with their business plan (e.g. specific financial tools for trade, catering and services). This approach 
provides structure, accurate analysis of customers and markets and financial planning considerations, so that 
from  an  initial  concept,  an  independent,  successful  company  can  grow.  To  check  the  business  idea  on 
durability, Kompass provides a tool for the sustainability of the business idea that shows its opportunities and 
difficulties. The survival of the company is not the only focus, environmental and social standards are also 
discussed. 

203 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
development while living elsewhere. Kompass assists migrants to set up a business and build economic 
ties between countries, or promote cross-border scientific co-operation, or support friends and family 
by  sending  remittances.  A  significant  number  of  migrants  decide  at  some  point  to  return  to  their 
countries of origin on a temporary or permanent basis, which enables them to share their knowledge 
directly at the local level. 

Kompass  offers  a  wide  range  of  services  described  on  its  up-to-date  and  comprehensive  website. 
Kompass  organises  specific  events  with  partner  institutions  (for  example  technology  and  start-up 
centres),  addressing  specific  (potentially  underrepresented)  target  groups,  such  as  migrant 
communities from countries like Cameroon, via social media channels, using testimonials. These are 
all activities that contribute to raising the awareness and visibility of the initiative. 

Furthermore, access to Kompass’s network is provided for clients via the Kompass team. Kompass is a 
subsidiary  of  the  Frankfurt  Economic  Development  GmbH  and  thus  part  of  the  public  network  of 
institutions supporting business development in Frankfurt. It is part of the formal federal network of 
technology and start-up centres, has close contacts to financing institutions and to business education 
institutions and others. Additionally, legal and regulatory advice and relevant contacts are provided, 
especially after the pre-start-up orientation and planning phase. 

Kompass  also  offers  a  wide  range  of  services  in  different  phases  (the  4+1  Phase  Model)  such  as 
“Approach and Acquire”; “Orient and Assess”; “Plan and Qualify”; “Start and Implement”; or “Stabilise 
and  Grow”  (see  above)  through  individual  business support.  The  entire  range  of  business  areas  is 
included and this comprehensive, yet, tailored approach is an important factor for the effectiveness of 
the programme. 

A  wide  range  of  different  trainings  (entrepreneurial  education;  required  qualifications  for  specific 
businesses; business and financial planning; business, tax and VAT registration; networking; strategic 
planning, etc.) is available. Some are directly offered by Kompass, others by partner organisations (for 
example,  legal  requirements  to  run  a  company  or  hygiene  regulations  in  gastronomy).  The 
comprehensive approach is relevant as it makes sure a wide set of needs for (potential) entrepreneurs 
can be addressed. 

Moreover, mentoring is provided by former clients free of charge. Mentors are chosen in a way that 
their expertise matches the specific challenges each client faces. In addition, there are specific groups 
online,  including  current  and  former  clients,  that  do  not  offer  mentoring  but  complement  it  with 
informal advice and support. In a project oriented towards refugees, other migrants act as mentors. 

With reference to access to finance, Kompass co-operates with banks and public funding institutions 
and offers migrant entrepreneurs information about funding opportunities and contact information 
but also offers its own funds (Frankfurter Gründerfonds providing up to €50,000). Access to the funds 
is provided for some start-ups given their suitability.228 Kompass also offers facilities. It is located in a 
start-up  centre  where  start-ups  can  find  cheap  access  to  facilities  for  a  limited  time.  It  offers  four 
months of free facilities and after that access to cheap facilities and co-working spaces through the 

228 To receive funding from the Gründerfonds a viable business plan has to be submitted that is tested by Kompass. 
Founding location must be Frankfurt and the capital requirement must not exceed €50,000. Also it must be 
documented that the founder has no other standard collateral. 

204 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
start-up centre. It offers support to facilitate the acquisition/rent of facilities, supports finding a shop 
floor or workshop room, and/or helps with securing a contract with preferential rates. 

Language and cultural sensitivity  
Languages spoken by the Kompass staff are Spanish, Arabic, English, French, and German and have 
different cultural backgrounds. In cases other language skills are required, professional translators are 
used. 

Outcomes and results 

There are no specific target numbers of start-ups that have been/are supported by Kompass. However, 
the institution is highly successful. Since its establishment, it has been approached by 22,000 potential 
entrepreneurs and, given the systematic support in the start-up phase, the survival rate of businesses 
founded with the help of Kompass’s services is 80% after 5 years (compared to the national average of 
30% - 50%). Since its establishment, Kompass is has helped develop 5,000 start-ups in the Frankfurt 
region. 
A monitoring system is available to collect this information. Kompass is certified according to ISO 9008, 
and  information  is  collected  on  start-ups  that  have  a  proven  record  of  having  received  Kompass 
support. Kompass published a report in which the number of start-ups is collected every quarter. Every 
five years Kompass checks externally, how many of the founders are still on the market - often in the 
context of a master's thesis in co-operation with a university. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
Kompass  has  established  itself  as  a  well-respected  actor  in  Frankfurt’s  business  development 
ecosystem. The most direct indication of its success is the share of 97% of former clients that would 
recommend  Kompass’s  services.  Most  potential  entrepreneurs  come  to  Kompass  due  to  direct 
recommendations. 

From  the  Kompass’s  perspective,  one  important  success  factor  is  that  Kompass  avoids  clustering 
migrant  entrepreneurs  as  a  separate  group.  What  they  offer  is  a  start-up  support.  If  potential 
entrepreneurs  are  from  the  migrant  community  and  hence  facing  additional  challenges,  these  are 
addressed in the support process in a tailor-made, specific manner. 

Replicability 
To  discuss  replicability,  it  is  important  to  recall  the  core  institutional  setting  of  Kompass,  that  is 
required in order to replicate its activities: 

- 

- 
- 

Kompass is a subsidiary of the Frankfurt Economic Development GmbH and thus part of the 
public network of institutions in the field in Frankfurt.  
Kompass is also part of the formal federal network of technology and start-up centres. 
Kompass has close contacts to financing institutions, to business education institutions, etc.  

Therefore, the success of Kompass is reliant on a demanding institutional setting. However, the “4 +1 
Phase Model” and the corresponding tools have the potential to be replicated. The phases of the “4 
+1 Phase Model” can be considered generic and it would certainly be possible to establish comparable 

205 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
services also aiming at providing services for each of the phases.229 The tools are structured guidelines 
for the services (including thresholds) and are adapted to the specific context in Frankfurt and are, 
therefore, in general not directly replicable, however could be further adapted to fit various contexts. 

Kompass  has existed  for  more  than 15 years  and  has  constantly  been  developed  further  based on 
societal challenges, such as new wave of immigrants inducing adaptations of the tools or new projects, 
and additional requirements from entrepreneurs. 

Testimonial – Recipient of Kompass services in 2016: 

“I am currently a tenant and user of the incubator of Kompass Frankfurt. 
Kompass offers comprehensive in-house advisory services for the start-ups that 
I made extensive use of. I found the framework and the competence very 
gratifying and hope the services can be expanded in the future.” 

Andreas Illenseer 

229 The phases are: +1: Approach and Acquire; 1: Orient and Assess; 2: Plan and Qualify; 3: Start and Implement; 

4: Stabilize and Grow. 

206 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Kompass in a nutshell, Kompass 2015. 
  MIPEX (2015) Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Germany. 

http://www.mipex.eu/germany. 

List of interviews 

  Ellen Bommersheim - CEO Kompass 
  Testimonial: Andreas Illenser (information from website/leaflet) 

Contact details and website for the initiative 

Email: info@kompassfrankfurt.de  
Website: http://www.kompassfrankfurt.de  

207 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Canada – National Network of Economic Development and Employability (PEI) 

Name of initiative:  

Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation: 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Funding: 

Summary: 

IPE 

RDÉE 
Employability – Prince Edward Island) 

(National  Network  of  Economic  Development  and 

RDÉE (National Network of Economic Development and Employability) 

Non-governmental organisation 

Canada (Prince Edward Island) 
2000 - ongoing 

Business Training, Mentoring, Access to Finance, Facilities Provision 

RDÉE  IPE 
is  funded  through  federal,  provincial  grants  and  by 
Citizenship  and  Immigration  Canada  (a  branch  of  the  Federal 
government.) 
RDÉE  IPE  provides  highly  individualised  and  flexible  assistance  in  a 
broad range of areas. A primary contact is through a certified business 
counsellor  who  provides  one-to-one  tailored  services  formulated 
around a  "one-stop shop" approach. Training and support are made 
available to clients at every point in the business development, from 
business idea to set-up. RDÉE IPE provides facilities for up to six months 
free of charge through its hub system. 

Overview 

National context 
Canada has been a long-standing destination of immigration and about one fifth of its residents are 
born  abroad.230  While  there  are  a  range  of  supports  for  individuals  wishing  to  start  their  own 
businesses  available,  these  supports  are  generally  not  targeted  to  immigrant  entrepreneurs.  Most 
support  schemes  targeting  migrant  entrepreneurs  are  carried  out  at  the  provincial  (regional)  or 
municipal (local) levels.  

Objectives 
The  National  Network  of  Economic  Development  and  Employability  –  Prince  Edward  Island  (RDÉE 
Prince  Edward  Island  Inc.)  is  the  provincial  francophone  economic  development  council  of  Prince 
Edward  Island.  Its  mission  is  “to  contribute  actively  to  entrepreneurial  and  community  economic 
development  within  the  Acadian  and  francophone  community  of  Prince  Edward  Island,  while 
collaborating to the economic development of the province”. It offers support services for community 
economic  development  and  co-operative  development  services  as  well  as  certain  services  for 
entrepreneurs. Its target group are migrants in Prince Edwards Island who are francophone but at the 
same time French might not be their native language. 

Strengths 
With a small clientele, RDÉE Prince Edward Island (RDÉE IPE) provides one-to-one personalised advice 
and training to its migrant entrepreneur clients. It is this tailored personal approach along with the 

230 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Canada. http://www.mipex.eu/canada. 

208 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
broad range of business development services provided, the flexibility of services and the extension of 
assistance in cases where social and cultural issues arise, that make RDÉE IPE an example of a good 
practice. Each entrepreneur's primary contact is a certified business counsellor who provides one-to-
one tailored services formulated around a one-stop shop approach. Training and support are made 
available to clients at every point in the business’ development, from business idea to set-up. Access 
to networking is gained through members of  an informal network, which provides opportunities to 
network with other migrant and native entrepreneurs engaged in, where possible, similar or related 
businesses. Flexibility in the manner in which funding received by the programme is used allows for a 
great deal of flexibility in the training services provided. Regarding facilities, in addition to assisting in 
the acquisition of facilities, RDÉE IPE provides facilities for up to six months free of charge through its 
hub  system.  While  operating  in  the  hub,  clients  continue  to  have  access  to  business  counsellors, 
training resources, and advice in the areas of securing contracts and acquisition of capital resources. 

Figure 22: Benchmarking of the RDÉE IPE Programme 

RDÉE Prince Edward Island

LANGUAGE SENSITIVITY

FACILITIES PROVISION

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

NETWORKING

Legal and regulatory
advice

Access to finance

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

Mentoring

GROUP BUSINESS
TRAINING

Implementation 

Activities  
RDÉE Prince Edward Island Inc. is the provincial francophone economic development council of Prince 
Edward  Island.  RDÉE  IPE  is  a  full-fledged  member  of  the  national  economic  development  network 
called RDÉE Canada. It offers support services for community economic development and co-operative 
development services, as well as, certain services for entrepreneurs. The RDÉE IPE, which has existed 
since 2000, first operated as a programme of the Baie Acadienne Development Corporation. In March 
2010,  it  was  officially  and  independently  incorporated  as  a  non-profit  organisation.  RDÉE  Prince 

209 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Edward  Island  Inc.  receives  funding  from  Employment  and  Social  Development  through  its  Canada 
Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities.231 

RDÉE IPE's work with immigrants is part of a two-step process of integration. The first step involves 
the  broader  integration  of  migrants  (for  example  language  and  cultural  services),  and  the  second 
workforce integration (including entrepreneurship). Many of the resources are directed through the 
branch  responsible  for  the  first  stage  of  the  process.  At  the  core  of  the  entrepreneurial  migrant 
programme is the matching of potential entrepreneurs with a business counsellor who provides one-
to-one  tailored  services  formulated  around  a  one-stop  shop  approach.  The  business  counsellor 
(adviser) provides basic business training (some of which is provided in group settings or a series of 
“lunch and learn” sessions - which provide information on a variety of topics including legal, regulatory, 
and financial advice), assists in the development of a business plan, and helps to evaluate the feasibility 
of the entrepreneurial venture. The beneficiaries meet with their adviser (usually the same individual) 
on an “as needed” basis. 

The remaining services offered around this core are provided by a network of outside experts to whom 
the migrant entrepreneur is referred. These outside services include legal and regulatory advice, access 
to financing, more technical aspects of business training, support in the acquisition of facilities, and 
mentorship. Each client’s individual needs are formally assessed, and any legal and regulatory advice 
deemed  necessary  is  provided  through  referral  to  government  programmes/services,  coordinated 
meetings with public administrators (with whom RDÉE IPE has good ties), and local law firm referrals. 
Similarly,  RDÉE  IPE  works  with  partners  to  provide  information  and  access  to  financing.  Based  on 
needs,  a  source  of  financial  resources  is  recommended  to  the  migrant  entrepreneurs.  RDÉE  IPE 
provides everything the client requires up to the point at which the client is presenting his/her case 
for financing. Because of the flexibility of its funding model, RDÉE IPE is even able, in some cases, to 
provide its clients with necessary specialised business training by hiring outside experts. For example, 
it was determined that one client needed the assistance of a finance expert and thus, funds were used 
to hire a financial expert to assist. Finally, while there is no formal mentorship network or programme 
in place through RDÉE IPE, mentors engaged in an informal network are sought out where it is deemed 
necessary. A beneficiary of the programme gave an example of this.232 Following a three-month RDÉE 
IPE internship taken by the beneficiary, he was provided with a mentor whom he credits with assisting 
a  great  deal  in  networking  with  local  business  owners.  This  enabled  him  to  co-ordinate  business 
schemes  with  other  business  owners  up  and  down  the  supply  chain  of  the  beneficiary’s  intended 
business. 

While one-to-one mentorship works well in some cases, a number of RDÉE IPE clients have indicated 
that they prefer not to rely on one person for advice. In response, RDÉE has set up a hub system which 
can  be  accessed  by  clients  following  an  initial  consultation  with  a  business  counsellor,  which  has 
become  central  to  the  activities  carried  out  at  RDÉE  IPE.  The  hub  involves  a  physical  location  for 
migrant entrepreneurs to work out of (develop a business plan and start the business where feasible) 
for up to six months. At the hub, entrepreneurs have access to the resources and advice they need 
from several experts or mentors. In addition, RDÉE IPE provides facilities for up to six months free of 
charge through its hub system. While operating in the hub, clients continue to have access to business 
counsellors, training resources, and advice in the areas securing contracts and acquisition of capital 

231 Information taken from RDÉE IPE website. 
232 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in May 2016. 

210 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
resources. No direct involvement (advice only) in securing contracts or provision of other materials is 
provided. 

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The clientele at RDÉE IPE are a very select group of migrants (francophones in a small community). 
Indeed, funding is provided based on this condition. French can be the client’s primary, secondary or 
even third or fourth language. Thus, all services are delivered in French. French language training is 
offered not by the entrepreneurship programme, but in the first stage of integration in the broader 
programme. English training is also offered through an online service, which includes classroom follow-
up. 

RDÉE  IPE  service  providers  are  HR  qualified  (a  Canadian  certification)  to  deal  with  cultural  issues. 
Indeed, RDÉE IPE staff members provide training in cultural sensitivity to firms that hire migrants with 
varied  cultural  backgrounds.  As  an  example,  through  the  one-to-one  mentoring  programme,  some 
clients indicated a discomfort because in their culture asking for help indicates a sign of weakness. 
Thus, the programme moved to the hub system described above.  

Outcomes and results 

Impact  
One of the highlighted positive impacts of the project is the impact of the programme on clients’ ability 
to bridge the cultural and language gap. Differences in cultural norms can prevent potential migrants 
from seeking out the assistance they need, whether it is related to business training, operations or 
financing. Indeed, one beneficiary of the RDÉE IPE programme indicated that, because of cultural and 
language  differences,  he  had  become  frustrated  and  unable  to  communicate  with  the  local 
community.  The  example  given  by  the  beneficiary  was  that  he  found  that  in  the  Canadian  culture 
people he attempted to contact did not respond quickly or at all to requests for information. He was 
able  to  overcome  this  through  the  assistance  of  a  mentor.  The  highly  tailored  approach  and  the 
introduction of a hub system help to bridge these cultural and language gaps.  Another added value of 
this project is the intended effect it has had on the cultural make-up of the community. The RDÉE IPE 
programme  targets  a  minority  population  (francophone  migrants)  with  the  goal  of  increasing  the 
number of migrants in the community in the target population. While it is early in the programme's 
tenure, the number of francophone families in the community has increased (from two francophone 
families to seven) - likely due to programmes like RDÉE IPE's. 

RDÉE IPE has both adopted examples of good practices from the local chamber of commerce and taken 
initiatives to respond or adapt its existing schemes. With respect to mentorship, RDÉE IPE partnered 
with the chamber of commerce to adopt its hub model.233 The move to a hub system is an example of 
learning with respect to good practices.  

Because the programme has been in place for a short period of time and caters to a highly specialised 
clientele,  little  formal  evaluation  of  the  success  of  RDÉE  IPE  has  been  done.  However,  an  informal 
examination of the outcomes of clients suggests the programme has had a good deal of success. 

233 Interview with Director General RDÉE, carried out in April 2016. 

211 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Challenges 
Given that the target population is a minority group, the primary challenge faced is reaching the target 
population and promoting the project within them. The francophone population in the province is very 
small and, therefore, the programme relies on an informal network within the target population to 
reach clients. Personal challenges of participants include initial language challenges as French is often 
a second, or even third or fourth language of the participant in addition to socio-cultural challenges 
that might be faced by migrants in the beginning, such as different level of formalities. 

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The key success factors of this scheme are the breadth of information provided, the tailoring of the 
services, and the flexibility of the programme. The beneficiaries appreciate in particular the customised 
approach and the access to expert advice and the community, which is facilitated through the business 
counsellors.234  The  participants  come  from  varied  cultural  backgrounds,  have  different  levels  of 
business experience and, thus, appreciate a programme that is customised to their needs. 

Most programmes in Canada are not targeted at potential entrepreneurs, but provide more general 
services to newly arriving immigrants. RDÉE IPE is one of only a few service providers offering such 
services. At the same time, the RDÉE IPE programme has the additional goal of supporting a minority 
population within the province. The customised approach and the advent of the hub system represent 
the programme’s innovativeness in programme delivery. Though the programme has begun to shift to 
the hub approach, it will be important for the scheme to maintain the flexibility of the programme to 
enable those clients who want one-to-one mentorship to have access to such support.235   

Replicability 
The ability to replicate the RDÉE IPE model would depend highly on the scale of the replication. The 
programme is successful, in part, because it has such a small number of clients to whom it is able to 
provide very customised services. It may be quite difficult to replicate this approach on a very large 
scale as it was developed to complement the specificities of the province. Therefore, the scheme would 
need to be adapted to the specific area where it would be implemented. 

234 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in May 2016. 
235 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in May 2016. 

212 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Testimonial – course participant in 2016: 

“When I arrived in Canada I had no idea about how to find a job let alone start a 
business. It is all about communication. RDÉE was customised to meet my 
requirements and helped me communicate more effectively and start my business.” 

William, a Chinese native living in Canada since 2013, applied for the RDÉE IPE project after 
hearing about it from a francophone acquaintance. After a three-month internship in which he 
travelled around the province speaking to entrepreneurs, he found a mentor and  a “friend”. 
Through  the  assistance  of  his  friend  and  mentor  he  was  able  to  network  with  local  tour 
operators and discover how they do business. He now operates his own tourism business. 

213 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources 

Literature list 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Canada. http://www.mipex.eu/canada. 
  RDÉE (2016). http://www.rdeeipe.net/. [Last Accessed 11/07/2016] 

List of interviews 

  Bonnie Gallant - Director General, RDÉE 
  Catherine Rioux - Project Coordinator LIENS, RDÉE 
  William - Final beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: bonnie@rdeeipe.org  
Website: http://www.rdeeipe.net  

214 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Australia – Ignite Small Business Start-ups  

Name of initiative:  
Name of implementing 
organisation: 
Type of implementing 
organisation 
Country (region/municipality): 
Implementation period: 
Main activity/dimension: 

Ignite Small Business Start-ups 

Settlement Services International (SSI) 

Community-based not-for-profit organisation 

Australia (Sydney) 
2013 - ongoing 
Individual  Business Support, Access to  Finance, Mentoring,  Visibility, 
Networking, Legal and Regulatory Advice 

Funding: 

SSI funds the activity from their overall budget. 

Summary: 

The  scheme  has  an  established  partnership  with  a  microcredit 
institution  that  enables  clients  to  receive  funding.  Participants  are 
guided  through  developing  a  bankable  business  plan  and  starting  a 
business  on  an  individual  level.  Herein,  the  initiative  differentiates 
itself from others by using the Sirolli model of enterprise facilitation, 
where the new entrepreneurs mostly need to bring passion for their 
start-up  and  are  then  enabled  to  tap  into  the  knowledge  of  a  large 
network  of  experts  that  help  them  through  different  stages  and 
challenges.  

Overview 

National context 
Traditionally, Australia is a migrant destination country and in the past six decades has taken in more 
immigrants – as percentage of the total population – than most other western countries.236 In 2012, 
about 27% of its population was foreign-born.237 Besides skilled and professional immigrants, Australia 
does also have a long history of humanitarian immigration. 

Australia  introduced  an  Entrepreneurial  Migration  Category  for  migrants  already  in  1976  to  allow 
immigrant  entrepreneurs with detailed business  proposals and capital to enter Australia under the 
permanent migration programme as migrant settlers. Mainstream support services are available also 
to  migrants.  For  instance,  the  New  Enterprise  Incentive  Scheme  (NEIS)  is  in  place  through  the 
government  department  of  employment,  providing  training,  mentoring,  and  income  support  for 
potential entrepreneurs. Targeted support is also available, however, due to a lack of funding, many 
of the support schemes are provided for a limited period of time.  

Like other migrants, refugees settle mainly in large Australian cities (90%), but have  been found to 
have greater problems with settlement and integration than labour migrants. At the same time, they 
also  experience  greater  socio economic  disadvantages  in  Australia  than  other  immigrants.238  One 

236 OECD (2011). SOPEMI: International Migration Outlook. OECD Publishing, Paris. 
237 MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Australia. http://www.mipex.eu/australia. 
238  Hugo,  G.  (2011).  Economic,  Social  and  Civic  Contributions  of  First  and  Second  Generation  Humanitarian 
Citizenship. 

Entrants. 
https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/01_2014/economic-social-civic-contributions-
booklet2011.pdf. 

Immigration 

Department 

and 

of 

215 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
pathway  for  refugees  to  overcome  these  problems,  including  unemployment  and  low-wage 
employment, is to set up their own business. Ignite Small Business Start-ups, an initiative by Settlement 
Services  International,  acknowledges  this  very  fact  and  aims  to  support  refugees  that  have  the 
potential to start a successful business in Sydney. 

Objectives 
Many  recently-arrived  refugees  face  significant  barriers  to  employment  in  Australia,  in  particular 
during  the  early  stages  of  their  settlement.  The  Ignite  Small  Business  Start-ups  initiative  facilitates 
business creation for people from refugee backgrounds who are keen to establish a small business in 
Sydney. The potential entrepreneurs are supported by Ignite Enterprise Facilitators, business mentors 
and a resource team made up of volunteers from local businesses, councils, chambers of commerce 
and other individuals who can share their business knowledge and skills. 

Ignite  does  not  aim  to  produce  as  many  refugee entrepreneurs  as  possible  in a  given  time,  but  to 
provide those that are ready with the necessary support to start. In absolute numbers 46 refugees set 
up a business with the help of Ignite as of May 2016. Ignite considers this a success, because all of 
them  received  the  extent  of  support  they  needed.  The  businesses  that  have  been  established  are 
largely  still  in  operation  and  some  have  grown  and  are  now  employing  other  migrants,  as  well  as, 
natives. 

Strengths 
Ignite  combines  coherently  a  number  of  support  measures  in  different  areas,  which  makes  it  an 
exemplary  practice.  Specifically,  the  scheme  uses  individual  business  support,  access  to  finance, 
mentoring, visibility, networking and legal and regulatory advice in a way that they complement each 
other.  Refugees  are  made  aware  of  the  initiative  through  different  channels  such  as  organisations 
supporting  them  more  generally  or  other  migrants.  The  selected  participants  are  guided  through 
developing a business plan on an individual level. For this they are supported by enterprise facilitators, 
advisers  and  mentors,  which  help  with  the  practicalities  of  starting  a  business.  Ignite  also  has  a 
memorandum of understanding with a microcredit institution, which eases the access to capital for 
many of its clients. The scheme also performed well in relation to language sensitivity as the initiative 
has a large network of translators that ensure that every refugee can participate in the programme. 
Where  it  is  necessary  a  translator  can  accompany  a  client  to  meetings  to  ensure  everything  is 
understood well.  

216 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 23: Benchmarking of Ignite Small Business Start-ups 

Language sensitivity

(Facilities provision)

IGNITE

VISIBILITY

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Networking

Legal and regulatory
advice

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS
SUPPORT

MENTORING

(Group business training)

Implementation 

Activities  
The Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative was founded in 2013 by Settlement Services International 
(SSI). SSI is a community-based, not-for-profit humanitarian organisation providing a range of services 
in  the  areas  of  humanitarian  settlement,  accommodation,  asylum  seeker  assistance,  multicultural 
foster  care,  disability  support  and  employment  services  in  New  South  Wales.  Ignite  is  currently 
focusing  on  its  operations  in  Sydney  and  facilitates  business  creation  for  people  from  refugee 
backgrounds who are keen to establish a small business. 

Ignite  uses  the  Sirolli  model  of  enterprise  facilitation.  This  model  is  different  from  traditional 
entrepreneurship  studies  in  most  business  schools  around  the  world  that  are  predicated  on  the 
assumption that the entrepreneurs themself must possess all the skills necessary for entrepreneurship 
(finance, marketing, management,  accounting, etc.) and design entrepreneurship training based on 
this. In reality, many successful entrepreneurs never studied business, but engage the help of others 
that have the knowledge and skills they do not have. Therefore, the Sirolli model puts the passion in 
the  entrepreneur  for  what  he  is  doing  and  the  support  from  trained  enterprise  facilitators  for  the 
acquisition of skills and experience by potential migrant entrepreneurs at the centre. The facilitator 
links  the client to the experts at  different stages  during the start-up process, but  the entrepreneur 
must make all the decisions and take all the initiatives concerning their business.239 

In terms of visibility, the SSI website provides updated and correct information about services provided 
by the organisation, one of which is the Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative. The Ignite specific 

239 Sirolli Institute (2016). Enterprise Facilitation. http://sirolli.com/. 

217 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
website  provides  basic  information  on  the  programme  and  contact  details  to  inquire  further 
information  and  to  become  involved  either  as  a  client  or  as  a  volunteer.  SSI  also  uses  Twitter  and 
Facebook to increase visibility of the Ignite programme and has been reported about, both by national 
and  international  media. When  an  entrepreneur  successfully  establishes  a  business,  they  receive  a 
special poster, which they can use in their business to advertise the Ignite programme and Ignite also 
uses these posters at events for promotion. Ignite also sends out a quarterly newsletter.  

Ignite reaches its target group through several channels. It is a local initiative and information about it 
is actively spread through the SSI case workers that help the refugees with finding employment, among 
other things, such as housing, language courses, etc., that ultimately aim at assisting the client to be 
independent and integrated into the new community. If the refugee was an entrepreneur prior and/ 
or is interested in starting a business in Australia, they are referred by their case workers to the Ignite 
advisers. SSI is also the umbrella organisation of other service providers working with refugees and 
asylum seekers  across  New  South Wales. As such there  is a network of migrants  and organisations 
supporting migrants that are aware of the Ignite programme as one of the service options of SSI and 
they also refer potential entrepreneurs among their clients. In addition, clients have also approached 
Ignite after hearing about the initiative through their networks. 

The  Ignite  initiative  combines  a  number  of  different  support  measures  in  its  service  for  refugee 
entrepreneurs in Sydney. The main activity of Ignite is the provision of individual business support. 
For this purpose, Ignite employs two enterprise facilitators who support the refugees throughout the 
process of setting up their business. The enterprise facilitators have prior experience in the field of 
entrepreneurship and have further been trained by the Sirolli organisation that developed the model 
on which Ignite is based. The enterprise facilitators are the first point of contact for the clients and 
work  with  them  until  the  business  is  established  and  beyond  that.  The  enterprise  facilitators  are 
available to discuss any area the refugees need support with and as such the advice includes a variety 
of  topics,  such as  rules  and  regulations, marketing,  financing,  etc.  Detailed  advice  is,  however,  not 
given by the enterprise facilitators themselves, but by a network that has been established and that 
consists of experts in the respective field. This includes accountants, lawyers, marketing agencies, etc.  

Before clients start with the Ignite programme, the enterprise facilitators assess the entrepreneurial 
potential of applicants, their passion for business and business ideas. The focus is on the passion and 
motivation of the client and to a lesser extent on the feasibility of the business idea in relation to the 
local business environment, which in rare cases can lead to problems when the business idea does not 
match the local conditions. After being accepted, the refugees receive advice on a variety of topics by 
experts  in  the  respective  field  and  in  addition  have  one  central  contact  point  (the  enterprise 
facilitators), that ensures all these topics are covered for each client based on the individual needs. 
The clients are put in touch with the experts when the need arises.  

Another important service provided by Ignite is access to finance. Firstly, Ignite provides information 
on how to access funding and mainly also how to develop a bankable business plan that will help with 
that. The experiences of the service providers help here as they can assist the refugees in ensuring that 
their business plan has a chance to help them secure capital when it is time for the start-up phase. 
While  SSI  does  not  provide  funding  itself,  Ignite  has  developed  a  formal  partnership  through  a 
memorandum of understanding with a microfinance institution. The refugees can secure small loans 
from there when they need them to get started with their business. The loan precondition is that the 

218 

 
 
 
 
 
 
clients have a good business plan and have tested their products/services and can show that there is 
a demand for them.  

Ignite also provides mentoring to its clients. Ignite participants are paired with a personal mentor, who 
helps them during the start-up process. The mentors are engaged by the Ignite initiative because of 
their  extensive  personal  experience  as  entrepreneurs  and  experience  in  assisting  neophyte 
entrepreneurs  in  establishing  their  business.  The  mentor  and  mentee  are  matched  based  on  the 
respective industry the client wants to go into. By now, Ignite has a large pool of entrepreneurs willing 
to be mentors for the refugees and is, therefore, able to match the clients with somebody that works 
in the same field or a similar one. The mentorship is interactive and largely driven by the client. The 
length and frequency depend on the individual case. Prior experience has shown that in some cases 
the joint work lasted only about a month with a high frequency of meetings during that time, while in 
other cases the mentor-mentee relationship lasts over several months with fewer meetings. Often the 
connection stays intact after start-up. Many of the clients do not refer to the mentor as such but as 
their friend and, therefore, in many instances the relationship exists beyond the programme and there 
is a constant follow-up.  

Ignite also recognises that the refugees have little to no knowledge of  the laws and regulations for 
business start-ups in Australia and, to this end, supports the refugees with legal and regulatory advice. 
The Ignite Enterprise Facilitators usually guide the participants to websites that have such information 
and more importantly connect the clients with lawyers and other experts, which give advice in person 
rather than virtually. All legal and regulatory advice is provided by the enterprise facilitators, advisers 
and  mentors  on  a  personal  level,  specific  to  that  person’s  business,  and  therefore  adapted  to  the 
specific needs. 

Ignite  has  also  created  an  extensive  network  since  the  start  of  the  programme,  which  the  clients 
benefit from. The network is largely framed around building a team around the entrepreneur and it 
includes experts in products/services, marketing and financial management, laws, etc. Depending on 
the business that the refugee would like to start they will be linked up with others in this field. As such 
everything  is  done  to  set  up  the  clients  with  a  network  that  will  be  the  most  useful  for  her/him. 
Participants will meet local and migrant entrepreneurs, they will be taken to networking events, are 
introduced  to  lawyers,  accountants,  marketing  experts  etc.,  as  well  as,  have  a  chance  to  meet 
representatives of chambers of commerce and business associations and university students that are 
in an MBA programme.  

Language and cultural sensitivity 
The service providers themselves speak English, but there is always a translator at meetings when the 
client's English is not sufficient. Translators are available for 63 languages and as such every client can 
participate in the Ignite programme despite a lack of English language knowledge. While the website 
is only available in English, refugees can receive information through their case workers and translators 
in other languages as well. While SSI does not provide language training itself, it does link refugees to 
language  schools  more  generally  and  it  was  observed  that  language  abilities  increased  drastically 
throughout the project.  

The Ignite Enterprise Facilitators are specifically psychologically trained for work with the refugees as 
SSI is aware that many of them have been through traumatic experiences. The external advisers and 
mentors are carefully selected, but do not receive a specific training before working with the clients. 

219 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Based on their experiences the enterprise facilitators judge which client they pair up with which expert 
and they then check in regularly after meetings or accompany the clients to meetings when it feels like 
the safer option for all parties involved.  

Outcomes and results 

Impacts 
As  of  May  2016,  46  out  of  220  clients  have  started  their  business  with  the  help  of  the  Ignite 
programme. Participation in the programme is free of charge and Ignite considers everyone a client 
that  has  shown  interest  in  and  motivation/passion  for  setting  up  their  business  in  Sydney.  A  large 
percentage of the clients does, however, not act immediately upon this interest. Due to the nature of 
the clients, which have often been through traumatic experiences, the service providers do not push 
the clients, but let them proceed at their own speed, taking these personal problems into account. 
Against  this  criterion,  the  number  of  businesses  that  have  been  established  is  considered  to  be  a 
success. 

Once  they  have  completed  the  programme,  participants  are  invited  to  take  part  in  a  photoshoot, 
where pictures are taken that represent them and their business. Each client receives a poster with 
one of these pictures and the Ignite information on it, which they can then display in their shop. They 
also  receive  the  pictures  from  the  photoshoot,  which  can,  for  example,  be  used  on  their  website. 
Instead of a piece of paper, the service providers prefer to see it in a way that the clients walk away 
with their business at the conclusion of the initiative. 

The businesses that have been established are largely still in operation. Only four clients are either on 
hiatus or have closed their business. In all cases this is not due to economic factors, but due to personal 
reasons and as such cannot be seen as a failure of the business, but rather contingency. Most of the 
established businesses are self-employed people and a few even have some employees. Examples of 
such businesses are a cleaning service, a butcher, restaurants or a hair dresser. A precise number could 
not be provided, but there are around six businesses that employ at least one other person.  

Finally, an ongoing evaluation found Ignite  to be an important initiative  for newly-arrived refugees 
with entrepreneurial potential. The programme gives the majority of the clients a network in their new 
place of residence and it gives them a positive perspective. Therefore, the personal development is 
another positive impact.  

Ignite is currently being evaluated by a professor from the University of Technology Sydney and it is 
planned  that  the  evaluation  report  will  be  disclosed  in  September  2016.  So  far  only  some  first 
findings240 have been published, that provide a more general overview of the initiative, its strengths 
and highlight  some examples of successful entrepreneurs. The Ignite team has already made some 
small alterations to the programme based on their own observations. Equally, the Ignite team is open 
to  the  recommendations  of  the  ongoing  evaluation  and  will  implement  them  as  far  as  this  will  be 
possible.241 

240 Collins, J. (2015). Igniting the Entrepreneurial Passion of Newly- ‐Arrived Refugees in Sydney. UTS Business 

School, Sydney. 

241 Interview with Dina Petrakis, carried out in May 2016. 

220 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Challenges  
The main challenge  that  has  been  identified  by  the enterprise  facilitators  is  the  background of the 
clients. A large percentage of the refugees has gone through traumatising experiences in their home 
country and/or during their journey to Australia. It has become apparent that these experiences can 
impact the clients at any point, often unexpected. This has led to situations where clients were on a 
really good path to starting their business or had already done so and then had to take a break or stop 
altogether.242 

However, the service providers acknowledge that it is in nobody’s interest to push these clients and, 
therefore, there is no fixed time schedule in which the potential entrepreneurs have to move along 
with the programme. Instead they are the ones that drive the process in line with their physical and 
psychological wellbeing.243 

As an example of overcoming these challenges could serve the fact that Ignite realised early that they 
needed  to  advocate  for  their  clients  a  lot  more  than  they  had  initially  thought  based  on  prior 
experiences with different types of clients as the refugees encountered different challenges due to 
factors such as language barriers and cultural differences. As a consequence, they went to many more 
meetings with the clients to support them.  

Conclusions 

Key success factors 
The factors that make this scheme a success for the participants are the volume and variety of provided 
information,  the  involvement  of  different  experts  (entrepreneurs,  business  advisers,  lawyers, 
accountants, etc.) and the individually tailored advice. The beneficiaries appreciate in particular the 
fact that all of the information is specific to the local market, which they knew little about beforehand 
and that all the advice is very practical.244  

Another aspect that was positively highlighted by a participant was the fact that due to the availability 
of translators no participant has problems regarding the language. At the same time, the participation 
in Ignite encourages the refugees to work on their English, so that most speak it sufficiently by the time 
their business is operational.245 

The fact that there is a relatively easy way to access funding because of the contacts that Ignite has 
was also positively mentioned. The participant was well aware of the access to capital being the biggest 
challenge  for most entrepreneurs, whether native or migrant, but  also that usually refugees would 
hardly  have  a  chance  to  receive  a  microloan.  Due  to  the  institutional  ties  of  Ignite  this  hurdle  is 
overcome, which is crucial for successful business start-up.246 

Replicability 

242 Interview with Dina Petrakis, carried out in May 2016. 
243 Interview with Dina Petrakis, carried out in May 2016. 
244 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in June 2016. 
245 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in June 2016. 
246 Interview with final beneficiary, carried out in June 2016. 

221 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The  ongoing  evaluation  found  Ignite  to  be  an  important  initiative  for  newly-arrived  refugees  with 
entrepreneurial  potential.  As  a  consequence,  SSI  is  interested  in  scaling  up  the  initiative  and  also 
offering it in other Australian cities where they already provide different services. There is also interest 
by different organisations from other countries to replicate the scheme and SSI is generally open to 
this. As the programme is based on the Sirolli model, it would be relatively easy to replicate it, adapting 
it based on the experiences of Ignite with the specific group of refugees. No actions have been taken 
so far for expansion by SSI or for replication by other organisations, but options for both are currently 
being explored.247 

Testimonial – course participant in 2016: 

“Obviously when you go to a new country, you do not know the laws and you do not know how to 
start, it is very hard at the beginning. But they helped us with the first steps to start our business. 
… Ignite is very helpful, especially for the people who are new to Australia. It would have been 
very hard to start my business without them.” 

A young refugee from Afghanistan, who has been living in Australia for two years. He received assistance more 
generally from SSI after being in the country for a short period of time and was finally referred to Ignite after 
expressing interest in starting up a business. He actively started working on the business plan six months ago 
with the support of the Ignite enterprise facilitators and the Ignite network. In these six months he has developed 
the  business  plan  and  started  up  an  export  business  that  is  now  successfully  running  and  making  a  profit 
already. 

247 Interview with Dina Petrakis, carried out in May 2016. 

222 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Sources 

Literature list 

  Collins, J. (2015). Igniting the Entrepreneurial Passion of Newly- ‐Arrived Refugees in Sydney. 

UTS Business School, Sydney. 

  Hugo, G. (2011). Economic, Social and Civic Contributions of First and Second Generation 

Humanitarian Entrants. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. 
https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/01_2014/economic-social-civic-
contributions-booklet2011.pdf. 

  MIPEX (2015). Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015: Australia. 

http://www.mipex.eu/australia. 

  OECD (2011). SOPEMI: International Migration Outlook. OECD Publishing, Paris. 
  Settlement Services International (2016). Ignite Small Business Start-ups- An SSI Initiative. 

Supporting small business creation for people from a refugee background. 
http://www.ssi.org.au/images/stories/documents/publications/2016publications/Ignite_Sma
ll_Business_Start-ups.pdf. 

  Sirolli Institute (2016). Enterprise Facilitation. http://sirolli.com/. 

List of interviews 

  Dina Petrakis - Ignite Initiative Coordinator 
  Final beneficiary 

Contact details and website for the initiative 
Email: ignite@ssi.org.au  
Website: http://www.ssi.org.au/services/ignite  

223 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 1: Interactive self-assessment tool 

To assess your scheme, please open the document below and follow the instructions from Chapter 3. 

Interactive self-assessment tool 

To open a printable version of the self-assessment tool, please open the document below. For better 
legibility print in A3 format. 

Interactive self-assessment tool 

224 

Interactive Self-assessment ToolInteractive Self Assessment Tool.pdfANNEX 2: List of references 

Bacigalupo,  Margherita,  et  al.  EntreComp:  The  Entrepreneurship  Competence  Framework  for  Citizens.  No. 

JRC101581. Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Joint Research Centre, 2016. 

Collett,  Elizabeth,  and  Milica  Petrovic.  "The  future  of  immigrant  integration  in  Europe:  Mainstreaming 

approaches for inclusion." Migration Policy Institute (2014). 

Desiderio, Maria Vincenza. "Policies to support immigrant entrepreneurship." Washington: DC: Migration Policy 

Institute and Transatlantic Council on Migration (2014). 

Desiderio,  Maria  Vincenza,  and  Josep  Mestres-Domènech.  "Migrant  Entrepreneurship  in  OECD  Countries." 

(2011). 

DG GROW, EU Labour Force Survey http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/promoting-entrepreneurship/we-work-

for/migrants/index_en.htm. 

DG GROW, Support measures for women, http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/promoting-entrepreneurship/we-

work-for/women/support-networks/index_en.htm. 

European Commission, COM(2016) 377 final, "Action Plan on the integration of third country nationals", 

Brussels (2016) http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-

migration/proposal-implementation-package/docs/20160607/communication_action_plan_integration_third-

country_nationals_en.pdf.  

Jones, Trevor, et al. "Mixed embeddedness and new migrant enterprise in the UK." Entrepreneurship & Regional 

Development 26.5-6 (2014): 500-520. 

Li, Peter S. "Chinese entrepreneurship in Canada." Open for Business (2010): 199. 

McHugh,  Margie,  and  A.  E.  Challinor.  "Improving  immigrants’  employment  prospects  through  work-focused 

language instruction." Washington: DC: Migration Policy Institute (2011). 

Nathan, Max. "The Human-Capital needs of Tech City, London." (2014). 

Niekerk, W. C. M., and J. C. Rath. "Entrepreneurial diversity in a unified Europe: ethnic minority entrepreneurship, 

migrant entrepreneurship." (2008). 

OECD (2008-11), Jobs for Immigrants series http://www.oecd.org/els/jobsforimmigrantsseries.htm. 

OECD, Open for Business: "Migrant Entrepreneurship in OECD Countries", OECD Publishing (2010).  

OECD/The  European  Commission.  "Policy  brief  on  evaluation  of  inclusive  entrepreneurship  programmes" 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2013. 

225 

 
 
OECD/The  European  Commission.  "The  Missing  Entrepreneurs.  Policies 

for  Self-employment  and 

Entrepreneurship" Brussels: OECD Publishing. doi 10 (2015). 

OECD/The  European  Commission.  "The  missing  entrepreneurs:  Policies  for  inclusive  entrepreneurship  in 

Europe." Brussels: OECD Publishing. doi 10 (2013). 

Ram, Monder, et  al. "Ethnic minority business support  in the West  Midlands: challenges and developments." 

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 30.3 (2012): 504-519. 

Ram, Monder, Kassa Woldesenbet, and Trevor Jones. "Raising the ‘table stakes’? Ethnic minority businesses and 

supply chain relationships." Work, Employment & Society 25.2 (2011): 309-326. 

Rath, Jan, and Anna Swagerman. Promoting ethnic entrepreneurship in European cities. Publications Office of 

the European Union, 2011. 

Thompson, Stuart. "Entrepreneurial Activities in Europe-Evaluation of Inclusive Entrepreneurship Programmes." 

No. 4. OECD Publishing, 2013. 

226 

 
 
 
 
HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS 

Free publications: 

•  one copy: 

via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu); 

•  more than one copy or posters/maps: 

from the European Union’s representations (http://ec.europa.eu/represent_en.htm);  
from the delegations in non-EU countries 
(http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/index_en.htm);  
by contacting the Europe Direct service (http://europa.eu/europedirect/index_en.htm) 
or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) (*). 

(*)  The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may 
charge you). 

Priced publications: 

•  via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu). 

Priced subscriptions: 

•  via one of the sales agents of the Publications Office of the European Union 

(http://publications.europa.eu/others/agents/index_en.htm). 

227 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
E
T
-
0
1
-
1
6
-
7
3
9
-
E
N
-
N

doi: 10.2873/696365