NEW YORK — September 22, 2025 – Afghan Future Fund (AFF) is proud to announce the official launch of Ventures Beyond Borders (VBB), an AFF-incubated initiative that combines a global startup accelerator with a dedicated venture fund to support refugee-led businesses.
The launch event in New York brought together AFF board members, donors, impact investors, and nonprofit partners who share a commitment to unlocking refugee talent and entrepreneurship.
VBB: a new pathway for refugee entrepreneurs
Refugees are 40 percent more likely than native-born Americans to start a business, yet they face systemic barriers to the financial and social capital needed to scale.
VBB addresses this gap by providing early-stage funding, mentorship, and access to global networks so that refugee founders can launch and grow sustainable ventures.
What sets Ventures Beyond Borders apart is its belief that refugees are investable founders, not merely beneficiaries.
“We bet on extraordinary refugees using the power of entrepreneurship to create lasting change in their communities and the world,” said Johannes Lang, VBB Chief Executive Officer. “Every refugee founder we train is an investment in their community, their city, and the country they call home. Our goal is to empower 10,000 such entrepreneurs in the next five years.”
The story
The journey toward VBB began in fall 2023, when AFF piloted a refugee entrepreneurship initiative in partnership with Antler and Schmidt Futures. The pilot brought six refugee entrepreneurs to New York for a week of intensive programming focused on launching and scaling their ventures.
Building on the success of this pilot, the Refugee Entrepreneurship Program has since trained over 150 entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds and incubated dozens of startups in more than ten countries in Europe and North America.
The startups span a wide range of sectors—from consumer goods, food, and childcare to cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence and fintech platforms, as well as healthcare and ed tech,
To carry this momentum forward and create lasting impact, AFF launched Ventures Beyond Borders.
“Time and again, I am struck by this truth: people who have lost so much still have so much to give back.”
To learn more about Ventures Beyond Borders, visit the website.
Investors and partners interested in supporting refugee entrepreneurship can reach out to johannes@venturesbeyondborders.com.
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