Entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds around the world can now apply to the 2026 Ventures Beyond Borders (VBB) Bootcamp, a free, virtual one-month program designed to help early-stage founders turn ideas into viable businesses through hands-on training, mentorship and potential pathways to venture support.
Participants receive training in areas such as business modeling, market research and validation, pitching and scaling impact-driven ventures.
Selected Bootcamp participants will be invited to continue into the VBB Accelerator, where founders receive deeper mentorship and in-person support. Participants accepted into the Accelerator will have travel and accommodation fully covered in New York. Following the Accelerator, select ventures will be eligible to apply for investments of up to $100,000.
The four-week program includes four hours of live instruction per week, with participants expected to spend approximately five to 10 hours per week in total. Sessions are designed to be accessible across time zones to accommodate participants globally.
“Programs like this are essential because they guide participants through the key steps of starting a business in the United States,” said Tamim Karimi, a Bootcamp alum. “Refugees often face challenges such as understanding the local market, lacking the tools or networks to gain firsthand insights, limited access to capital, and difficulty connecting with mentors or experts.”
“We got to meet people from different parts of the world,” said Bonney Magambo, another Bootcamp participant and founder of HEMOFAB. “We gained so much knowledge, and we were challenged to strengthen our ideas.”
About Ventures Beyond Borders (VBB)
VBB is an AFF-incubated program, a nonprofit venture fund focused on building a global network of refugee entrepreneurs. Through education, mentorship and access to capital, VBB supports founders in turning ideas into sustainable businesses and creating pathways to economic independence.
In the United States, refugees are 40 % more likely to start a business than native-born Americans. But refugees face systemic barriers to accessing the financial and social capital required to build scalable ventures. VBB aims to close that gap by pairing training with mentorship, networks and early-stage capital.
Through its incubation of VBB, Afghan Future Fund continues its commitment to supporting displaced communities through education, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity.
To learn more, visit venturesbeyondborders.com. To apply for the Bootcamp, visit the application form here https: tinyurl.com/vbb2026