An AFF Refugee Entrepreneurship Program alumnus reflects on starting a business in the United States
Tamim Karimi has rebuilt his life more than once.
Today, he is a refugee entrepreneur in the United States, a court interpreter and the founder of Avezha, a fashion and leather brand preparing to launch. He is also quietly developing a second venture. But the path to this moment has been shaped by displacement, loss and repeated reinvention across borders.
Karimi is an alum of the Afghan Future Fund’s Refugee Entrepreneurship Program, now known as Ventures Beyond Borders.
He was born into a business-oriented family in Afghanistan. His father began as a teacher before building a gas and oil enterprise, later expanding into retail and imports. As a child, Karimi absorbed lessons about risk, adaptability and resilience long before he understood those words.
Education became his first gateway beyond Afghanistan. While still in high school, he earned an English Access Micro Scholarship and later traveled to Turkey through a U.S. Embassy-funded leadership program. Those early experiences broadened his horizons and planted the idea that his future might extend beyond one country.
Building a Global Perspective
In 2014, Karimi began his bachelor’s degree in international relations at the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. University life expanded his worldview. He pursued internships, engaged in diplomacy-focused work and later participated in an exchange program at Bard College Berlin (BCB). By 2019, he had completed his bachelor’s degree and moved on to graduate study in politics and security with a regional focus on Central Asia at OSCE Academy in Bishkek.
In 2021, he co-founded the Rumi Research Center, an initiative dedicated to evidence-based research. The organization published a major study examining 20 years of education in Afghanistan and later expanded into English mentorship and language-access support programs.
Each step deepened his professional identity. But events unfolding back home would soon force another turning point.
Instability and Another Beginning
As Afghanistan’s security situation deteriorated, Karimi left for Uzbekistan in early 2021. Around the same time, a close friend from his academic cohort was killed in a bomb attack in Kabul. The loss was personal and sobering — a reminder that the space for building a future was rapidly shrinking.
In Uzbekistan, Karimi stepped into leadership of his uncle’s business and, within months, helped scale it into a multimillion-dollar operation. The experience reinforced his confidence as a founder. Yet once again, stability proved temporary. Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s government, new restrictions on Afghans in Uzbekistan created uncertainty about long-term prospects.
During the chaotic evacuation period in August 2021, Karimi received support from former professors at AUCA, BCB and international partners who worked to relocate him. Ultimately, he returned to Kyrgyzstan, where he found temporary safety and continued his academic and professional work as a fellow with the Open Society University Network’s Threatened Scholars Initiative, supporting civic engagement and educational initiatives.
Still, the question lingered: what would rebuilding look like next?
Starting Over in the United States
Karimi was granted asylum in 2023 and began the process of building a new life in the United States. Like many refugees, he arrived with experience and credentials, but without the networks and systems that make entrepreneurship possible. Before arriving, he had already been accepted into the Schmidt Futures Fellowship, a one-year nonresidential program focused on geopolitics and technology.
“It’s one thing to have ideas,” he said. “It’s another to understand how to execute them in a completely new legal and economic environment.”
That is when he joined AFF’s Refugee Entrepreneurship Program.
The program combined virtual workshops on business fundamentals — branding, legal frameworks and market strategy — with in-person sessions focused on pitching and refining business plans. For Karimi, it provided something beyond information. “For me personally, it offered the support and tools I needed to confidently start Avezha.”
“The Refugee Entrepreneurship Program is a valuable resource for anyone seeking practical knowledge about starting a business in North America or Europe,” he said. “Experts, successful founders, and professionals with experience in launching ventures provide guidance on everything from finding a niche and pitching ideas to accessing resources and turning a business concept into reality. Without programs like this, refugees would have to navigate the complexities of starting a business in a highly competitive market on their own.”
The experience marked a turning point. That same year, he officially registered Avezha and began working with mentors who continue to shape his thinking.
Launching Avezha
“Avezha did not emerge from impulse. It grew out of research, conversations and deliberate planning.” Though Karimi had long been interested in fashion and leather craftsmanship, he approached the venture analytically.
“Italy and Spain are known for producing some of the world’s highest-quality leather,” he said. Avezha now sources its materials from Italy through an established manufacturer.
The brand has not yet launched — intentionally. For Karimi, speed is less important than precision. His biggest challenges have been allocating limited resources to market research and building relationships across international supply chains without being physically present.
“Every start is hard, especially in a new environment,” he said. “You have to accept that some obstacles are beyond your control. Start small, grow steadily and stay confident.”
Looking Ahead
Today, Karimi balances multiple roles while building toward long-term goals. Alongside developing Avezha and exploring a second venture, he works as a court interpreter — another form of bridge-building across languages and systems.
His journey reflects the reality VBB was built on: refugees are 40 percent more likely to start businesses than native-born Americans, yet often face barriers to capital and professional networks. VBB aims to close that gap by pairing training with mentorship, community and early-stage investment.
Karimi’s story is not simply about launching a brand. It is about carrying vision across borders, and rebuilding piece by piece, with intention.
“What matters,” he said, “is not just reaching milestones. It’s having the courage to begin again, enjoy the journey and learn along the way.”
About the Refugee Entrepreneurship Program
The Refugee Entrepreneurship Program’s rapid growth led to the launch of Ventures Beyond Borders as an independent nonprofit in 2025. Building on that momentum, VBB has opened applications for its 2026 Bootcamp and Accelerator, with applications due in March.
Through its Bootcamp and Accelerator programs, VBB supports refugee founders in turning ideas into sustainable businesses and creating pathways to economic independence. Entrepreneurs selected for the Bootcamp may be invited to continue into the Accelerator, where they receive deeper mentorship and support. Select ventures may also be eligible to apply for investments of up to $100,000.