🇩🇪 Techfugees Berlin 🇩🇪
As the second most common migration destination in the world, today Germany is home to over a million asylum seekers, many of whom have been here for 3+ years and are looking to establish a life and build a career for both themselves and their families. In the midst of that, throughout the past decade Berlin has grown into one of the start-up powerhouses of Europe, and is known for its ever-expanding tech landscape.The Techfugees chapter in Berlin which first started operating in 2016 is addressing the employment challenge by focused on supporting entrepreneurially minded refugees with a passion of becoming founders in the tech industry.
The Techfugees Berlin mission brings together a group of committed members from the associative, technology and investment communities all striving to provide support in navigating the entrepreneurial process in Germany. We do this by acting as a link between skilled and motivated refugees and the start-up scene in Berlin. This includes leveraging our networks and joint experiences to organize events, arrange introductions, build useful resources and provide individuals with the local know-how which will help them become a successful tech entrepreneur.
CONNECT
We connect a diverse pool of organisations and individuals united towards a similar goal: using technology to solve challenges faced by refugees. Through networking events, meetups and hackathons, we connect like minded individuals.
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2018, April 20th-21st: Recapping our Berlin Hackathon with ReDI School and the NRC
2016, June 4-5th: Berlin Refugee Hackathon: The refugee Journey
SUPPORT
We support a dozen of social tech entrepreneurs with a refugee background in navigating the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and get access to funds. The team in Berlin is currently building a ressource kit to aggregate all existing incubators, accelerators, VCs with its network of partners.
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2019, April 20th-21st: How BankeNu leveraged the Techfugees Network in Berlin
SHARE
We share our insights with a wider community (conferences & think-tanks) to inform on most pressing issues and needs on the ground. This paves the way for a better understanding & more relevant tech solutions.
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2019, November 6-7: Meet Marco at the Fintech Solutions for Refugees Berlin Summit by VillageCapital & PayPal
Marco MUCCINI, Chapter Lead
Passionate about new citizenship, integration and policy making, Marco is a serial entrepreneur and international investor in migrants related ventures and fintech companies. Marco lives between Berlin, London and Tallinn and is leading the Techfugees Berlin Chapter since 2019. Follow Marco on Linkedin
Jose JIMENEZ, Volunteer Berlin
Jose Manuel "Joma" Jimenez works as Business Development Manager at the Seedrs Berlin Office(; Seedrs is a leading European equity crowdfunding platform with €939M invested into over 1,000 successful campaigns). Spaniard living in Berlin, with over 4 years of experience in fundraising. Mentor in Techstars and WeWork Labs. DJ for over 20 years at night.
Mohammad ALSEBAIE, Volunteer Berlin
Mohammad is a refugee from Syria, studying a master's in Information System Management at the TU Berlin. He experienced hardship in his native country and lost his successful family business, so he forced to leave his country to seek better opportunities to support his family. He believes that tough days never last, but tough people do. Mohammad started building his career path again in Berlin with great faith. As he is very close to the refugees' community, he feels that refugees want to be more integrated and productive but they want some guidance. He believes that Techfugees would be a great chance for those. His ultimate goal is to become a CRM manager one day.
Adeeb KIMEH, Volunteer Berlin
Adeeb Kimeh studied Management Information Systems and has worked in several fields and countries in the Middle East. He has worked with NGOs since 2014 and is a co-founder of a group "I Can Do" that teaches life skills to youth. He has knowledge in technology and business development and aims to spread his positivity and optimism among his peers. Follow Adeeb on Linkedin
Techfugees would also like to thank former volunteers Milie, Shelby, but also Ernesta and Tom for launching the Chapter in Berlin back in 2016.
Lou KEST, Volunteer Berlin
Frenchwoman navigating the crazy adventures of the European Union in search of concrete solutions to make our world more inclusive and sustainable. Following my master of sc. policy at the Free University of Brussels, I became passionate about entrepreneurship thanks to an internship at Ashoka in Berlin. It has been a breath of fresh air to see visions focused on solutions rather than being paralyzed by problems. Having experienced the intricacies of the Brexit campaign during my studies at the University of Bristol, I quickly understood the limits of politics and I sincerely believe today that entrepreneurship is a lever to change the world and influence future policies.
Susan HENNESSY, Volunteer Berlin
Susan works ISIeV, an NGO supporting female migrant entrepreneurs in Berlin. She is responsible for ISI’s role in SIforREF, a transnational project examining policies and practices that support integration of refugees into labour markets. Developing organisational systems and fostering inclusive org culture have been key elements of her career in the commercial and non-profit sectors. Follow Susan on Linkedin
Shahab AHMID, Volunteer Germany
My name is Shahab and I am from Iraq/Sinjar, and I am 18 years old! I live in Hamburg/Germany, and I am currently pursuing a Computer Science degree with an online university (UoPeople).
Our ECOSYSTEM partners
We engage with a variety of organisations to contribute & bring meaningful tech solutions for and with refugees. Click on the logos below and discover how we worked with them in the past.
