About the Refugee Venture Fund
A UK venture capital fund investing in businesses started by entrepreneurs with lived experience of forced displacement.
How the fund works
We invest between £25,000 and £100,000 for a minority share in early-stage companies, looking to back the most ambitious, high-potential founders in the UK refugee community. Alongside the money, every founder we back gets a place in our Showcase, 12 months of coaching aimed at what their business actually needs to grow, and access to TERN's community of entrepreneurs and advisers.
We will run a four-month selection process that will focus on founder potential as much as current business success. Shortlisted founders will get a chance to pitch for co-investment at our Showcase. You can read more about our thesis on the founders page.
Built with TERN
The Refugee Venture Fund grew out of TERN, The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network, which has supported more than 1,800 refugee entrepreneurs across the UK since 2016. The fund exists because of the talent in TERN that we have seen repeatedly held back by a lack of access to scale-up finance.
The team
The people who run the fund day to day, and who you'll meet if your application goes further.
Charlie
Founding Director
As TERN's co-founder, Charlie has spent a decade working alongside refugee entrepreneurs, helping to raise over £8 million for refugee business support and more than £1 million directly for refugee-led businesses.
Charlie on LinkedIn opens in a new tab
Lili
Adviser
Lili brings over 20 years' experience leading strategy, transformation and value creation for investors and growing businesses, alongside her personal perspective as a diaspora investor and refugee entrepreneur.
Lili on LinkedIn opens in a new tab
Saman
Investment Associate
Saman is a British Iranian entrepreneur with lived experience of displacement and rebuilding. He builds AI tools and tech start-ups, and has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs.
Saman on LinkedIn opens in a new tab
Connect with our team
If you are an investor, a partner organisation, a journalist, or you simply want to talk to us, we would like to hear from you.
Email the team at hello@refugeeventure.fund
Who backs us
Founder investors
Supported by
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