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2024 Overview
In its seventh year, the UP Collective programme has reached 101 aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and migrant backgrounds across three different countries in London, Paris and Amsterdam and for the first time the Southwest of England.
Innovations on the programme
Paris
Building on last year’s momentum, the UP Collective program was integrated into Fast Forward—where 17 of the 28 entrepreneurial participants came from refugee backgrounds. Shifting to a hybrid model boosted attendance, and local cultural adaptations - like museum visits and French-speaking facilitators - helped deepen participants’ integration.
Amsterdam
The programme was lengthened, giving participants room to develop their ideas at a more flexible pace. A new “Legal Insights” workshop offered essential, hands-on guidance for navigating business law.
London
Expanded from 10 to 17 weeks, the programme now includes a break week before almost every workshop—creating space for reflection and mentor 1:1s. As a result, 27 of 30 entrepreneurs were fully prepared to test their prototypes at the “Test My Idea” events. Compared to 2023, prototype testing quality and overall engagement were noticeably stronger.
Bristol
A pilot of the UP Collective curriculum brought 10 refugee entrepreneurs together, culminating in a live pitch & showcase event.
“There was an incredible energy in the room and it gave participants a real sense of pride in sharing their ideas publicly in a safe space.” — Eloise, Lead Business Advisor (Bristol)
Opportunities created
Excitingly, the UP Collective partnership were once again able to offer an opportunity to directly collaborate with Ben & Jerry’s. Thirteen UP Collective graduates partnered with Ben & Jerry’s on the Ice Cream Design Challenge to co-create a brand new ice cream flavour - Sweet Mango Memories. The new flavour was influenced by the tastes and aromas of happy memories and joyful moments in their lives.
"For me Sweet Mango Memories brings back happy recollections of sun-soaked childhood days, friendships, and innocence. It reminds me of sharing mangoes with family and friends, laughing in the streets, and a time when life was simpler and full of possibility. It’s a flavour that captures warmth, joy, and togetherness." - Zeinab, UP Collective London 2023 Graduate
UP Collective alumni shaped the product end-to-end, including a bespoke packaging design by Ukrainian illustrator Olha Shevchenko, an UP Collective graduate based in the Netherlands.
Meet the Alumni
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, we are excited to partner with innovative organisations passionate about inclusive entrepreneurship.
There’s so much more we can do to support and empower refugees when we work together.
If you’re interested in widening the reach of UP Collective’s bespoke, holistic business support for aspiring refugee and migrant entrepreneurs, we want to hear from you.
Book a call here to meet with the UP Collective Partnerships Team.
