New entrepreneurial program for Ukrainian refugees will be hosted at Rebel
Participants from the program in Denmark. Photo: Danish EntrepreneursUAccelerate will give Ukrainian refugees the skills they need to be able to run their own business, and the program will be hosted at Rebel fall 2023. Applications open August 7th.
– We must think of refugees as a resource for society and not as a burden. As people who can contribute to growth and value. Both for the country they live in and their home country, Peter Kofler, Chairman of Danish Entrepreneurs, says.
Peter Kofler, initiator of Danish Entrepreneurs. Photo: Danish EntrepreneursKofler is the initiator behind the entrepreneurial program for Ukrainian refugees in Denmark. The program was launched just a few months after the Russian invasion in 2022, and in a short time they received as many as 450 applicants for 60 places.
Now, the program will be launched in Norway under the name UAccelerate, a collaboration between Danish Entrepreneurs, Digital Norway, Internetstiftelsen and Rebel.
– Norway is a major contributor to aid Ukraine. Equipping refugees with the knowledge they need to be able to start their own business is one of the best ways to provide direct and long-term support, explains Kofler.
Key ingredient for maximum impact
UAccelerate has a particular focus on digital business operations, with a number of workshops, mentors and speakers.
– To succeed as an entrepreneur in Norway today, it’s absolutely crucial to have knowledge of both technology and the digital infrastructure in Norway, Liv Dingsør, CEO at Digital Norway.
This is where both Digital Norway's network of partners and owners, as well as the members and community of Rebel, plays a crucial role to achieve the greatest possible impact.
– Digital Norway is well equipped to take this project to Norway through relevant expertise, and with a network that sets the tone in the work with digitization in Norway. The participants will benefit from connecting with fast-growing companies and digital minds, Dingsør says.
A perfect fit
The program will take place at Rebel, a hub for the IT industry and an arena for knowledge-sharing, in their state-of-the-art office buildings located in the city center of Oslo.
– Restoring business life in Ukraine and helping the resourceful and strong-willed Ukrainian refugees is both important and a matter of course. This initiative fits in naturally with all the activities we carry out together with our members and partners, says Chief Rebel, Peter Jetzel.
At Rebel, the main focus is sharing and developing technology expertise, creating interaction and facilitating problem solving between entrepreneurs, established business and public sector.
– It's a privilege and a great joy to have the opportunity to contribute to creating an arena and meeting place for learning, networking and economic growth for the Ukrainian refugees. We hope many more businesses and individuals will show their interest in helping to make UAccelerate a great success, Jetzel continues.
Building up a country in crisis
In Denmark, the venture cannot be called anything other than a success. Over 1.200 people have taken part in the programme, which corresponds to eight percent of all Ukrainian refugees in Denmark. Several have started successful businesses.
Participants from the program in Denmark.
Photo: Danish Entrepreneurs– Their greatest desire is to help the country they fled from. All have relatives living in Ukraine, many on the front line. We’ve seen it in so many ways, that Ukrainians are made of something else, Kofler continues.
Kofler says that the success has largely been about how the founders contribute both to the economy of the country they live in and their home country.
– Therefore, this isn’t just about giving refugees a livelihood. It’s about building up a country in crisis, so that the Ukrainians will have a source of income and accelerate value creation after the war is won, says Kofler.
Convinced of success
Today, there are 47.000 Ukrainian refugees living in Norway. In the first instance, 50 participants will be given the opportunity to take part in the entrepreneur programme UAccelerate.
– I’m convinced that UAccelerate will be a success in Norway, as it has been in Denmark, Kofler says.
UAccelerate opens for applications on August 7th.
You can contribute by following along, sharing the news in your own network, and help spreading the initiative here: https://uaccelerate.dkiv.dk/