Laila Majeed, UP Collective alumni and founder of ethical skincare brand, Gilguzi, was one of the 8 refugee entrepreneurs who co-created Sunny Honey Home. She is now working as a Finance Officer in the Educational Sector. Laila tells us about her experience and how she’s putting the learnings into practice in her own business.

Growing up in Nigeria, my mum instilled a strong work ethic in me from an early age. She ran a catering business alongside her day job in the public sector. When she got a big order, we would all help. I envied my friends going to parties. But helping my mum prepared me for what lay ahead.

Even though she had to “start from scratch,” Alexandra – a trained architect – was eager and proactive in continuing her entrepreneurial journey. In previous years, she had an international career, working as an architect in places like Berlin and Tokyo. She then moved back to Ukraine, where she founded her own architecture and interior design studio Nikitenkoteam and worked as a tutor at the Kharkiv School of Architecture, Ukraine’s first and only private architecture school.

Payanam is the Tamil word for “journey.” PAYANAM’s online platform sells artworks & clothing designs that are created by the refugee artists we work with, enabling refugees to share insights into their experience, and support themselves financially through their art.

Yun Qin Fan's Sustainable Fashion is a gender neutral, luxury brand that is focused on slow and sustainable fashion. It does this through a NEW LIFE 新生命 circular upcycling model, which means your favourite clothes will last a lifetime. This NEW LIFE 新生命 circular product cycle allows customers to live in harmony with themselves and the planet - without sacrificing style.

In 2022, 58% of TERN’s London cohort left the programme ready to work towards launching their business - and all graduated the programme having reflected on what they want for themselves, and on a more clear path to achieving that.! Here is the London impact report for 2022:

Fatma, representing Delitelabs from the Netherlands, originally from Syria with Palestinian roots, arrived in the Netherlands seeking a new life after the war began. A tradition of enjoying fresh, fruity ice cream near the sea in her homeland sparked Fatma's inspiration for Sunny Honey Home.

Explore the latest learnings and innovations from the 2023 Netherlands UP Collective programme.

Explore the latest learnings and innovations from the 2023 Manchester UP Collective programme.

Explore the latest learnings and innovations from the 2023 France UP Collective programme.

In 2022, PLACE reintroduced in person LABs to bring back the important effects of in person entrepreneurship experiences. We introduced an innovative peer coaching element that created a space for participants to learn from their peers as equals and use solidarity, empathy and collaboration skills, as well as their collective experiences to advance their projects. Here is France’s impact report for 2022:

In its sixth year, the UP Collective programme has reached 133 aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and migrant backgrounds across three different countries in London, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam. Explore the latest learnings and innovations in our 2023 impact report.

In 2022, Caritas increased the opportunities for participants to showcase their product and service ideas, and offered more support creating marketing concepts for their idea. We used the graduation event as a public showcase in one of Manchester’s most sought after event locations. Here is the Manchester impact report for 2022:

In 2022, Delitelabs created more opportunities for entrepreneurs to engage with the wider public to talk about their goals, gather feedback & refine their ideas, including 2 test events instead of 1! Here is the Netherlands impact report for 2022:

I started mentoring for TERN in 2020. With the pandemic exacerbating existing social and economic disparities, I wanted to find a way to use my specific skills and knowledge to support individuals and communities in need - and to work on building innovative solutions to the problems they faced.

I have had the wonderful experience of working as a mentor in the London edition of UP Collective with several entrepreneurs over the last 4 years.

Ewout Stumphius and Siddharth Paradkar are mentors in the Delitelabs entrepreneurship program. As members of the INSEAD International Alumni Association in the Netherlands, Ewout and Siddharth bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table – giving their mentee, Alexandra, valuable insights and tools on how to develop her business idea. However, being a mentor is also a learning experience in itself. We spoke to Ewout and Siddharth about why they volunteered as mentors, the benefits of mentorship (for both mentee and mentor), and the skills needed to be an effective mentor.