The Human Security Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs partnered with Seedstars , the leading emerging market startup community, and investor, to launch an open call for startups in countries and regions prone to strong migration movements in MENA and Africa.

The aim of the project is to support socially driven business models in countries and regions prone to strong migration movements. Entrepreneurship by and for migrants and refugees has the potential to create shared benefits for the foreign-born and local communities alike by contributing to livelihoods and social cohesion. The ultimate objective is to improve human security for the individual by promoting freedom from fear and want, and a life in dignity in a sustainable manner. The eligible ventures must create promising business opportunities locally and offer innovative solutions alleviating the pressure for people to take dangerous routes leaving their homes.

The solution can be aimed for society at large thus aimed at migrant and the local population, and be implemented in the origin, host and transitory countries.

Additionally, the ventures must be seed-stage, meaning that they must have a minimal viable product and initial user traction, and operate in either English or French language. Accepted countries of operation are: Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Isreal, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE.

Any business matching these criteria are welcome to apply to the Migration Entrepreneurship Prize on its official page: migrationprize.seedstars.com , by 31 January 2020. The shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews after 10 February, while the finalists will be announced on 20 February. The finalists will include 10 selected ventures, which will be invited to participate to the Seedstars Investment Readiness Program , a customisable educational program that helps to get ready for fundraising.

Out of the 10 finalists, 5 ventures will get the full Global Seedstars Summit experience in Switzerland in April 2020, where they will participate in the 3-day bootcamp with mentors and investors. One global winner will be selected and announced during the global summit receiving the official Migration Entrepreneurship Prize.

ABOUT SEEDSTARS
"They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds." - Mexican proverb Seedstars is a Swiss-based private group of companies with a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. The groups’ activities cover over 80 emerging ecosystems through a variety of events such as the Seedstars World Competition , acceleration programs, physical hubs called Seedspace , venture capital investments and company building activities About the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and its Human Security Division (HSD) The FDFA's Human Security Division (HSD) is responsible for the promotion of peace and human rights as set out in the Federal Council’s foreign policy strategy.It focuses on the security of the individual (freedom from fear and want )and protecting people against violence, war and acts of arbitrary treatment. It works towards ensuring that policy on migrants and refugees is based on human dignity. The HSD is part of the Directorate of Political Affairs.