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WELCOME TO

STARTUP BOAT

building startup solutions for refugees

OUR METHODOLOGY

Social & Scalable.

We match people who seek help with the best helpers. Our main focus is to connect refugees, migrants and project owners with people they would otherwise never meet in order to help each other move forward.

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THE PROCESS

Partners who would never meet come together to

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Synergise to meet

certain goals

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Develop or help with a collaborative plan of action

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Set clear goals and KPIs

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Shout out to our strong ecosystem for more support

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OUR UNLIKELY TEAMS MAKE US MORE INFLUENTIAL

  • We help hidden innovators discover each other

  • We provide the perfect ecosystem of support for unlikely but successful partnerships

  • Take the Cosmotest to see how we work! 

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JOIN A TEAM

StartupBoat works with entrepreneurial teams in different regions who commit some amount of time to build a project that's important for mass migration management.

If you would like to join a StartupBoat team, please send us a message (including your biography) and take the Cosmotest so that we know how we could integrate you (you will receive your results too).

PICTURES OF STARTUPBOAT EVENTS

Greek flag and two images from StartupBoat Greece think-tank session
Turkish flag with two snapshots from a StartupBoat event on a boat
German and UK flag with two images from StartupBoat events

ACTIVE GLOBAL PROJECTS

Image by OC Gonzalez

ONLY A SELECTION OF STARTUPBOAT SUCCESS STORIES & OUTCOMES

RefugAI

RefugAI is an AI that helps with translation, bureaucracy, legal issues and job integration so that you can perform useful work in new countries. With an ambitious vision to manufacture and distribute 100 million AI-powered personal devices by 2029, we aim to provide refugees with a robust tool for translation, bureaucracy navigation, job training, and cultural assimilation.

Cosmopolis

The Cosmopolis platform allows helpers and help seekers the opportunity to create personalized profiles that showcase their skills, experiences, and passions. These profiles serve as windows into the hearts and minds of our community members, fostering connections based on shared interests and the a desire to make a difference.

Global Guide

Global Guide by StartupBoat is a Multilingual Refugee Consultant. It provides assistance and guidance to refugees in navigating the challenges of resettlement in a new country. From helping with visa applications to finding jobs and integrating into local culture, this app is a valuable resource for refugees seeking a fresh start.

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OUR ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT

Ongoing support & advice by a network of mentors and advisors in tech, business planning, social innovation, humanitarian development

Access to partner lists, potential clients, user groups, established innovative companies, technology providers etc.

Access to investors, donors and a "Sustainability Board" to gain long-term support and/or an extensive evaluation for each solution

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THE FOUNDING STORY

Paula Schwarz experienced the struggles of traditional support-systems when 4 million refugees came on boats to her home-island in Greece as they were escaping the war in Syria.

She had access to a big network of entrepreneurs because of her stations with Google in China, the German Foreign Office in Africa and with 500Global in Stanford University.

She built social startups for the frontlines of humanitarian crises together with CEOs, coders, marketing experts, designers, investors and business strategists directly on the rescue boats with people who were arriving - thus the name StartupBoat. The program now uses a psychosocial algorithm to match more helpers near or far away to refugees they want to support.

Paula Schwarz

Capital Magazine 40 Under 40 (2x)

Forbes 30 Under 30

Previously responsible for the private fund of Philipp Schindler (Google Global Head of Operations) closed with 18 million in 2015

Winner of the Venture Bus Africa

2014 BA in Political Sciences (FU Berlin) Graduate Degree (Stanford University)

500 Startups Designated Silicon Valley Expert Investor

An image of Paula Schawarz, founder of Startup Boat
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