Founded by Mursal Hedayat, a refugee from Afghanistan living in the UK, and Guillemette Dejean, a Y Combinator alum, Chatterbox is an online language learning platform designed and delivered by refugees. Language skills and cultural knowledge are increasingly necessary for professionals in the globalized economy. The Chatterbox digital platform uniquely combines AI-powered self-study courses alongside algorithmically matched native language coaches from the refugee community. Coaches are paired with students based on shared professional backgrounds and interests, achieving industry topping completion rates and unbeatable relevance in learning. On the app, engineers are learning Arabic from fellow engineers and aid workers are learning French from medical doctors. And while Chatterbox clients learn, their refugee coaches earn a living, improve their employability, and reclaim their professional identities. Classes can be offered one-on-one, in small groups, to whole classrooms, or for organizations who purchase lessons on behalf of their members.

Founded by Mohamed Malim, a Somali-American entrepreneur and former refugee, Epimonia is a fashion company dedicated to raising awareness around refugee issues in the United States. Epimonia sells fashion accessories, including a bracelet made out of recycled life-vests previously worn by refugees. Epimonia sources its life-vests in partnership with the non-profit organization, Refugees4Refugees, which sends its volunteers to Lesbos, a Greek Island where many refugees arrive. The final “embracelets” are then made in the Netherlands by refugees employed by the Dream Factory, owned by Mr. Malim’s uncle Omar Munie, a Dutch-Somali fashion designer.

At SOCAP 2018, Kiva announced the creation of Kiva Capital, an impact-first asset manager, and with it the launch of their first fund, focused on raising $30M for refugee financial inclusion. The fund is expected to catalyze almost $100M in loans over its projected 5-year term, with direct impact to over 200,000 borrowers. The vehicle will offer a range of sub-commercial return streams for institutional investors.