SINGA

I am applying to the Elevate Prize to transform migration on an international scale. 

For 10 years, I have been hacking immigration and refugee exile using peer-to-peer technology and collaborative innovation. 

I have built, with my teams and our communities in 7 countries, an ecosystem where international mobility is safer, fairer and more prosperous.

Today, I have an effective, inclusive incubator model that has been replicated in several countries, ready to scale. 

I believe the Elevate Prize could help us shift the world to a more equitable and inclusive context. 

If we win, we will use the financial support to design the tools that the ecosystem is still missing: a startup studio and an investment fund. 

As for me, I am still motivated but I feel vulnerable. I regularly receive intimidation and death threats. And I spend my time creating understanding and well-being for my collaborators but the pandemic has opened my eyes to my own limitations. 

On a personal level, this award would be the ideal way to secure my personal situation and thus take a lot of pressure off my shoulders to focus 100% on the goal.

I am first and foremost a drawing enthusiast. Art has allowed me to explore the world since my childhood in a small French town.

Curious about other cultures, I spent all my summers between the ages of 13 and 19 abroad: London, Syracuse, Detroit, Hamburg and Tokyo.

These experiences led me to study to become a diplomat. I was particularly interested in environmental rights.

It was a thesis on this subject that brought me to Australia where I wanted to meet with ecological leaders among indigenous populations.

Instead, I ended up in the legal aid team for asylum seekers. I met refugee entrepreneurs and artists. 

Back in France, I created SINGA. I wanted to change 2 things: 1) reveal the potential of refugee entrepreneurs and 2) create better conditions for newcomers and locals to meet.

In a few years, I found myself at the head of an international network of incubators. I gradually learned to manage it with the support of Ashoka, the UN or Numa. 

Today, I continue to marry my love for Design with Impact. I want to do to diplomacy what Wikipedia has done with the encyclopedia: make it accessible to all.

Today, 1% of the world’s population is displaced (UNHCR) and 3% immigrated (IOM): that is 272 million people who, willingly or unwillingly, live in a country other than the one in which they were born. 

While migration is often perceived as a humanitarian or security issue, it has actually shaped the world as we know it, and will continue to do so. Studies from UNHCR, OECD, the Tent Foundation or the Refugee Investment Network all agree that migration is an opportunity, if we embrace it in the right way.

Knowing that climate change is already causing more people to leave their homes, we must quickly and radically change our approach. 

Since 2012, SINGA has been creating events, tools and new spaces to encourage both newcomers and locals to find synergies, learn from each other and build a brighter future together, thanks to:

* A global community of 50,000 members bringing together refugees, migrants and locals through common passions, skills and projects.

* A network of local incubators in 18 cities in 7 countries that work withs entrepreneurs develop successful inclusion projects.

* A virtuous ecosystem that brings the community, leaders and institutions together to reinvent inclusion and the future of migration.

SINGA's innovation is internationally recognized by Forbes, the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Aga Kahn and Obama Foundations, the Paris and London City Councils, the French Ministries of Finance, Housing and the Interior... 

This innovation can be summarized in 4 points: 

1. Inclusive design: We build communities with people from different cultures in a common society and generate value through the singularities of each one.
2. Resilient entrepreneurship: We develop innovative methods in times of crisis, transition or uncertainty.
3. Data for the Future: We know the aspirations of Generation Y/Z and newcomers in 7 countries in Europe and America. We can deduce what an inclusive future would look like. 
4. Tech for good: We created several community platforms, with technologies to match newcomers with locals based on common interests and protocols for monitoring and mediation.

We build communities 

Our venues and platforms have brought together thousands of refugees, immigrants and local residents around common projects:

• 5000+ community managers trained 
• 50000+ members gathered for conversations, debates, events
• 3500+ roommates connected 

We train leaders 

Between 2016-2019, we have coached 1,000+ entrepreneurs and 3000+ mentors in our incubators who have created 287 companies: 

• 60% of companies are still in business after 5 years
• 53% created by women
• 70% by immigrants (46% are refugees)
• The majority are between 30-49 years old
• 67% of them have a social or environmental impact 
• A combined turnover of 10 million euros 
• 410 direct jobs created

In 2020, we added 216 entrepreneurs. In 2021, we aim to support 563 entrepreneurs. 

We change the narrative 

• We promote a new culture of migration in mainstream media, public conferences such as TED or the Web Summit, scientific reference books, published novels and essays, documentaries and soon fiction (films, series) 
• In addition, we partner with media outlets and have launched several media outlets through our incubators

We inspire new rules 

Our advocacy is action-oriented. We provide the tools and information necessary for governments and business leaders to make decisions on new policies related to migration.