What does the word “refugee” mean to you? Poverty? hardship? Misfortune? What about entrepreneurship, innovation and opportunity?

Patricia Letayf is the Executive Director at Five One Labs, a groundbreaking organization that empowers refugees to become entrepreneurs in places like Kurdistan, Iraq and Barranquilla, Colombia. Starting with $15,000 in seed money won in a pitch competition in graduate school, it’s become a global force for entrepreneurship. 

Through incubators, accelerators and a global network of mentors and experts, the organization has supported over 130 startups and awarded nearly $1 million in seed funding to founders since 2017. 

On this episode, Patricia shares her inspiring story and how she and her co-founders turned an idea into an engine for economic growth, and why investing in refugees isn’t just an act of goodwill—it’s an investment in the future of the communities and countries that welcome them.

Five One Labs website:  https://fiveonelabs.org/

Five One Labs LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fiveonelabs

Five One Labs Annual Report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64b8d2eaacd68b3c353279d7/t/65cc6a078281c75008d6ee06/1734738647141/Annual+Report+2023.pdf

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