Two Greensboro institutions have partnered to support refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs.
Guilford College and the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month to build and support local startups, especially ones that involve refugees and immigrants.
Kyle Farmbry, president of Guilford College, said that many refugees and immigrants in the Triad were entrepreneurs in their native countries but face obstacles – like language and cultural issues and different business rules – in their new homes.
“We want to partner with groups that can help identify those obstacles and overcome them,” Farmbry said. “We think Nussbaum is the perfect organization to help us do just that.”
Both the Nussbaum Center and Guilford College have long been supporters of immigrants and people from underrepresented backgrounds.
Guilford College is known nationally for starting the Every Campus a Refuge initiative in 2015. ECAR is a nonprofit program that provides best practices for colleges and universities on becoming a refuge and assisting refugees in resettlement. According to its website, Guilford College has hosted 86 refugees to date.
Approximately 75% of businesses in residence at the Nussbaum Center are minority- or women-owned.
“We hear from other nonprofit leaders that their program participants could really use our assistance with starting a business,” said Lisa Hazlett, president of the Nussbaum Center. “There’s a real need – and a growing need – for a program like this. This is the first partnership of its kind to specifically address the needs of refugees and immigrants who want to pursue entrepreneurship. It was a natural choice to partner with Guilford College on this initiative.”
Guilford College and the Nussbaum Center will also explore internship opportunities for Guilford students through partnerships with select businesses in residence at the Nussbaum Center.
Sam Funchess, CEO of the Nussbaum Center, is a 1998 graduate of Guilford College and has since partnered with the college in various capacities.
