How this social entrepreneur overcame her fear of not making a difference
- Text by Daniel Tapper
- Photography by Robbie Lawrence
“I’ve always had a very deep love for Greece. I’m half Greek myself and spent much of my childhood being brought up there. So when the country was hit by an economic crash, and then one of the largest refugee crises in history, I knew I had to do something. The problem? I didn’t know where to start.
“The country is on its knees economically, tourism is suffering and the refugees themselves are in a desperate situation. Instead of joining an existing NGO, I decided to invite a team of entrepreneurs, company executives and venture capitalists to a boat off the island of Lesbos to discuss a new approach to the crisis. My hope was that these people would apply their passion, innovation and business-sense to solving a social issue.
“Eighteen people attended the first ‘Start-Up Boat’ meeting and the end product was an online platform called First-Contact, which provides the key information refugees lack when entering Europe. On the day it launched, the website attracted 18,000 hits, it now has hundreds of thousands of users.
“Since then, Start-Up Boat has created Migration Hub, a collection of four co-working spaces in Berlin, Athens, Lesbos and Samos, where those working on migration-related issues can work rent- free. And more recently, we’ve launched Marharcar, a carpooling service that connects volunteer drivers and coordinators with emergency refugee personnel to help deliver much needed supplies to the frontline. We currently enable 200 deliveries a day and are looking to expand to Macedonia.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learnt from all this is that it requires very little input to create game-changing ideas. If you can make a website, launch a newsletter and think like an entrepreneur, then you can effectively change the world.”
Keep track of our Millennial Hopes and Fears online special.
This article originally appeared in Huck 55 – The Freaked Out Issue. Buy it in the Huck Shop now or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival
Free the Stones! delves into the vibrant community that reignites Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival, a celebration suppressed for nearly four decades.
Written by: Laura Witucka
Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife
Legendary photographer Eddie Otchere looks back at this epic chapter of the capital’s story in new photobook ‘Metalheadz, Blue Note London 1994–1996’
Written by: Miss Rosen
The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”
We caught up with the two art rebels to chat about their journey, playing the game that they hate, and why anarchism might be the solution to all of art’s (and the wider world’s) problems.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast
In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival
This Christmas, Traveller Pride are raising money to continue supporting LGBT Travellers (used inclusively) across the country through the festive season and on into next year, here’s how you can support them.
Written by: Percy Henderson
The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart
As the city’s Turbo Island comes under threat activists and community members are rallying round to try and stop the tide of gentrification.
Written by: Ruby Conway