About Us

Talent & start-up incubator for persons with refugee and migrant background

“We firmly believe in the democratisation of entrepreneurial education and the creation of economic opportunities for all. Therefore, we envision a society that is open to new entrepreneurial ideas, in which everyone can contribute their skills and potential, and which values diversity as a strength, regardless of gender, nationality, religion, race or socio-economic background.“

Capacity is a non-profit association based in Zurich, Switzerland.  It was founded in 2015 by a group of locals and migrants who recognised the need for creative solutions to long-term refugee and migrant unemployment.  Capacity is a talent and start-up incubator for persons with refugee and migrant background who would like to launch a business or a socio-cultural initiative in Switzerland.

We offer specialized and bilingual Programmes, which bring together locals and persons with refugee and migrant backgrounds in a space of collaborative skill-sharing.

Capacity was the first incubator of its kind in Zurich and launched its first Mentoring and Entrepreneurship Programme in 2016.  Our mentoring approach maximises the benefits of integrating refugees and migrants into the local economy to achieve economic self-sufficiency and helps to sensitize the Swiss receiving communities, leading to new and inclusive relationships.

We work across sectors and industries because we strive for real integration. We bring together partners to encourage multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral cooperation between public authorities, academia, entrepreneurship, civil society and the private and business sectors.

Capacity has been recognised as a pioneering and worthwhile institution by many partners and collaborators, not only in Switzerland but at an international level.

Capacity also recognises the need to share our grass-roots experience in high-level discussions on migration, entrepreneurship and employment, to ensure that new policies address the needs of refugees and migrant entrepreneurs. To this end, the Capacity team actively advocates on behalf of our community to unleash the potential of migrant social enterprises, translate entrepreneurial training and skills into 21^st-century employment opportunities, and to redefine the role of migrant enterprises in economic growth and job creation.

Commitment to SDGs

Capacity is also committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Particularly but not exclusively, the services serve to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all (SDG 8). Besides, Capacity considers gender-specific experiences with migration and entrepreneurship to promote the goal of gender equality and equal representation and opportunity (SDG 5).

We emphasise a pragmatic approach to fostering an inclusive environment through the development and training of guidelines for inclusive behaviour and appropriate use of language, particularly when addressing gender and migration-based experiences. These training resources apply to all of our internal and external activities and endeavours from Capacity.

Get in touch for any questions or requests you may have via info@capacityzurich.ch