Ignite! From refugee to entrepreneur in Sydney in less than three years: Final evaluation report on the SSI Ignite small business start-ups program

This report is the product of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Contracted Research Project (2014-17) 'Facilitating new refugee enterprise formation in Sydney' between UTS Business School and Settlement Services International (SSI). The Ignite Program was designed to assist newly arrived humanitarian immigrants or refugees to set up a business in Sydney, Australia. Based originally on the Sirolli Institute model, the program developed and evolved in its own right as the original had never been applied to refugee clients in a large city. The Ignite entrepreneur is a refugee who has a passion to establish a business, is willing to seek advice, and has a capacity to learn and to make independent decisions on the basis of this advice. The Ignite entrepreneur has some experience, skills and know-how relevant to the enterprise he/she wishes to establish in Sydney. As newly arrived refugees, the first stage involves referral to the program by their SSI case manager. The second stage involves testing the viability of the product or service within the New South Wales (NSW) context. The third stage involves the official launch of the enterprise and the final stage see entrepreneurs move towards exiting the program as their enterprise consolidates, grows and is operated independently of program support and advice. This report provides an evaluation of the three-year program.