On April 25 a meeting “Migrant Entrepreneurs in V4 Countries” took place. It had been organized by the Foundation Our Choice in cooperation with the Agency for Migration and Adaptation AMIGA, z.s. and the Municipal Authority of Prague. During the meeting, the particularities of developing startups in the Czech Republic by migrants from the former Soviet Union countries were discussed, among those: the conditions for setting up a business, the issues connected with obtaining legal residence by foreigners based on the fact of owning a business, the difficulties in running their businesses that foreigners struggle with, and the possibilities for the development of entrepreneurship in the country.
The expert Aina Akhmetshina talked about the particularities of the market in the Czech Republic, the rules of competition, and about the importance of brand promotion in business development. Another expert, Liudmila Nosova talked about the role of social media in the processes of migrant integration in the Czech Republic and about the possibilities that Internet platforms offer for the development of entrepreneurship among foreigners.
“In relation to entrepreneurship, these sources provided advice or commercial offers regarding help with legal aspects of starting business in the Czech Republic, with the analysis of current trends, as well as with the changes in legislation. In the situation of permanent changes in the migration-related legislation and growing restrictions, this insider advice was extremely valuable for newcomers,” says the expert Liudmila Nosova.
The meeting is organized within the project ‘Migrant Entrepreneurs in V4 Countries: Regional Dimensions of Startup Cooperation’. The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund.