visa everywhere pioneer20 group photo

VISA EVERYWHERE PIONEERS

Recognising refugee women entrepreneurs across Europe

Shining a spotlight on female entrepreneurs with refugee backgrounds creating positive impact in their communities

About Visa Everywhere Pioneers

The Visa Everywhere Pioneers initiative is a cornerstone of the Visa New Doors programme. It spotlights the stories of creativity and innovation that displaced women bring to their communities and local economies.

Each year, the programme honours remarkable women from diverse backgrounds, industries and experiences who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and a commitment to build their own business and making a positive impact.



These trailblazing individuals, whether they run small local businesses, innovative startups or large organisations, serve as beacons of inspiration, breaking down barriers and fostering positive change.

visa pioneers20 awards

Meet 2025’s Pioneers

In its third year, the Visa Everywhere Pioneers programme continues to celebrate entrepreneurial women with refugee backgrounds who, through their own creativity, innovation, and leadership skills, are driving positive impact on a local, regional, or national scale. This year, the initiative has expanded to honour 30 winners, and the 2025 cohort of Pioneers will receive access to business mentoring and over €60,000 of microgrants collectively to support their business growth.

Lesya Duda

Basma El Doukhi

Lulijeta Jaha

Olena Soinikova

Bonney Magamo

Valeriia Semchuk

Aleksandra Ananyeva

Anna Ponomarenko

Yuliia Volha

Liliia Ivolhina

Azra Secerbegovic

Maryna Trepova

Veronica Rivera

Tetiana Rumenko

Arooba Hameed

Rahaf Allymoni

Sumaia Sediqi

Valentyna Vasylieva

Atrisa Baharloo

Shakiba Dawod

Tetiana Tarnai

Maryna Beshevets

Mariia Bezusa

Gulsom Gohar

Alaa Alsewid

Meet the Visa Everywhere Pioneers 2025 judges

We are excited to introduce our panel of judges for VEP 2025 who will be selecting this year's winners. Our experts come from diverse business backgrounds, bringing a wealth of experience to our programme.

Our 2025 partners

Visa is working with partners TERN, Singa, Odyssea and Delitelabs to deliver the Visa Everywhere Pioneers programme, which spotlights a diverse group of remarkable entrepreneurial women from refugee backgrounds across Europe who have made a positive impact in their fields. By providing a platform for them to tell their stories, alongside direct financial support, the programme supports Pioneers in scaling up their businesses and growing their revenues.

Hear from some of the 2024 cohort of Pioneers

yelytzveta tataryna

Yelyzaveta Tararyna, Owner of Cream Dream

Yelyzaveta Tataryna came to the UK as a refugee from Ukraine due to the escalating conflict.  

Having dreamed of opening a café in her home country, Yelyzaveta saw an opportunity to bring that dream to life in the UK, despite the immense challenges she faced as a refugee. As a vegan herself, Yelyzaveta recognised that there was an appetite for ‘free from’ food in London, which inspired her to start Cream Dream — a vegan and gluten-free café.

Today, Cream Dream is staffed by a team of refugee women, and now also sells Ukrainian cuisine and wine. But Yelyzaveta has had to work hard to overcome obstacles to make the café a success. Starting out with just a business plan and some recipes, she then had to seek out significant funding in order to open Cream Dream — and began her journey with little knowledge of English.

Yelyzaveta demonstrated resourcefulness in business from the get-go: she utilised social media early on to market Cream Dream, documenting the journey of opening her vegan café to followers online.

While she is extremely proud of her thriving business and of the team of refugee women that she has built, Yelyzaveta highlights the non-stop nature of running a business in the hospitality industry. From keeping the café running each day and paying rent, to managing suppliers and ingredients, life as a business owner is consistently demanding.  

Yelyzaveta’s ultimate goal is to see Cream Dream go international. But, for now, she wants it to be a safe place for everyone — especially those who need some time to settle.

See the full list of Visa Everywhere Pioneers finalists from 2024

2024 Pioneers

Aleksandra Volkova
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Georgia Alzahr
Helay Rahim
Inna Sopronchuk
Nitharshini Mathyalagan
Kateryna Alieksieienko
Kateryna Stetskova
Laila Majeed
Last Mafuba
Liliia Ilkevych
Liliia Pochkun
Mahboobeh Rajabi
Majeda Ibrahim Krban
Maria Igwebuike
Mariia Kushch
Nataliia Ilchenko
Nazek Ramadan
Nitharshini Mathyalagan
Yelyzaveta Tataryna

Hear from some of the 2023 cohort of Pioneers

comfort

Comfort Etim

Comfort, who came to the UK from Nigeria, works with Refugee Women Connect and is the founder of Comfort’s Angels — which uses football to empower women, promote integration and improve physical and mental well-being.

sarah

Sarah Ahmadi

Sarah, from Afghanistan, moved to the UK seeking a better life. She has since gone on to form a number of charities focused on improving the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and people in the BME community.

tanya

Tetiana Balanova

Tetiana left Ukraine as a result of the escalating conflict, arriving in Edinburgh. She joined the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain and has been working to provide community and support for displaced Ukrainians.

See the full list of Visa Everywhere Pioneers finalists from 2023

2023 Pioneers

Agnes Amon Tanoh
Anna Nevmerzhytska
Comfort Etim
Elmira Abasbekova
Ghadah Alnasseri
Kateryna Shukh
Khedi Alieva
Loraine Masiya Mponela
Mursal Hedayat MBE
Rabia Nasimi
Rossana Leal
Sara Shamsavari
Sarah Ahmadi
Sheyda O’Rang
Souad Nanaa
Taban Shoresh
Tetiana Balanova
Tetiana Balym
Tetiana Vyhovska
Yuliia Pugolovko

Unlocking Visa New Doors for newcomers in Europe

Helping displaced people thrive