When building a startup becomes a crime
What does it mean to be a successful tech founder one day, and a stateless "extremist" the next?
This is the question raised by the story of Tania Marinich, a Belarusian entrepreneur and civic leader now living in Madrid. Once celebrated for her work empowering startups and democratic innovation across Eastern Europe, Tania now lives in legal limbo, stripped of her nationality, denied basic rights, and left stateless by the country she once helped build.
Her story is not just about her. It’s a warning: in a world where authoritarian regimes weaponise nationality to silence dissent, not all entrepreneurs are free.
A pioneer in innovation & democracy
Tania is not just a founder. She is a builder.
As the force behind Imaguru, a dynamic startup hub that catalysed over 300 ventures and attracted more than 160 million euros in investment, Tania played a central role in shaping Belarus’s tech scene. She mentored thousands of young innovators, launched Europe’s first blockchain hackathon in Madrid, and opened doors for women in tech across borders.
But in 2020, everything changed. After standing in solidarity with pro-democracy protests in Belarus, Tania and her work were labelled “extremist.” She was forced into exile, and Imaguru was shut down. In December 2024, she was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison the very day her Belarusian passport expired, rendering it irrecoverable without returning to Belarus to face political persecution.
Stateless by design
Tania is stateless because she stood up to power.
Authoritarian regimes increasingly use legal tools to erase their opponents. In Tania’s case, the very act of renewing her passport could endanger her life and would lead to imprisonment. Yet European systems, including Spain’s, remain ill-equipped to respond.
What remains is a slow, silent erasure.
No right to vote. No right to travel freely. No nationality. No country.
From one voice to a global campaign
Tania’s story is far from unique. It represents a growing group of founders, engineers, and innovators across authoritarian states, who are punished not for crimes, but for creativity, connection, and code, freedom of speech.. all democratic values that contradict authoritarian regimes.
That’s why we’ve launched a global campaign to make entrepreneurship a human right. Because innovation is not a crime. Because freedom to build should not depend on geography.
Visit free.imaguru.co to join the campaign, sign the petition, and support our call to the European Union and national governments to protect the rights of founders who have been silenced.
Because when authoritarian regimes brand entrepreneurs as extremists, it is our democracies that must take a stand.
What’s at stake for Europe?
Tania is the kind of leader any country would be proud to call its own. She doesn’t want handouts. She wants to contribute. Her work has already generated jobs, economic growth, and innovation, not only for Spain, but for Europe. Her startup hub continues to train and host relocated founders from Ukraine, Belarus, and beyond.
But today, she is legally invisible.
A recent Luxembourg report urges governments to recognise expired Belarusian passports and avoid demanding impossible documentation from exiled individuals. Yet implementation remains inconsistent, and courageous voices like Tania’s continue to be held back by outdated processes.
This is a missed opportunity, not just for justice, but for economic resilience and innovation.
Statelessness is not just a legal category. It’s a silence.
Imagine building hundreds of companies, supporting thousands of jobs, and waking up one day without a name in the eyes of the law.
Imagine having a voice so powerful it was shut down by force and then ignored in a democracy.
That is what it means to be stateless in modern Europe. And that is why we must act.
We’re not just fighting for a passport. We’re fighting for dignity, for inclusion, and for the right to build a future... any future.
Entrepreneurship is a pillar of freedom. Let’s ensure it is recognised as a right.
Take Action
- Share this story - #StandWithImaguru
- Sign the petition - free.imaguru.co
- Use your voice to advocate for policies that protect stateless entrepreneurs
- Call for national recognition of statelessness caused by repression
