A busy weekend for entrepreneurship in Iraq, and especially in Baghdad.
It began with a workshop run by Fawzi Rahal for six promising Iraqi startups — Corrsy, Wayl, Dofied, Saleem, Orderii, and Toolmart — that ended with pitches at The Station. The workshop was part of AB Xelerate, the Arab Bank's accelerator in Iraq.
The next day the Endeavor Jordan team arrived in Baghdad alongside companies from Jordan, Egypt and other countries and a group of investors, and — in cooperation with Zain Iraq — spent a full day with Iraqi startups across panels, pitches, and other activities.
The day opened with a great 45 minutes from Mohammed J. of Kapita Research, explaining Iraq's economic indicators and how the past few years shaped today's entrepreneurial environment. Then came a panel I moderated, "Iraq in the eyes of regional investment funds," with Rasha Manna (F6 Ventures), Mohamed Al-Hakim (EQIQ), Erass Majdoubeh (Silicon Badia), and Mohamed Samir (Zain Iraq).
The questions ran along three lines: where we are today and how internal and external investors see Iraqi startups; the reality we aspire to in the next three to five years; and what we need for that ambition to become real. The day continued with more sessions and networking, and closed with a dinner hosted by the National Bank of Iraq.
Events like these open another door between Iraqi startups and the wider region — a space to connect not only around investment opportunities, but to exchange perspectives, expertise, and skills that move us into a new chapter for Iraq's entrepreneurial ecosystem.