The final open dialogue of the project "Reintegrating the Iraqi Ecosystem" was concluded as a conference. Mujahed Waisi opened, followed by remarks from Kathrin Löber, Counsellor for Economic Cooperation and Development at the German Embassy in Iraq, and then I was honored to present the project's progress and outcomes.
My thanks to Mujahed for entrusting me to lead this project with the brilliant team at KAPITA. The project is a start toward several targets: first, to unify and amplify the demand side of entrepreneur and startup "graduation"; second, to optimize the budgets spent across different projects and implementing entities through holistic KPIs; and third — most important — to create a unified front of those implementing entities that advocates for change to the policies and challenges facing the startup scene nationwide.
The conference featured three panels: "Challenges and Aspirations" (moderated by Azad Hassan with Miswag's Ammar Ameen, Careem's Hussein Albayati, and the PM's Riyada advisor Dr. Hussein Flamers); "What's Missing in the Pipeline" (moderated by Ahmad Fahad Al-Shagra with EQIQ, QAF Lab, and Grofin); and "Reigniting Communities" (moderated by Ammar Al-khatib). Toward the end, seven entities announced joining forces for a pilot front to kick off the Irada Network — a closure for the first phase and a start for the next.