The Global Entrepreneurship Network's Startup Nations policy community held its first member call of 2026 on 18 March, kicking off a new series of regular monthly gatherings designed to connect policymakers across the world and spotlight innovative approaches to entrepreneurship. GEN President Jonathan Ortmans opened the call by emphasising the dual purpose of the series: to provide members with inspiration and global perspective, and to foster peer-to-peer connection among those working on similar policy challenges across different economies. The community, known as Startup Nations, brings together government officials, advisors and advocates committed to building startup-friendly policy environments.
The guest for this inaugural call was Ahmad Sufian Bayram, Executive Advisor on Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Syria's Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology. Ahmad's story is a remarkable one. He began his career as a young entrepreneur in Syria, co-founding a startup at the age of 17 before the 2011 conflict dismantled what little ecosystem support existed. That experience taught him an early lesson: a good idea alone is not enough — founders need a supportive environment to succeed. He transitioned from founder to ecosystem builder, working within Syria's increasingly dangerous conditions before eventually leaving to join Techstars, where he managed accelerator programmes across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Over those years he gained first-hand insight into how ecosystems function from Silicon Valley to Berlin to Dubai to Lagos — experience he has now brought home to Syria.
When the Assad regime fell in December 2024, Ahmad was among many diaspora figures who felt a pull of obligation to return. He joined the transitional government's Ministry of Telecommunication, where he is now leading the development of a national entrepreneurship agenda, startup legislation and regulatory reform.
His presentation outlined a deliberately bottom-up approach to policy design. Rather than drafting strategy in government offices, his team conducted a national consultation process involving 43 experts from inside and outside Syria, organised sector-specific stakeholder networks (including alliances for incubators, women in tech and academic entrepreneurship), and ran a public vote on the draft agenda — achieving 92% approval from respondents. The result is a six-pillar National Entrepreneurship Agenda covering talent and education, connectivity, entrepreneurship culture, capital and investment, market access, and regulatory frameworks.
Among the most concrete achievements to date is a new startup registration platform that is compressing what was a four-to-six month licensing process into under two weeks, providing founders with an immediate temporary licence so they can begin operating while full approvals are processed. A startup label — giving qualifying companies a legal definition distinct from SMEs — is being developed alongside a fund of funds, a fintech and health tech regulatory sandbox, and a forthcoming e-commerce law. Notably, 38% of Syria's newly registered startups are female-founded, one of the highest rates in the region.
Ahmad closed with an open invitation to fellow members: Syria is actively seeking knowledge-sharing partnerships with governments worldwide, and his team welcomes conversations on policy collaboration.
The next GEN Startup Nations member call is scheduled for late April. Learn more about Startup Nations and to apply to join the community.