"2015 was the year entrepreneurship entered Iraq," says Sarah Dhafir, co-organizer of Startup Huddle Iraq and Program Specialist at the Station Foundation for Entrepreneurship based in Baghdad and Mosul. Today, the startup ecosystem across the region is growing.
Dhafir and Ashley Barlow, fellow Startup Huddle Iraq organizer and the Station's Executive Director, joined GEN for a discussion exploring a key topic of the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Congress: resetting a new generation of ecosystems.
Dhafir and Barlow shared their experiences building entrepreneurship ecosystems in Baghdad and Mosul through Startup Huddle, a GEN program designed to help one entrepreneur at a time while strengthening local ecosystems.
"[The startup ecosystem is] centered around innovation hubs including the Station...but is extremely fractured in other cities," said Barlow. "We noticed that people were traveling to events from other provinces such as Dhi Qar and Anbar. This is where Startup Huddle really comes into its element, bringing people together to share ideas and network - helping to strengthen the entrepreneurial world irrespective of facilities."
Watch the full discussion here and register to join startup champions from around the world at the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Congress.