Seedstars Is Coming to Baghdad For The First Time To Find The Top Startup in Iraq
Iraq-based startups will be granted the opportunity to win up to $500,000 in equity investments and other prizes.
Seedstars World, also known as the largest startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup landscapes will land for the first time in Baghdad on August 1st and 2nd. Around 20 of Iraq’s most prominent seed-stage startups will be granted the opportunity to represent the country at the renowned Seedstars Summit for an opportunity to win up to $500,000 in equity investments and other prizes.
Seedstars will be hosting an intensive training session for entrepreneurs on the first day of the event, which will explore topics around investment readiness, the art of pitching, and will contain several mentorship sessions provided by industry-leading experts including Ali Ismail, Co-founder of Fikraspace Solo Creative Studio, Montather Rassoul, Consult ant of the Council of the European Union, and Ammar Rafid, Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility Senior Officer at Zain Iraq.
As for the participation criteria, the companies invited to the training session and to privately pitch at the Seedstars Baghadad event need to be less than two years old, have raised less than $500,000 in funding and built a minimum viable product (MVP) with existing traction. Additionally, the Seedstars team is looking for one additional criterion which is the startup’s regional and global scalability.
In order to provide local entrepreneurs with this opportunity to deliver the best possible event, Seedstars is working closely with Mohammed Salah, the representative of the initiative throughout the year. “As the Seedstars ambassadors in Baghdad, we’re more than proud to host the competition in Iraq to provide the opportunity for massive networking and funding to the finalists,” explains Mohammed Salah, Managing Director at Social N Tech.
“At Seedstars, we believe talent and good ideas are everywhere. We see ourselves as a platform connecting investors to the next generation of startup entrepreneurs in places where normally people wouldn’t think a startup ecosystem would have such growth, traction and buzz. We are very excited to be in Baghdad, highlighting such a bustling entrepreneurship ecosystem,” says Mira Charkawi, the Community Events Manager at Seedstars.
