Young Arabs join Israeli start-up program

Shafaq News/ Young entrepreneurs from a number of Arab countries, including Syria, Iraq, Libya, Gaza and Saudi Arabia, among others, take part every week in Starting-Up Together, an Israeli program for developing start-ups and social initiatives.

Participants from Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, “Gaza and the Palestinian Authority” promote hi-tech ventures and receive guidance and tools on how to actualize their dreams in Zoom meetings with leading figures from the Israeli innovation industry.

The projects promoted in the program include a project to promote acceptance and change in the attitude toward LGBTQ+ youth and adults in Arab countries, a project to connect children from different ethnic communities through joint activities and the establishment of a regional nature museum, among other initiatives.

Guidance is provided by both Palestinians and Israelis. Some 40% of the participants are women. The program guides participants through all the stages of creating a new venture, including market research, construction of a plan and business model, development and connection to a variety of potential partners and investors in Israel and around the world.

The program is collaboration between the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, the EBay Israel Development Center and the center for Smart Cities at Bar-Ilan University. The program is funded by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel).

Source: Jerusalem Post