NEWS FROM THE STATION

Lubna Salam

TATHEER SOCIAL HACKATHON WITH A $2000 PRIZE

This hackathon was designed specifically to enable and promote technological innovation as a means to improve the internet space in Iraq and support young innovators in finding solutions to critical problems they face as part of the Innovation for Change-Middle East and North Africa program that is implemented by their national partner in Iraq, The Station. The hackathon brought together more than 60 community entrepreneurs, human rights activists, security and digital activism workers, students, and programmers from Iraq over two days in January to exchange ideas and prototypes on how to improve the internet space in Iraq, including issues related to fake news and bullying.

FREE DESKS FOR START-UPS IN MOSUL

For six months, starting in January, Al-Handal International Group, one of The Station’s strategic partners, offered more than 30 free desks for Mosul’s start-ups. This initiative aimed to encourage start-ups and youth to become a part of The Station’s community and to benefit from the opportunities provided by The Station and its partners.

6 START-UPS FROM THE STATION WON THE FIRST PLACES IN THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS AWARD

The Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Association of Excellence for Young Entrepreneurs, organized the EBA Ceremony in January, during which 100 projects were nominated and ten qualified for the final stage, six of which were start-ups from The Station in Baghdad and Mosul, and three start-ups won the first three places:

1- Green Gold for Sustainable Development

2- Teami

3- Mosul Solar for Solar Energy Systems

4- Nakhla

8- A.J.A Company

10- Eco Life

ANA TURATH APP HAS BEEN LAUNCHED TO START PUBLISHING IRAQ’S HERITAGE ARCHIVE

The Station, in collaboration with UNESCO and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), launched the Ana Turath app in Mosul at the end of January. Ana Turath is an application that serves as a photo archive for digital heritage and makes it accessible to all.

THE STATION WEEK: CELEBRATING OUR 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH FREE OFFERS

As a lead-up to The Station’s fourth anniversary on February 8th, The Station launched a week of free activities, events, and training workshops to express gratitude and happiness to the audience for their active participation over the past four years. The Station Week featured a free art exhibition, bazaar, and music concert, as well as free training workshops in interior design, market research, content creation, and academic writing for over 120 trainees.

HULT PRIZE: THE GLOBAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT COMPETITION IN MOSUL

The Station in Mosul sponsored and implemented the Hult Prize annual global competition, which targeted Mosul University’s bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students. The training included an overview of the human-centered thinking methodology, which participants can use to develop their project ideas, as well as design thinking. The global competition’s winning team will receive a $1 million prize, funded by a donation from the Hult family, as seed capital to help them launch a community project, as well as a certificate from the Hult Prize, the United Nations, and Hult Business School, as well as the opportunity to train and present ideas to an elite group of entrepreneurs and present the project to local and international experts in innovation, marketing, and finance.

THRIVING IRAQI WOMEN: CELEBRATE. INSPIRE. CONNECT.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme was “Break the Bias,” with the goal of creating a world of equality that values and cherishes diversity. And, because the entire world is encouraging strong steps to achieve equality and recognize the achievements of women and their important role, The Station created a one-week campaign to highlight the achievements and stories of more than 25 Iraqi business and creative women from Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra. This campaign was followed by a celebration of Iraqi women’s achievements in various fields at The Station.

THE STATION IS GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ECOSYSTEM CHAMPION AWARD

The Station received the Global Entrepreneurship Network’s The Compass Award for Ecosystem Champions for driving positive, long-term, and inclusive growth in their local ecosystem through programs and education that advance innovation and support start-ups. The winners were celebrated at the Compass Awards ceremony as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), a gathering of start-up champions who are working together to build one global entrepreneurship ecosystem through a shared engine of innovation and economic growth in cities and countries everywhere.

RAMADAN MEETUPS 2022

Over the past four years, The Station has hosted two offline and two online Ramadan Meetups in Baghdad and Mosul. This year, we organized the fifth edition of Ramadan Meetups in Baghdad, Mosul, and Erbil, which brought us back together with our community and were on various topics, including those that brought us back to our popular Ramadan habits and those that fascinated us with their atmosphere and vitality, taking us to different worlds of music, as well as cinema, photography, technology, mental health, video games, scholarships, and the role of major companies in privatization. The audience benefited from the information provided by the distinguished speakers who participated in the Meetups.

RAA’IDAAT’S LOCAL COMPETITION

Following ten months of intensive training and mentorship in various fields through Ra’aidaat Program, which is funded by the French Embassy in Iraq, implemented by The Station, and supported by Zain Iraq, ten businesses in Mosul and Baghdad advanced to the local competition on May 22nd, which included 16 businesses from various governorates of Iraq, to choose the best two businesses from each governorate, so that they are qualified to launch in the Iraqi market, as well as

BUSINESSES THAT TOOK PART IN THE BAGHDAD LOCAL COMPETITION

1. Auto Care: An application for booking car laundry and maintenance services, as well as providing services for companies.

2. Ghumra: A training camp for children to fully immerse themselves in a safari environment while using environmentally friendly materials.

3. Bana Care: Provides locally made hair and skin care products made from natural ingredients such as vegetable oils and herbs.

4. Iraqi Couture: Aims to create a brand for a group of designs with an Iraqi identity, as well as design different models, sew, recycle, and re-design using eco-friendly fabrics.

BUSINESSES THAT TOOK PART IN THE MOSUL LOCAL COMPETITION

1. AS_U: Produces customized home decorations and accessories.

2. Visit Mosul: Offers tourism services to foreign visitors within Mosul.

3. Coffee Sticker: A store that introduces coffee hospitality products in a new way.

4. Elixir: Manufacturing men’s accessories and women’s jewelry with a conductive handicraft.

5. Athar: An online store that provides mandala designs.

STARTUPS ON THE MOVE

NETWORKING EVENT IN ERBIL

Startups On The Move was held in June at The Station in Erbil by Startups Without Borders, in collaboration with Google, SPARK, and The Station. Startups on The Move is an incubation program for 130 entrepreneurs that will take place in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.

The Station, Five One Labs, KAPITA, and Takween participated in a panel discussion to discuss the current entrepreneurial landscape in Iraq, access to finance, investment, and Iraqi startup success stories. This was followed by a pitch presentation for the five Iraqi startups involved in the program.

MEET AND GREET

NETWORKING EVENT IN BAGHDAD

The Station, in collaboration with the Iraqi Private Banks League and the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, organized the first event of its kind in Baghdad, “Meet and Greet” event, with the goal of bringing together all partners, international and governmental organizations, major companies, as well as start-ups from our Coworking Space, with a diverse and valuable network of experience, to link them, build strong and valuable relationships, and encourage them to meet and exchange ideas and news, as well as to establish links, opportunities, and business partnerships in order to expand their business.