WELCOME

to The Station’s 5th issue!

This issue is a semi-annual one that includes articles, interviews and numerous other news about entrepreneurship, startups, economy and innovation in Iraq.

Despite the many obstacles we all know (such as the continued spread of COVID-19 and several economic issues), The Station, with its two branches in Baghdad and Mosul, is striding forward, surpassing the first half of 2021 with determination and confidence. The Station has always been present in the youth and entrepreneurship community, making it a trustworthy hub for youth and an effective player in the entrepreneurship environment.

The most notable event of the year was the signing of a 3-year MOU with Zain Iraq in March, through which we will work to unify our efforts and vision and direct them towards supporting ambitious youth. The most exciting event was the opening of the creativeSpace in Baghdad and Mosul, which targets youth interested in art to enhance their skills, while highlighting Iraqi creatives and artists who need publicity and opportunities to present their artworks. In addition, a Mentorship Program for young entrepreneurs has also been launched, enabling people starting out in their industries to make use of the experience of seasoned entrepreneurs, businessmen, and domain experts.

Many of The Station’s significant projects included educational programs such as I3dad in Mosul, preincubation programs such as Yanhad in both branches and Winvestor in Baghdad, artistic projects such as Crossroad in Baghdad and NinevArt in Mosul, grants for SMEs such as Absher in Anbar, advocacy campaigns such as the Sada competition in both branches, and many thematic live streams such as Ramadan Meetups and theStream in both branches. Numerous seminars and trainings for youth preparing them to enter the workforce spanning many fields were also held, and we must not forget the lively concerts that were held in both branches.

In a first-of-its-kind precedent for The Station, and as part of its strategic partnership with Coursera, free courses were offered to more than 1200 trainees drawn from The Station’s audience and university students.

Have we forgotten something? An additional 10 startups have joined the previous 29 startups and certainly, the co-working space has become not only limited to startups, because we’ve created daily and weekly memberships that allow everyone who wants to work, study or get any task done within a quiet atmosphere to book a desk for very low fees. We also introduced new subscriptions to the Makerspace for everyone in need of equipment, guidance or materials in order to develop and implement their technical or innovative projects.

Wishing you a nice reading!