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USAID Supports Iraq’s Young Entrepreneurs
Posted on 01 July 2013. Tags: 'Your Country' - United States, Entrepreneurship, Startup Weekend, U.S. Agency for International Development, United States Agency for International Development, USAID
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sponsored Baghdad’s first Startup Weekend June 28-30. More than 100 young Iraqi entrepreneurs participated in the three-day event to discuss tech-oriented business ideas and how to turn the best ideas into viable companies.
A panel of successful entrepreneurs judged the business plans and decided on which were most likely to become successful in the market. The entrepreneurs with the winning plans hope to use the experience to market their product or business model and generate venture capital to support the launch of their businesses. USAID-Iraq’s Deputy Mission Director David Harden attended the event and delivered remarks.
Baghdad Startup Weekend was the second of six such events that the USAID-Foras project has scheduled throughout Iraq. USAID-Foras is dedicated to help Iraqis improve their skills and ability to succeed in the job market, particularly women, youth and other vulnerable populations.
Deputy Mission Director Harden stated:
“It is extremely important that young entrepreneurs find avenues to test their business ideas and see how they can turn them into realities. This is a very rewarding investment for Iraq and its ambitious youth.”
Launched in the United States, Startup Weekend now operates in more than 100 countries and has helped over 10,000 startups get off the ground. The U.S. Embassy and USAID-Foras are proud to support Startup Weekend as part of America’s ongoing commitment to the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.
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