Celebrating Our First Online Startup Showcase & the Amazing Entrepreneurs That Inspired It

2020 has been a year like no other, for many reasons. In the recent months, coronavirus has caused widespread disruption here in Iraq - families are affected by health issues, businesses are affected by the lockdown, and everyday life has changed drastically. 

For the entrepreneurs in our first Arabic Incubator, COVID-19 meant shifting the last two weeks of our incubation program online and having to adapt their businesses in the face of a number of new challenges. Undaunted, the 12 entrepreneurs from across Iraq and Syria continued to work hard on their businesses. Bedayat, the online learning platform, launched three online classes during coronavirus. Tdallal, a grocery delivery app, started delivering groceries to families who were stuck at home during the lockdown. (one more example)

On June 17, 2020, Five One Labs hosted an online Startup Showcase to celebrate the success and progress our Winter 2019/ 2020 cohort of entrepreneurs have made in one of the toughest business climates in the world. Over 90 attendees joined the event from all over the world, including Germany, California, Baghdad, and beyond. 

Speakers included Ms. Ottilie Mooshofer from GIZ’s Prospects for Employment program. Five One Labs was able to complete the Arabic Incubator and run the Startup Showcase with the generous support of the German Federal Government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. 

Next came Ms. Barbara Schumacher from the German Consulate, who provided some words of encouragement to the entrepreneurs. Naz Rashid, founder of Naz Cakes and a Five One Labs alumna, gave an overview of her own success story and told the entrepreneurs to continue the hard work necessary to launch, grow and succeed! 

10 of the entrepreneurs gave brief overviews of their businesses, and then answered questions from the audience. At the end of the event, Five One Labs announced that three startups would receive seed funding of $5000, $10,000 and $15,000. Congratulations to first place winner, Al-Ruaa for CNC, second place EcoLift, and third place Mosul Solar!! 

For an overview of all of the startups that just graduated from the Fall 2019/2020 Cohort, take a look at the “Our Startups” page here.