Startup Syria has released impact figures following its participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), highlighting a widespread effort to decentralize support for innovation across the country. The initiative’s strategy focused on empowering local communities from within, resulting in broad engagement that extended well beyond major urban centers to reach emerging founders in diverse regions.
Mobilizing Local Communities Through Decentralization
A core component of the campaign was its extensive geographic reach, covering 23 cities including Idlib, Aleppo, Damascus, and regions such as As-Suwayda and Deir ez-Zor. Rather than relying on a top-down approach, the organization utilized “Local Community Catalysts”—organizers native to these cities who mobilized founders and curated networks tailored to their specific local contexts. This decentralized method allowed the initiative to activate untapped communities, ensuring that entrepreneurial support and momentum were accessible to innovators regardless of their location within the country.
Significant Engagement and Inclusivity Metrics
The data released reveals substantial participation, with over 5,000 active participants engaging in the week’s activities. A key highlight of the report is the high level of inclusivity within the ecosystem, recording a 44.7% female participation rate among attendees. The programming facilitated extensive knowledge exchange, delivering over 300 training hours through 37 diverse activities. These sessions were led by more than 100 experts and speakers, providing critical mentorship, technical guidance, and industry insights to the next generation of Syrian entrepreneurs.
Strengthening Ecosystem Infrastructure
To ensure the sustainability of these efforts, the initiative prioritized deep collaboration with existing local entities. By partnering with over 40 local partners, the organization co-created more than 90 events and activities, fostering a spirit of collective ownership over the ecosystem’s growth. Additionally, 75 coordinated meetings were held to build functional bridges between founders and various ecosystem actors. These structural efforts aimed to integrate entrepreneurship into broader economic development strategies, creating a more resilient and interconnected network of support for Syrian founders.
About Startup Syria
Founded in 2013, Startup Syria is a community-powered initiative dedicated to supporting founders, startups, and entrepreneurship support organizations working in and for Syria. The organization engages with both the local Syrian entrepreneurship community and the diaspora to foster the exchange of knowledge, resources, and expertise. Through its platform, it provides tools and networks to help founders scale their ventures, while aiming to position entrepreneurship as a cornerstone of the country’s economic priorities.
Source: Startup Syria
