Jordan is building infrastructure for the creator economy. Ibdaa, a specialized business accelerator managed by VentureX, has officially onboarded its inaugural cohort of eight creative startups. The initiative targets the cultural and arts sectors, aiming to transform creative concepts into scalable, revenue-generating businesses that contribute to the national economy.
Quick Facts
- Focus: Creative and cultural industries.
- Cohort size: 8 emerging Jordanian startups.
- Duration: Intensive 3 to 6-month program.
Structuring Jordan’s Creative Economy
During the acceleration phase, the selected founders will undergo a comprehensive development process. Beyond operational support, the program connects startups with industry partners, expands their professional networks, and prepares them to pitch in front of sector-specific investors.
Youssef Hamidaddin, Managing Partner at VentureX, noted that the accelerator was launched in collaboration with Jordan’s Ministry of Culture and several key institutional partners. These include the Royal Film Commission, Jordan Media Institute, the National Centre for Culture and Arts, the National Music Conservatory, and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.
Diana Abu Obeid, Head of Acceleration at VentureX, emphasized that the core objective is to identify and scale startups and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) specifically operating within these often-underfunded creative verticals.
The Inaugural Cohort
The first intake features a diverse mix of platforms, production tools, and design concepts chosen through standardized evaluation criteria:
- Street Blog: A social media platform designed for global reach.
- Cubely: A visual and audio production management system tailored for production companies.
- Souq Aflam: A digital marketplace for original Arabic visual content, including videos, photography, and graphics.
- Valor: An application connecting users with global artists based on personalized taste and color preferences.
- Shorouq: An eco-friendly fashion and design brand.
- Habaka: A design company that converts images, scenes, or concepts into usable designs for commercial products.
- Itar Fanni: An educational enterprise promoting art in Arab societies and providing equal learning opportunities.
- Tawq: A cinematic production company focused on local and international short feature films and documentaries.
About Ibdaa
Ibdaa is a specialized business accelerator launched through a memorandum of understanding between VentureX and Jordan’s Ministry of Culture. It serves as Jordan’s first acceleration hub and artistic lab dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors. By incubating early-stage concepts and stimulating SME investments, Ibdaa aims to capture local economic value in a global industry that, according to UNESCO data, generated $2.25 trillion and supported 29.5 million jobs in 2018 alone.
Source: Jordan News Agency (Petra)
