Flat6Labs, a leading entrepreneurial ecosystem builder across the Middle East and Africa, has officially concluded its three-year StartMashreq Program at a celebratory “StartMashreq Forum” held in Amman, Jordan. The event marked the successful culmination of a significant initiative aimed at fostering innovation and startup growth across Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.
The StartMashreq Program was led by Flat6Labs in partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It was designed to create economic opportunities and drive growth throughout the Levant, with a specific focus on empowering women and forcibly displaced persons (FDPs). The program has been pivotal in strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial landscape, demonstrating that founders in frontier markets can attract significant funding and achieve scale with the right support.
A Three-Year Impact on the Levant
The forum brought together a diverse group of entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and regional partners to celebrate the program’s extensive achievements. The event was attended by distinguished guests including H.E. Stella Kloth, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Jordan, and AbdelKader Al Batayneh, Executive Director of Strategies at Jordan’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.
Over its three-year span, the StartMashreq Program proved to be a powerful model for ecosystem development in challenging environments. By providing knowledge, access, and exposure, it helped entrepreneurs overcome early-stage barriers, scale their businesses across borders, and unlock new pathways to capital.
Driving Economic Growth Through Key Metrics
The program’s success is reflected in its impressive quantitative outcomes. It provided support to over 4,500 entrepreneurs and reached more than 3,000 women and FDP entrepreneurs, directly addressing its goal of inclusive growth.
Economically, the initiative led to the creation of 350 direct jobs and empowered participating startups to secure over USD 28 million in funding. Furthermore, these companies collectively generated USD 51 million in revenues, showcasing a tangible impact on economic growth and startup scalability in the region.
Regional Leaders on Fostering Innovation
Hany El-Sonbaty, Chairman and Co-Founder of Flat6Labs, commented on the program’s success, stating, “StartMashreq marks a meaningful shift in how entrepreneurship is supported across the region. The past three years prove that when founders gain knowledge, access, and exposure, they build companies that create jobs, attract capital, and accelerate economic growth. We are incredibly proud of these achievements and determined to scale this impact beyond the region.”
Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, IFC Regional Director for the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, noted the power of entrepreneurship in the region. “By empowering startups, we aimed to unlock the potential of a young, educated population and help them address some of the region’s most pressing challenges. StartMashreq has enabled the creation of hundreds of jobs, expanded opportunities for vulnerable communities, and supported graduating startups in mobilizing their own capital to scale across the region.”
H.E. Ambassador Stella Kloth affirmed her country’s ongoing support, saying, “We are proud to have supported StartMashreq – a program that helped unlock the potential of thousands of young entrepreneurs, including women and refugees, whose ideas will shape the region’s future. The progress celebrated today is only the beginning, and the Netherlands remains committed to supporting entrepreneurial growth and innovation in Jordan and the MENA region.”
With the program now complete, Flat6Labs is preparing to extend the successful StartMashreq model into new regions where entrepreneurial potential is on the rise.
About StartMashreq
StartMashreq was a three-year regional program led by Flat6Labs in partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Its mission was to foster innovation, create economic opportunities, and drive startup growth across Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, with a particular focus on supporting women and forcibly displaced persons. The initiative provided entrepreneurs with knowledge, access to capital, and exposure to help them build and scale their companies.
Source: Zawya
