How the Palestinian Diaspora are Helping Local Startups Transcend Borders: The Case of Latin America
When Gamiphy CEO Aws Al Nabulsi enrolled his startup up for MENACatalyst’s ‘Santiago Pitch Challenge’ event, he didn’t quite fathom the window of opportunity he was unhinging for himself, and more specifically, for his business.
Gamiphy (an Ibtikar-funded startup) is a user engagement and retention platform that offers clients the tools to engage, reach out and retain users. It accomplishes these goals through its easy-to-access integrated plug-in features and tools to enable end-users to customize their own gamification experience.
In the summer of 2018, Aws competed against 20 startups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a coveted spot that would guarantee him an all-inclusive trip to Santiago, Chile. There, he would meet with potental investors, business partners and prominent Palestinian diaspora business enablers in Latin America. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Gamiphy performed incredibly well in Santiago, attracting the likes of reputable acceleration programs and investors. Using the connections made with the diaspora community in Chile, Aws subsequently realized the intrinsic value of the Palestinian diaspora network in enabling local entrepreneurs to thrive, and ultimately, how their influence could shift the business trajectory for startups in Palestine.
Fast-forward to today: Aws is settled in Santiago, Chile where he recently underwent an intensive 6-month acceleration program with one of the world’s leading accelerator programs - Startup Chile. This seed accelerator, funded by the Chilean Government, offers startups access to its vast network of mentors, investors and corporates. The program also provides startups with equity-free funding, as well as access to critical capacity-development programs tailor-made for emerging startups. MENACatalyst connected Aws with the support and guidance of prominent diaspora entrepreneurs who stood by him every step of the way.
MENACatalyst, an organization working to fuel the local startup ecosystem in Palestine, connects startups in Palestine to the global diaspora community through its international demo events spanning the globe. To date, MENACatalyst has taken its startup cohorts to Chile, the UAE, Jordan, and the UK, in its efforts to stimulate increased business linkages, partnerships and diaspora collaboration and investment.
As a result of his participation in Startup Chile, Aws secured up to $80K in equity-free funding, and more importantly, extensively broadened his network in Chile to include leading stakeholders driving the ecosystem in Latin America.
The connections he’s made since he first embarked upon Startup Chile have allowed him to further expand his reach, and make a name for himself in a foreign market - a task that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Closing critical business deals in Chile with two major Chilean Telecom and Retail companies, Aws’s experience is indicative of the sheer potential for local startups to globally scale and has offered startups a glimpse of the yielding potential of the Latin American market. Aws continues to capitalize on these connections by exploring potential deals with other corporations, including a prominent Chilean bank, and another investment deal currently in the making.
Entering the Chilean market has opened new avenues for Gamiphy in neighboring countries, such as Brazil. By expanding beyond the initial target region, Gamiphy demonstrates the massive opportunities new markets pose for startups in Palestine. But in order to ensure these connections bear fruitful impact, it is integral that we leverage the global diaspora community to help funnel support for the local startups, whether that be through mentorship, guidance, partnerships, collaboration or investment. It is critical that the diaspora play a more active role in building a more robust, and globally competitive, startup ecosystem in Palestine.
The Gamiphy experience is not an isolated case, but one that bears testament to other startups operating in Palestine: There is always a ray of light beaming at the end of the tunnel, it’s just a matter of time until we approach it, savor it and journey on. Because what is the hallmark of launching a startup without its fair set of trials and tribulations?