Welcoming a New Year with New Possibilities: MENACatalyst’s 2019 Year in Review
As 2019 comes to a close, and 2020 fast approaches, we at MENACatalyst would like to take the time and thank you, our global community from Palestine and beyond, for all that your support has helped us to achieve. For us, it is more than just implementing programs and filling out reports but about creating a community that is as diverse as it is unified in not only supporting Palestinian entrepreneurship but in laying the foundation for a new generation of resilient innovators to thrive.
Every new year brings new expectations and endless possibilities. But taking a step back, we would like to share some of the most noteworthy achievements we, as well as our startup community, have accomplished over the past 12 months.
> We are proud to have shared over 100 startup stories and blogs illustrating our key role in the field of digital content creation, and advocacy for the development of Palestine’s startup ecosystem.
> Established a network of over 100 business enablers, industry partners, and investors from the Palestinian diaspora and beyond.
> Took a leading role in connecting local startups with those from the 48’ areas as well as the diaspora to collaborate on new and existing projects.
> Established global partnerships with key entrepreneurial organizations, including Seedstars, MIT Enterprise Forum, Startupbootcamp, Wamda, ANIMA Investment Network, and a host of international content providers.
> Introduced our new program, Palestine Codes to the youth of Palestine, impacting hundreds of students across the country.
And our startups:
Gamiphy: Received 6 months acceleration with Latin America’s leading accelerator Startup Chile. And not only has Gamiphy impressively secured two rounds of seed funding totaling USD 80k, the pioneering startup has also signed three business contracts with major corporations in Chile.
Kenz: Seed funding of 50k and 3-month acceleration opportunity with regional entrepreneurial launching pad, 500Startups.
weDeliver: Investment offer in the works of USD 250k.
Lavender: Agreed investment offer of USD 30k.
uMake: Seed funding of over USD 10k.
Looking towards the new year, 2020, we will continue to build our local startup ecosystem and support our future innovators, both entrepreneurs, and coding students, with the connections, support, and resources they need to overcome boundaries and grasp a world of new opportunities.