How Station J is supporting the creation of an Enabling environment in Jerusalem
During the past two years of operation, Station J succeeded to provide tens of young Jerusalemite entrepreneurs with several thematic capacity building programs related to startups, innovation, and creativity.
As one of Station J objectives is to Create an enabling environment for the entrepreneurial community, it was important for Station J to explore further cooperation with like minded and compatible organizations such as Hasoub, a grassroots NGO paving the way for the coming generation of Arab tech-entrepreneurs, where together they have invited investors from Arab Angel Club as well as investors from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem to open opportunities for entrepreneurs to pitch their startups ideas to them and to get a chance for local and Arab investors to be acquainted to these startups.
It became clear during the special event that was conducted by Station J and Hasoub on 5 March 2022, After a morning tour in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Arab Angels Club (AAC) members shared lunch with local businesspeople who cared to learn about startup investments. Eventually, the AAC investors had the pleasure to meet several promising Jerusalemite/West Bank startups at the Station J in Sheikh Jarrah. Bridging between entrepreneurs and investors, especially from different geographies is something that is much needed in our community. the importance of providing opportunities for both the Jerusalemite, West Bank ,Arabs from 1948 investors and the young entrepreneurs, it became clear that there are many investors that are interested in investing in new startups and that new startups can foresee these angel investors as solid alternative or/and additional funding for the limited seed funds Provided for early-stage startups in Palestine in general.
However, angel investment is in need of promoting awareness at different levels; first among the investors themselves who need to learn more about the mentality of the young entrepreneurial world and the different means to invest or to help those fresh ideas, while the entrepreneurs can take such events as good practice to build their portfolio in an attractive way for investors while also learning in a more efficient way how to pitch their ideas to meet the market and investors’ needs.
During this special event of Station J and Hasoub, five startups had the chance to pitch and to network with different investors, including Crownox formed by Kathem Naser Deen, Zamakan by Hamza Sarraj, Matajer by Daoud Darwish, Zifaf by Adnan Assali and Jeelcode by Hijazi Natsheh represented by Yara Abu Miezer
With the success of the event, Station J and Hasoub highlighted how cooperation is essential among key actors to create the right and the needed networks to support the young entrepreneurs in their innovative, yet challenging new businesses and to provide the needed local ecosystem with more conducive events and opportunities to grow both in their job creation and income generating projects.