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AEIC Announces New Grant Funding

The AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) is proud to announce new grant funding from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for 2023 to support activities under the Takween Accelerator housed at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS).

This is the second grant awarded to Takween by GIZ following the successful completion of the Investor Bootcamp and Business Registration programs in 2022. With this new funding, Takween will run multiple programs to support startups in the Iraqi entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Pre-Accelerator Program

With the success of two previous Pre-Accelerator programs, Takween will run a third round with an eight-week program designed to assist startups in overcoming the gaps and challenges they face before becoming “Accelerator-Ready.” In addition to personalized training, tailored one-on-one mentoring from industry experts will be arranged to provide maximum value for each startup.

Digital Readiness Program

With the aim of improving digital collateral used by early-stage founders, Takween will deliver eight weeks of training and individual consultations to inspire and advocate startups to digitally transform their business, or a part of their business. Along with the training, participants will receive digital services to reach a more significant number of customers.

Series of Special Topics/Regional Exchange Webinars

This will consist of a series of online webinars on regional exchanges and special topics in entrepreneurship. These sessions will be in collaboration with local and international experts, with a focus on exchanging best practices among Iraq’s neighboring countries.

We are pleased to cooperate with a respected partner like GIZ, and their support not only strengthens the drive and growth of startups but also our position as a strategic supporter for startups in the Iraqi entrepreneurial ecosystem.

AUIS Community Innovation Challenge (ACIC) 2022

The AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) held its inaugural AUIS Community Innovation Challenge (ACIC 2022) event on April 21, 2022 under the slogan: Your Challenges. Your Solutions. Our Support.

The project was an initiative to put the AUIS community at the heart of creating an innovative campus. For its pilot run in 2022, AUIS students were the sole target group for ACIC, both as challengers and as solvers. The initiative used the power of digital platforms to allow students to share their challenges in phase one and submit their solutions in phase two of the program.

During the program (March and April, 2022), a total of 25 challenges were submitted to the platform which received a total of 405 votes collectively. Based on students' backing of the challenges, the top ten upvoted challenges were selected as calls for solutions in different categories such as reducing plastic waste, physical cleanliness, maintaining food quality, registration information and guidance, and eliminating food waste.

A total of eleven solutions were submitted to seven challenges. The project ended with a pitching ceremony for the solutions to be evaluated by a panel of three judges composed of AUIS staff and faculty. As part of the ceremony, the top three solutions were awarded monetary as well as symbolic prizes. The top ten upvoted challenges were also given discount vouchers for school stationary and supplies as a recognition for sharing their challenges.

Overall, the AUIS Community Innovation Challenge (ACIC) 2022 received 11 solutions, 25 challenges, 116 comments, 405 votes, and 3056 views to its digital platform. It is worth mentioning that the ACIC 2022 expenses were covered by the generous funds of Qaiwan Group to support entrepreneurship and innovation activities at AUIS.

AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center Announces Call for Applications For AUIS Innovation Awards

The AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) announced today the AUIS Innovation Awards (AIA), which will highlight innovation excellence in institutions in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and put a spotlight on innovative solutions that have had a significant impact on society.

The inaugural AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 (AIA 2022) will be presented at AUIS on January 13, 2022, recognizing excellence in innovation by individuals as well as entities. The program invites submissions from individuals and institutions that showcase innovative achievements. Entries will be accepted for consideration on a rolling basis until 11:00 PM Iraq time on November 30, 2021 using an online application form at http://www.auis.edu.krd/innovationawards

AEIC Director Dr. Hemin Latif praised this new initiative, highlighting its goal to support innovation across the country. “For the first time in the region, an award will reward innovators for shaping our future and making our lives better. Innovators are often unrecognized,” he said. “The AIA program shines a light on outstanding achievements in all sectors and creates a platform for Iraqi innovators like never before.”

AUIS Innovation Awards are made possible by the generous support of donors who include the Qaiwan Group. More information about the application process can be found on the AIA website: www.auis.edu.krd/innovationawards.

AUIS Alumni Spotlight: Tara Mohammed, Founder of Black Ace Company

Tara Mohammed, an AUIS graduate (Information Technology ‘18), is the founder of Black Ace company for IT solutions. Black Ace has a diverse and young team from different backgrounds, and Tara credits her team with having had a great impact on her and being by her side from day one of starting her business. More than just serving budding entrepreneurs, Tara has focused on hiring and targeting fresh graduates to help them gain experience, build their skills, and prove themselves as professionals and entrepreneurs.

AEIC: Tell us more about your business.

Tara Mohammed: Black Ace works in IT solutions and our main services include software solutions and cloud services. We have other services such as hardware and infrastructure services, professional and technical training, as well as IT consultancy and support. We focus on bringing the newest technology into the market and we believe in providing top quality service to our customers. Black Ace's strength is to always bring the best and newest technology to the market.

AEIC: What inspired you to start your business?

TM: I had this idea since January 2019 and after six months of planning, we launched officially in July 2019. Seeing a gap in the market helped me pave the way for this idea. We do have many experienced and great companies but they are outdated and don’t reach today’s market needs in this area.

Technology is evolving very fast and to keep up with the industry is not easy, so as a technology company it is our goal to always bring the newest technology standards and keep up with the changes to give the market what it needs.

We faced issues defining the problem, which was related to quality and changes in market needs. So we took that and designed a product to fit customers’ needs rather than creating a fixed solution focusing on our own income. Business is much more than a paycheck. I do this because I love what I do -- IT and development -- and I recommend everyone do what they like so they can achieve outstanding work.

AEIC: How did you come up with the name of Black Ace?

TM: We wanted something unique and meaningful. ‘Ace’ means ‘a person who excels at a particular activity"’, and “black” came with it and we liked it so we decided that was it.

AEIC: What were your challenges?

TM: Human resources was one of the challenges we faced at Black Ace. It took us time to build a team, but I am very happy and proud of each and every one of our employees. Another challenge was COVID-19, but Black Ace survived through that and it made us stronger.

AEIC: How did your AUIS education help you succeed?

TM: I had so much energy and I wanted to direct that energy into my vision. For this I have to credit AUIS and the course options I had. I had an opportunity to learn and I took every bit of it and invested it in myself through learning and making the best out of every class. For example, taking a class in accounting may seem irrelevant but in my position now I have to understand numbers and deal with them. Finance, marketing, small business management, project management, and contentive business analysis were some of the best classes and I wish more students would consider taking them. When you are the CEO, it doesn’t mean that you have to do everything, but you have to understand everything in your business.

The flexibility that AUIS offered helped me to manage studying and work at the same time was very valuable since my working experience in different environments led me to build a unique one within Black Ace.

AUIS gives everyone an opportunity and if you take that opportunity well it will help you become a very prosperous and a promising individual. Being in a liberal arts university doesn’t only teach you raw material but also how to think critically, manage your time and develop your soft skills.

AEIC: How has your past experience helped you today?

TM: I have been working for over seven years now in multiple diverse environments, and I see these experiences as a ladder to help you reach your destination. It is important to communicate with others to understand the market. Work experience with others will also help you evolve and understand workplace environments more. Building your network, gaining experience and understanding market needs all help you with adding value and implementing your own vision.

AUIS helped me start early since I had the option to choose my classes and schedule them according to my work. Now I can see the reflection of the work experience I’ve had on my business.

AEIC: What do you do to make sure your business runs at its peak?

TM: We are a customer-centered business, meaning we always put the customer’s values and needs above all and we make sure everything is perfectly set.

It’s also important to work hard and be passionate about what you do, as I have always been about business. If you love what you do, you can manage well and continue. We feel very responsible for every project and all work that is being done in our company. We consider every client to be a VIP, regardless of their income. Every employee in Blackace loves what we do.

AEIC: What advice do you give to other business owners and startups?

TM: For business owners, it is important to have a strategic plan, but you will also figure things out on your journey. You may face problems you didn’t consider, so it is important to learn and adapt, as business is about adaptation. I believe that as a manager/leader you need to lead by example, and your personal values will definitely reflect on the business.

For startups, you can never wait for the right moment to start; you have to create the right moment for establishing your idea. Looking at the current circumstances of our region, many might say it is not suitable to start a business, but it is very important to know which voices to let in since words have power that can either build you up or break you down. You feed on the energy of others. If you keep going around the wrong people, you will get their negative vibes and energy. Surround yourself with good people to keep yourself focused on your target and to keep up the energy in you moving forward.

AEIC: What are your regrets and lessons learned?

TM: I don’t have any regrets because I always try to make the best out of any situation and I own up to every decision and count myself responsible for my actions. Every day is an opportunity to learn more, especially as an entrepreneur. Overall, the one lesson I want to share is for everyone not to take things personally; try to rationalize and find the best route to deal with it.

AEIC: What is the most difficult part of your business as a founder/owner?

TM: It is not easy to start your own business. Sometimes it may feel like everything is against you, but what keeps you from failing is that one extra attempt or try, and having the spirit to keep going. To be realistic is not always easy as sometimes the tide might go against you, but always keeping an optimistic vibe is important to help you go forward.

AUIS Alumni Spotlight: Hero Mohammed, Founder at Potan

Hero Mohammed (Information Technology,‘17) is the founder of Potan, a B2B company focused on IT solutions and software development founded in 2020 and based in Sulaimani. With a team of five young professionals as well as clients in Kurdistan, federal Iraq, and internationally, she aims to grow Potan, which builds meaningful and scalable software solutions for companies around the world. Hero is also the founder of Hackasuly, a coding community started in 2017 with the goal of promoting technology and encouraging people to join the tech sector. Their first hackathon event was held in 2017 at AUIS with over 60 participants from different technology backgrounds.

Hero spoke to the AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) about her journey.

AEIC: Please introduce your business and the story behind it.

Hero Mohammed: Potan is a software solution company. I was working in the tech industry before starting the company so I always looked at the market and how software was developed here. I saw a gap as we got closer to digital transformation. We need more IT skills and we need more companies in the private sector to be involved in the whole transformation. So I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to start Potan and try to be part of this transformation, not only in Kurdistan but across all of Iraq.

AEIC: What inspired you to start your business?

HM: When I was working in the tech industry, I saw very traditional, mostly old technology that we have adapted/picked up a decade ago, so I thought it was my turn to come in and try to modernize technology here as well.

At Potan, we have our own values and vision that we want to implement and that was a big part why I started the company.

Starting your own business or working for someone else affects a person’s perspective. You have to experience different industries, companies, organizations, and institutions in both the private and public sectors just to get the whole idea and the whole image of the industry.

AEIC: What makes Potan different?

HM: What makes Potan different from other companies is that Potan is not only about doing business, but more about setting values and a vision.

Every company has a different culture and work environment. Unfortunately we don’t have a good working environment here. I have personally experienced working environments that were toxic and did not help employees grow, so I always had this idea to start this for myself; that I could start a company where the people working there actually feel comfortable and the company is helping them grow.

It’s not just about paying salaries or just working; it’s definitely a whole culture.

AEIC: How did you come up with the name Potan?

HM: I was searching for a name in Kurdish that I could relate to from both a business and personal perspective, since from a young age I was interested in mathematics and computer science. After searching for months in Kurdish dictionaries and online, we came up with the name Potan. Potan, or in Kurdish پۆوتان, is used in mathematics to describe the coordinate system (x, y). Mathematics is a fundamental intellectual tool in computing, but computing is also increasingly used as a key component in mathematical problem-solving. At the same time, coordinate geometry is essentially the visualization of everything you do with symbols in algebra and calculus. As someone who has always been in love with mathematics and computer science, I find this connection very beautiful. In addition, I find پۆوتان very euphonious and beautiful in terms of the phonetics of the word in Kurdish.

AEIC: What are some challenges you have faced?

HM: The challenges have been very diverse from the first step till you get settled with your business; and it’s only natural to face these challenges,

Registering your business is a hectic and costly process that requires you to come and go to public offices for months .

To start your own business as a founder you have to do everything and the challenges you face are different depending on your background and skill set. Aside from the technical knowledge I have in IT, I had to improve in other fields like sales, marketing, and finance to make sure everything stays on track. You have to work hard and make sure you stay on track.

Technology is a tricky thing; you have to really love it to continue working in it because it’s not necessarily difficult but it requires that you keep learning and making sure you are a good problem solver and that you aren’t reckless.

AEIC: Did you start this business journey alone?

HM: Yes, but everyone from my family, friends, university connections, and professional contacts were very supportive of me in starting this business. The people around you and their encouragement make you move forward.

AEIC: How do you make sure your business runs well?

HM: There are many things you have to run in parallel. Having a good team is very important, training your team and making sure they are progressing and learning new technologies. Also making sure you are generating enough revenue to continue and making sure you have good marketing and sales so you don’t burn out.

AEIC: How did your AUIS education help you succeed?

HM: Many centers of education or academic institutions don’t really prepare their graduates for the local job market. That's why they get shocked and want to give up when they start working.

AUIS as a university has had a great impact on who I am today, especially business-wise. When I started Potan I didn’t only need technical skills but soft skills as well, in addition to learning about business, politics, economics, and so on. What AUIS offered me was not only an IT degree, but knowledge about other fields as well and that gave me a very unique insight for understanding my situation.

The fact that you can take elective classes and subjects that you are interested in can help develop your perspective and your future through solving different kinds of problems you face.

So I would say the whole combination of educational options you have at AUIS form the person you will become after graduation.

AEIC: What advice do you give to other business owners and startups?

HM: Try to see how you can contribute and where you can have impact. Speaking from my own personal experience I think it is always a good idea to make sure everything you do is very well calculated and that you know what obstacles and opportunities may come your way and how to deal with them.

AEIC: What are your regrets or lessons learned?

HM: The whole process is gradual and helps you to learn new things every day. As you learn from your mistakes, the process is very slow but you have to stay passionate and on track.

AEIC: What is the most difficult part of your business as a founder?

HM: Multitasking as a founder is difficult; combining many skills together can be challenging but not impossible.

AUIS Alumni Spotlight: Hayas Ismail Khayat and Hasara Ismail Khayat, co-founders of Nakhsh

Hayas Ismail Khayat (Business Administration, ‘19) and Hasara Ismail Khayat (Business Administration, ‘17) are sibling co-founders of Kurdish clothing brand Nakhsh, which prioritizes locally-produced and sourced materials. The company was founded in August 2019 and ran successfully for several months before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The global shutdown proved to be a serious obstacle, but the Khayats have remained passionate and are striving to achieve their ultimate goal of creating an international brand. Nakhsh attire can now reach national and international customers. They export to 14 different countries so far including the United States, Poland, Germany, United Kingdom and many more. You can find their website at: www.nakhsh.com.

The co-founders shared their experiences in entrepreneurship with the AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC).

AEIC: Can you both introduce yourselves and tell us about the journey of getting together to start Nakhsh?

Hayas: My name is Hayas Ismail Khayat. I graduated from AUIS with a degree in Business Administration in 2019. I’ve worked in information technology-related fields with different organizations, but I am mostly interested in commercial photography and videography.

Hasara: My name is Hasara Ismail Khayat. I graduated from AUIS with a degree in Business Administration as well, but in 2017. I have personally worked in the humanitarian field with different organizations, but I am also interested in fashion and design. I am currently working as a librarian at AUIS.

Hayas originally had the idea for Nakhsh but both of us being business graduates and coming from an artistic family helped us choose this path. Our grandfather was from Khanaqin and was a very famous tailor in the region. That’s where we got our family name, Khayat, and our father, Ismail Khayat, is a well-known artist in Sulaimani.

We’ve tried to connect what we have studied with our family’s tradition and our father’s art. We both love colors and patterns due to our father’s influence on us; just like our father has tried to show Kurds’ pain and sorrows through his art, we also want to take the same path of showing the world that we exist. We have written “Made in Kurdistan” on all of our products. We believe that art can do what politics cannot, and to make change through art is a peaceful way to have a great impact.

AEIC: Can you describe your products and what Nakhsh offers?

Hasara: We design and make clothing that is a mixture between casual wear and traditional patterns. We have different collections and can take customized orders from our customers. We make shirts, jackets, and we have been working online through social media and our website.

Our designs are all customized so you won’t find them anywhere else. We make our products locally, inside Iraq and mostly in Kurdistan.

AEIC: Is Nakhsh currently online or do you have a physical store?

Hayas: We recently opened our first physical store in Sulaimani, which offers a variety of items for different genders and we offer customization in our store as well. We are located between Zargata and Baxtyari streets behind the Grand Millennium.

AEIC: How did you choose to get into the clothing business?

Hayas: I personally like colorful clothes and I see that products in the bazaar have nothing special about them. It’s hard to find unique looking pieces. We also did a survey and created some prototypes before officially launching. We saw a gap in the Kurdish market and customers' need for our items.

Hasara: I like fashion and getting to design these patterns is a big deal for Nakhsh and us. It’s our mark and we strive for perfect products; if we are not happy with an item, we won’t deliver it. We want every item to be perfectly made, with love and care, not with some machine in a factory with no special touch to it.

AEIC: What were your challenges and how did you overcome them?

Hayas: We have a hard time finding good people to work with, like tailors. We, as Nakhsh, are trying to support this talent in the region. Now that we are in the business, we see many talented people who are not well-known. We also have problems with sourcing materials since we want everything to be fully local; we don’t want to import the things we need. We continuously face the difficulty of finding good materials, like various types of fabrics, since the stocks sometimes run out.

We want our investments to stay inside the country. That’s why we want everything to be fully local. We also spend a lot of time on each piece as we want it to be perfect. Clothes are not like other items; they have to be comfortable and the customer should feel good wearing them. That’s why we take back any item and fix it based on the needs of the customer.

AEIC: How did your AUIS education help you with your business?

Hayas: Taking classes on entrepreneurship, creative coding, robotics, and interaction design helped me think more than ever and to shape my vision and ideas. I still use what I learned in these classes in my business.

Hasara: Many people have great ideas but they start without any plans and that’s why their businesses fail after a short while. Learning how to take the steps professionally and writing a business plan has helped Nakhsh to stay this strong after many difficulties.

AEIC: What advice do you have for others who have a startup or a business idea?

Hasara: As a startup, it’s important to always get feedback from trusted people and ask for guidance. It’s also important to specialize in an area, and focus on it so it can grow. It is really important to have a goal and a vision. Start with what you know and understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Starting your own business is not easy, so stay passionate and energized and believe in your idea.

Hayas: People are so afraid to fail that they don’t even take the first step. It’s really important to know that failing is temporary but regret is forever. It’s also important to start and share your idea with the right people to get feedback as not everyone is suitable to talk to about your business idea.

AEIC: Is there anything you want our readers to know about Nakhsh?

Hasara: Yes! We give free reusable fabric bags to our customers instead of plastic bags to help guide our customers to save the beautiful environment of Kurdistan.

Hayas: We also want to thank our family and friends for supporting us and helping us on this journey.

Dr. Hemin Latif Named AEIC Director

Dr. Hemin Latif, Assistant Professor and IT Department Chair, has been named the new director of the AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) following the departure of Mr. Pat Cline, who led the center since its establishment in 2017. The appointment was made by President Bruce W. Ferguson due to Dr. Latif’s personal experience with startups and his demonstrated commitment to the development of business opportunities for young Kurdish entrepreneurs.

Dr. Latif is an educator, and an entrepreneur. He holds a PhD in Interactive Systems and Robotics from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and has worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Innovation and Technology Exploitation (CITE) in the United Kingdom (UK). His research interests include Creative Coding & Computing, Interaction & Experience Design, Physical Computing & Robotics.

As an entrepreneur, he is the founder of two businesses operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). He has always been a strong advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition to his formal duties, he has supervised numerous capstone projects of IT students including winning projects of the City Award of Sulaimani and featured projects on multiple TV programs. He has also mentored and led a number of student teams to participate in different activities and competitions, including the top winning teams in the local competition of Microsoft ImagineCup for 2012.

Sulaimani Forum Policy Roundtable: Fostering Entrepreneurship & Tech Innovation in Iraq

On Wednesday, March 6, the AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative hosted a roundtable titled “Fostering Entrepreneurship & Tech Innovation in Iraq” in coordination with the sixth annual Sulaimani Forum. The discussion convened representatives from various startups, incubators and coworking spaces, and government and non-governmental organizations invested in supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The discussion was moderated by Pat Cline, director of the AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative, and focused on increasing the technical and entrepreneurial capacity of young Iraqis through university education, private sector funding, and support from government and NGOs.

Many of the participants echoed the sentiment of the majority of successful entrepreneurs in Iraq--that the major obstacle to entrepreneurship was not a poor regulatory environment--despite the clear need for reform--but rather the lack of investment. A number of issues, ranging from a lack of loan guarantees for entrepreneurs to exorbitant stake and control existing investors often take in nascent companies, prove to be deterrents for starting a business, and more significantly, scaling up. Existing government-led initiatives aimed at increasing financing for entrepreneurs had done little to truly expand access to capital. Tamweel, one such program, had allocated funds for small businesses, but many of the funds were restricted to particular industries or projects, and thus, had gone largely unused.

Participants raised the prospect of working through universities to expand access to capital for young entrepreneurs. Jafar Sadik, CEO of BeCorp in Baghdad, referenced a program at Dijla University that offered financing to students at low interest rates, and Hameed Al-Naser noted that during ISIS’s occupation of Mosul, organizers who later created Mosul Space used universities in Erbil and Kirkuk to hold training sessions and raise awareness about maker spaces in Mosul and around Iraq. Furthermore, a number of private companies and international organizations have begun focusing their efforts on universities. GiZ, the German development organization, recently launched a program called Intilaq--or Launch--to encourage entrepreneurship on campuses.

Another issue that entrepreneurs raised was that of “brain drain,” or the exodus of qualified employees in fields such as business and IT, in addition to a large pool of under-qualified applicants in Iraq in general. In response, companies such as Careem and Ammar Ameen’s Miswag had shifted their focus to recruit smart candidates with soft skills and the ability to learn quickly. Instead of recruiting candidates on the basis of their major in college, they offered training and professional development opportunities to complement existing soft skills. Such a business approach encouraged talented Iraqis to remain in Iraq and contribute to a stronger private sector.

Research Workshop: Innovation in Startups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

On Wednesday, February 20, the AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative hosted Rava Khorshid, Business Development Manager at the Professional Development Institute at AUIS and candidate at the Masters of Business Administration program at Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Finland, for a workshop discussing the research findings of her masters’ thesis. Over the past year, Rava had been conducting research on innovation in startups in the Kurdistan Region or Iraq (KRI) in an effort to support and inform AEI priorities for entrepreneurs at AUIS and in the local community.

The workshop convened local entrepreneurs, relevant AUIS staff and faculty, and members of the Sulaimani Chamber of Commerce to discuss main points, key findings, and practical implications for AEI goals and curriculum development. Her research relied on a variety of secondary source material and interviews with local entrepreneurs to determine and evaluate major enablers and inhibitors to innovation in regional startups.

After a brief review of the goals of her project and guiding question of her research, “How can startups in the KRI enhance their innovation practices and contribute to private sector growth?”, she explained the unique ways in which the entrepreneurs she interviewed interpreted and implemented the concept of innovation. She noted that despite the fact that many entrepreneurs viewed innovation as a new, creative way of thinking or a change in mindset, few innovated through deliberate plans and processes or reinvented well-established and successful business processes. While many sought to fill existing gaps in the local market, they did not aim to create new or groundbreaking technologies on a global scale.

Rava found that many of the barriers to innovation in the KRI revolved around the lack of local networking opportunities, limited customer responsiveness to innovation, scarce financial resources, weak transportation and delivery infrastructure, and outdated intellectual property laws. However, despite these barriers, many entrepreneurs found that the myriad gaps in the market allowed for innovation and entrepreneurial ventures.

In concluding the overview of her existing research, she posed five questions aimed at crowdsourcing ideas to strengthen AEI programming and curriculum development:

1. As a facilitator, AEI could have a significant role in developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the region. What educational initiative should AEI run to remove the identified barriers, and what kind of actors should cooperate with AEI to make these initiatives possible?

Participants advocated for greater opportunities for networking events, startup fairs, and connections to mentoring or consulting services. In particular, they suggested establishing an “Innovation Hub” in cooperation with the Sulaimani Chamber of Commerce (SCC) to provide a coworking space for startups to gather and work together.

The conversation also acknowledged that the current legal, regulatory, and financial services environment would be unlikely to change in the next five years, so entrepreneurs and educational institutions had to promote skills to help entrepreneurs flourish despite structural obstacles, or opportunities to slowly grow a body of resources. In reference to the latter, the entrepreneurs and government officials stressed the need for market data, as well as information on the numbers and types of businesses present in Sulaimani or the KRI. While a senior official at the SCC noted that the Chamber is required by law to collect data on businesses registering and operating in the city, he acknowledged that the law had not been implemented. Participants also noted that the data acquisition process for existing information held by the SCC was extremely time consuming and costly. While in many other countries, data was free and publicly available, requests for access to data in Sulaimani could cost up to 100,000 IQD. They suggested that AEI could play a role in facilitating access to data or coaching entrepreneurs to collect and publish data on their own businesses in a standardized manner.

2. How could AEI support the university to improve the balance of preparing students to be both jobseekers and entrepreneurs?

Participants reiterated the need for entrepreneurs and educators to connect and learn from each other, particularly through the following:

Networking sessions
Mentorship opportunities
Data collection on market trends and businesses
Formalizing, standardizing, and/or digitizing existing data and making it free and easily accessible

Again emphasizing the need for clear and usable data, participants recommended working with ThinkBank, a recently-established Sulaimani-based market research company that conducts feasibility studies and provides concept testing, advertisement and campaign evaluation, and consumer tracking.

Given AEI’s location at AUIS and potential benefits for AUIS students, it is also important to ensure that a wide range of students--beyond the business department--have the opportunity to take coursework on innovation and entrepreneurship. Participants agreed that the development of an entrepreneurship curriculum should involve new courses on creativity and innovation and benefit students in business, IT, engineering, and other disciplines to ensure maximum collaboration and opportunities for graduates to start their own businesses.

3. What research could AEI undertake in the future to understand and address the local entrepreneurship and innovation challenges?

The question sparked a discussion among entrepreneurs about the most pressing needs of startups in the KRI, including:

Cultivation of an innovation mindset
Government support for entrepreneurs and startups
Knowledge of and solutions to the root causes of startup failure in Iraq
Development of models tailored specifically to the needs of regional consumers
Greater knowledge of consumer behavior in Iraq and the KRI
Widespread understanding of and efforts to increase proliferation of online payment systems

4. What kind of knowledge transfer initiatives and programs shall AEI perform with different actors in the ecosystem?

Again, participants focused largely on information gathering, collaboration with the public sector, and understanding of consumer needs. In particular, the following suggestions were made:

Encouraging entrepreneurs to collect, standardize, publicize, and digitize more data about their businesses and customer base, and promoting greater public collection and disbursement of data
Supporting the development and disbursement of customer surveys and interviews
Working with government institutions such as the SCC to publicize success stories

5. What can AEI do to attract funding for startups and ecosystem building in general?

Provide education on proper investment practices, including legitimate amounts of ownership to take in young companies
Provide trainings for entrepreneurs and investors on how to develop exit strategies
Promote and inform long-term investment options from major institutions

AUIS Hosts Campus Round of Hult Prize Competition

On Saturday, November 17, 2018, AUIS hosted its first campus round of the Hult Prize Competition, an annual entrepreneurship competition in which undergrads and MBA students around the world present business plans to solve a pressing social issue. At each campus round, a panel of judges evaluates the campus round teams and selects a winning idea to move on to the regional round of the competition. From there, students compete for the chance to join a group of 50 teams at the Hult Castle accelerator program in London for six weeks over the summer. The final six teams from the accelerator pitch for a chance to win $1 million in seed capital for their startup.

In the weeks leading up to the campus round, AUIS teams crafted their ideas, drafted their business plans, and had the chance to receive informal mentoring and strategies from a pitching workshop to address the 2018 Hult Prize challenge: youth unemployment. By the day of the the campus round, 13 teams were ready to compete. Ideas ranged from online platforms for skills development and product delivery to the domestic manufacturing of agricultural products such as olive oil and tomatoes.

After a day of pitching, four finalist teams were selected to pitch to a panel of five judges that included Shady Atef, Hult Prize Iraq Director and co-founder of InnerG; Avin Mohammed, manager of Click company; Meeran Sarwar, CEO and co-founder of City Gym; Bayad Jamal, CEO of Bayad company; and Broosk Hamarash, CEO of Meta Solutions. The finalist teams included the following:

F4: online service that connects employers to skilled youth seeking employment
Olive Quest: business focused on cultivating olive plantations in Kirkuk to yield table-ready and commercial olive oil
Dream Catalyst: delivery service for online businesses that connects buyers to products using on online payment and tracking system instead of cash on arrival
Karsaz: agricultural community that focuses on maximizing the use of natural resources around Darbandikhan and Dukan dams

After a period of deliberation, the judges selected Team Olive Quest to advance to the regional round. Details of their participation are forthcoming.