The StartMashreq Programme by Flat6Labs fuels inclusive startup growth across the MENA region, unlocking funding, jobs, and cross-border scale for founders.
The StartMashreq Programme has officially concluded its three-year run, and its impact on the MENA startup ecosystem is hard to ignore. Led by Flat6Labs, the initiative closed with a regional forum in Amman, bringing together founders, investors, and policymakers from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq—a clear signal that startup growth in the Levant is no longer operating at the margins.
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Launched in partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the StartMashreq Programme was built around a focused mission: enable inclusive entrepreneurship by opening economic pathways for women and forcibly displaced people, while helping early-stage startups become scalable, investable businesses.
Over its lifetime, the programme supported more than 4,500 entrepreneurs, including over 3,000 women and FDP founders. The results translated into real economic value. Participating startups collectively generated USD 51 million in revenue and secured over USD 28 million in follow-on funding, reinforcing the role of structured acceleration in fragile and emerging markets.
The closing event attracted senior stakeholders, including Stella Kloth, Dutch Ambassador to Jordan, and AbdelKader Al Batayneh of Jordan’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship. Their presence underscored the programme’s alignment with national and regional development goals, as governments increasingly look to startups as engines of job creation and economic resilience.
According to Hany El Sonbaty, Chairman of Flat6Labs, the StartMashreq Programme proved that talent across the Levant does not lack ambition—it often lacks access. He noted that when founders are equipped with the right tools, networks, and exposure, they are capable of building companies that attract capital and scale beyond borders.
The IFC’s Regional Director, Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, reinforced this view, describing entrepreneurship as a stabilising force in a region shaped by volatility. He highlighted the importance of retaining and empowering the Levant’s young, educated population, warning that ecosystem gaps—not talent shortages—remain the biggest risk.
Ambassador Kloth echoed this sentiment, positioning StartMashreq as a foundation rather than a conclusion. She reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to supporting innovation and inclusive growth across the wider MENA region, particularly in markets where structural barriers still limit opportunity.
With the programme now formally closed, Flat6Labs is preparing to replicate the StartMashreq model in other emerging markets. The goal is to extend targeted, high-impact interventions that help founders navigate early-stage challenges, scale across borders, and integrate into global markets.
For MENA’s startup ecosystem, the message is clear: when inclusion meets structured support, growth follows. And StartMashreq has set a benchmark for how acceleration programmes can deliver both economic and social returns in the region.
