Global Entrepreneurship Week Iraq 2026
Global Entrepreneurship Week takes place from 16 to 22 November 2026. Activities in Iraq will be listed here once organisers confirm them.
Iraqi entrepreneurship network · Baghdad
Empowering ideas, bridging opportunities
Irada Network fosters collaboration between entrepreneurship hubs, government bodies and international organisations, to strengthen Iraq's startup ecosystem from the ground up.
Irada Network at a glance
- member organisations
- 10
- RISE phases, from first idea to funding
- 5
- the year we began coordinating the ecosystem
- 2023
- governorates on the Ecosystem Map
- 19
Our mission
Connecting the dots that unlock opportunities across Iraq's entrepreneurial landscape.
Coordinating Iraq's entrepreneurship enablers since 2023. Based in Baghdad, working across Iraq.
Who we are
Irada Network is a group of Iraqi organisations that support entrepreneurs: hubs, incubators, accelerators, makerspaces and training providers. It is coordinated by Irada Foundation for Youth Development, an Iraqi non-governmental organisation based in Baghdad.
We help these organisations work together, make their programmes easier to find, and bring the ecosystem's needs into public discussions about entrepreneurship.
Preview · by invitation
Iraq Ecosystem Map
We are building a shared directory, in English, Arabic and Kurdish, of the organisations and programmes that support entrepreneurs in Iraq. The map is in preview and open by invitation while we review the information with the organisations listed.
RISE: five phases, one shared language
Resource and Incubation Support for Entrepreneurship guides founders from first idea to a funded, growing business.
- Phase 1: Discovery Explore ideas and spot opportunities through workshops, vocational training and market-readiness programmes.
- Phase 2: Mastery Build skills and sharpen business ideas through technical training, hackathons, leadership and team formation.
- Phase 3: Launch Formalise the business: register the company, join incubation or co-working, and enter the market.
- Phase 4: Growth Scale operations, reach new markets and build partnerships through acceleration and mentorship.
- Phase 5: Funding Reach angel investors, venture capital and bank finance, and get investment-ready.
Our members
Hubs, incubators, makerspaces and other organisations that support entrepreneurs in Iraq, listed in alphabetical order.
@iradaiq
From our activities
Workshops, meetings and events with our members and partners, as we share them on Instagram.
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AI training programme for CMC staff completed — A specialised training programme in artificial intelligence concluded under a partnership between the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) and Zain Iraq, in cooperation with Irada and KAPITA Research. After 40 training hours, CMC staff presented applied projects that turned the skills they had gained into practical tools for their work.
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Irada: one platform for Iraq's entrepreneurship enablers (article) — An analytical article in issue 16 of Iraqi Business Landscape, a magazine published by KAPITA Research, on how support for entrepreneurship in Iraq is changing. Written from inside the ecosystem by Irada's founder, it reviews the work of enablers in recent years, the gaps left by scattered efforts, and why a shared platform was needed to coordinate them and link them with government and international partners.
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Beauty and Entrepreneurship Forum at KAPITA (GEW 2025) — A day-long forum during Global Entrepreneurship Week brought together beauty brand founders, salon owners, distributors and specialists in Baghdad. Sessions covered the future of the skincare and cosmetics market, between scientific expertise and customer experience, and a beauty product's journey from factory to consumer. Supported by Vanilla, the Embassy of the Netherlands and Asiacell's Asas programme.
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Product-Market Fit Secrets Forum at KAPITA (GEW 2025) — A forum in Baghdad on 23 November 2025 to help early-stage founders understand their market: how to test a product, identify real customer needs, move from a minimum viable product to data-informed decisions, and build connections with investors and mentors. Supported by Vanilla, the Embassy of the Netherlands and Asiacell's Asas programme.
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Pitching Day and Coffee Roulette at Qaf Lab (GEW 2025) — Qaf Lab's Global Entrepreneurship Week programme with Irada opened with a Pitching Day, where participants first acted as the judging panel and then presented their own ideas for evaluation. On the second day, Coffee Roulette paired founders with investors for short, direct conversations and practical feedback on growing their projects. Supported by Asiacell through its Asas platform.
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Founder skills sessions at Mosul Space (GEW 2025) — Alongside its climate hackathon, Mosul Space ran a series of sessions for founders during Global Entrepreneurship Week. A business development adviser explained the types of investment suited to each startup stage, how investors assess projects, and how to prepare a pitch deck and financials. Other sessions covered prompt engineering, English for entrepreneurs, and managing stress and mental health.
Coming up
4th Arab SMEs Summit
A regional summit on small and medium enterprises, hosted in Baghdad at the Baghdad International Fair from 18 to 20 November 2026.
Work with us
Join the organisations working together for Iraq's founders.