The First Alumni Gathering of Orange Corners Baghdad
As part of the global Orange Corners Alumni Community, Orange Corners Baghdad held the first alumni gathering in KAPITA’s headquarters in Baghdad, Al-Mansour.
On a Thursday evening, gathered with Orange Corners Baghdad graduates from the 3 previous cohorts with some of their team members, the event began with the opening talk by Mohammed Hameed - The Program Coordinator at Orange Corners Baghdad where he talked about the Orange Corners program in general, and the impact of the program on the startups that have graduated.
Mohammad introduced the new alumni network and the role of KAPITA in supporting and helping this network run and spread.
Followed by a word by Abdulrahman Abdulkareem Founder of Eco startup and the newly selected Ambassador for the Alumni Community to represent Orange Corners Baghdad.
Abdulrahman welcomed the startups and he talked about his new role as an Ambassador to the program. He also explained how the alumni network can help graduate startups:
By providing opportunities to support the Orange Corners Baghdad graduates and the activities that will happen in the upcoming periods.
Provide a platform for all the Orange Corners graduates all around the world to collaborate and partner.
The second part of the gathering was to discuss the type of activities that graduates aspire to see in the upcoming period. They discussed the latest updates of their businesses and what they are still lacking in and gave out requests to the program coordinators regarding the activities.
Here is a list of the most requested activities:
Local Masterclasses mostly in (investment - writing proposals - legal materials for startups - marketing - sales - accounting).
Organizing a bazaar for the owners of projects that have products to display.
Fun activities: include making a trip for the graduates to get out of the work environment and the pressures of life.
This has been the first of many alumni gatherings that will take place in KAPITA for the future. The aim of this Alumni Community is to offer an inspiring, entrepreneurial network and promote contact and business relationships among alumni after graduation. Through events and an online network, the community supports alumni in their professional and personal development and connects them with like-minded entrepreneurs in their region and across borders. The community also offers a space to share experiences, knowledge and business opportunities.
About Orange Corners Baghdad:
Orange Corner’s Baghdad is an initiative of the Dutch Embassy in Baghdad. The economic priorities of the Netherlands in Iraq are agriculture, water and entrepreneurship. KAPITA supports the community of young entrepreneurs in Baghdad by building youth capacity, and developing successful businesses. We incubate 20 startups for six months: starting with providing a co-working space, training and developing their business, events and masterclasses, a positive environment and an opportunity for investment.