LevelUP Accelerator Gate III concludes

AMMAN — The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on Wednesday held a networking event to mark the conclusion of “Gate 3: Incubation and Scale-up” of the LevelUP Accelerator programme. 

LevelUP promotes economic inclusion; supporting the development of competitive small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led by women and youth, according to its website. 

It’s made up of five gates: Gate 1: Champions of Digital Change, Gate 2: Think Digital, Gate 3: Incubation and Scale-up, Gate 4: Seed to Grow and Gate 5: Go Global, the website says. 

Sulafa Mdanat, a representative of UNIDO in Jordan, noted that UNIDO cooperates with local counterparts to assess the needs of various sectors related to industry, trade, innovation and artificial intelligence to determine how to best leverage its technical and normative services to support Jordanian industries.

“The purpose of this specific programme, funded by the Italian government and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), is to provide the needed support and knowledge transfer for startups and entrepreneurs in Jordan to grow their businesses,” she told The Jordan Times.

This programme, which began in June 2021, focuses on three main industries: Apparel and textiles, natural cosmetics and natural food supplements, Mdanat continued. 

She also noted that the programme has been mainly delivered remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions.

“This [remote work] allowed participants to reach and benefit from international and regional experts,” said Mo Salah, entrepreneur in resident at Seedstars, a Swiss-based private company and one of UNIDO’s partners in this project. 

He added that this aligns with the programme’s main goals to focus on “expansion and giving local companies the opportunity to go global”.

In his welcoming remarks, CEO of the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) Abed Fattah Al Kayed said that JEDCO, which is one of UNIDO’s local partners in this project, has contributed to the development of over 10,000 Jordanian enterprises with a volume of funding reaching over JD180 million.

Kayed also thanked UNIDO, AICS and all partners contributing to the project for their “efforts in advancing Jordanian industries, raising skills and capabilities, enabling women and young people in Jordan to enhance their opportunities and increasing (SMEs) competitiveness”.

Commending “the creativity and innovation” of all the participants in the project, Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Amman Valeria Romare noted that the Italian government is proud to be part of this project aimed to support Jordan’s private sector contribution in job creation and foster the economic inclusion of women and youth.

Moreover, Head of AICS Amman Emilio Cabasino stressed the agency’s commitment to the project, noting that “sustainable economic growth” is only possible through the economic inclusion of all segments of society.

According to Hazem Nawaiseh, Communication Expert at UNIDO, 50 applicants were chosen out of the 381 companies who applied to the programme. The next stage will feature the announcement of “10 Champions of Digital Change”, which will enjoy a networking event, a fundraising and a roughly one-month industry-immersion experience in Italy.

Participants who completed the third gate were awarded certificates during the networking event.