IDEA Program Jordan
Promotion of youth entrepreneurship for economic development
IDEA Program Jordan provides incubation training and mentorship to 32 entrepreneurs developing resilient businesses.
Funded by
Stronger value chains
Natural cosmetics
Food supplements
Fashion and garment
Jordan’s economy has weathered the COVID-19 shock better than many other countries, yet high unemployment is still at 48%, particularly among youth. Low investment levels pose significant challenges to a robust recovery.
IDEA Program in Jordan created the LevelUp Accelerator as part of the LevelUp Advancing Jordanian Industries Project funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply (MITS) of Jordan to increase growth opportunities in the country.
The LevelUp Accelerator is executed in collaboration with Jordan Exports’ Zero to Hero Accelerate program, which aims to provide fully-fledged incubation services that include e-commerce capacitation and international readiness advice for 35 entrepreneurs.
How does the model work?
UNIDO set one IDEA Center to be our implementation partner and undergo a “Training of Trainers” program to build their entrepreneurship program management and incubation capacity. The training consists of 6 sessions covering topics from creating a mentors network to mastering the IDEA platform to facilitating best practices.
Bridge for Billions co-manages the entrepreneurship program with the IDEA Center in Jordan: JordanExport.
With the collaboration of our program partner, we selected 32 Jordanian entrepreneurs and 30 local and international mentors to participate in the IDEA Program. All of them were trained and onboarded during Kickoff Day.
As part of the program, all founders access structured guidance in 8 business tools, constant support from the incubation management team, personalized weekly mentorship, and a global community of founders, workshops, and sectorial resources.
JordanExport provides local support and knowledge to the founders, additional in-person workshops and resources on eCommerce capacitation and international readiness, and physical space for founders to work from.
Entrepreneurs work in teams to develop their businesses while working weekly with volunteer mentors through the IDEA Platform.
Once the program is complete, entrepreneurs have bankable and validated business plans and a support network to continue their entrepreneurial journey.
Our impact in Jordan
32
enterprises were accepted into the program
68%
of enterprises belong to female founders
23
enterprises will still be active 1 year after the program has ended
95
jobs will have been created two years after the program has ended
33
mentors were accepted into the program
Entrepreneurship support everywhere
Entrepreneurship opportunities for all
Sectors of the entrepreneurs
Some of the participants from IDEA Program Jordan
Entrepreneurs
Birth & Beyond
The enterprise provides hands-on classes and workshops on pregnancy and motherhood.
Birth & Beyond centers have been up and running for 7 years. They already launched a mobile application to reach more parents outside Jordan.
Rula Qatami Abujaber
Birth & Beyond Founder
Khoyoot
Khoyoot Initiative focuses on creating partnerships with women in Baqa’a Refugee Camp. Every product line they have aims to tackle a major issue in the camp like poverty, early marriage, unemployment, and more
They have already launched some products and are seeing a direct impact from them.
Basma Nazer
Khoyoot Founder
eRecycleHUB
eRecycleHUB is a social impact enterprise that motivates people to earn profits out of their recyclables, live a more sustainable and eco-conscious lifestyle, and be socially responsible.
Enas Mohammed Radwan
eRecycleHUB Founder
E-fresco
E-fresco is a global virtual marketplace for fruits and vegetable trading.
They have already established a B2B model and are working on the development of their B2C model.
Ammar Alshami
E-fresco Founder
Mentors
Jordan
Serial Entrepreneur and Researcher
Motivation: “It is a win-win situation; lifting up others, lifts us. I love connecting, learning, and sharing knowledge with others. I believe everyone adds value to us, so, I am sure this mentorship will boost my social capital and fulfill my appetite for connecting with like-minded people.”
Jordan
Technology Transfer, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Independent Consultant
Technology Transfer, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Independent Consultant Motivation: “I have the background and passion to support entrepreneurs, I want them to have the opportunity to self-employ”
Jordan
Business and Local Community Development Consultant and Trainer
Motivation: “It is a great opportunity to provide knowledge, add value and share my experience with young entrepreneurs and SME start-ups. This will also provide me with self satisfaction contributing to the well being of SMEs and local community members.”
Jordan
Chief People Officer at MARLEQ
Motivation: “Turning an idea or initiative into real business brings a deep sense of fulfillment to my life.”
With the support of
UNIDO and Bridge for BIllions designed each entrepreneurship program taking into account the most critical value chains for each country, and found entrepreneurs working on the most pressing challenges for the sector with the support of local IDEA Centers.
Amman, Jordan
JordanExport
Jordan Exports (JE) is a public-private export institution established to coordinate national export activities. JE is the umbrella organization to design, develop, and promote exports in Jordan, employing innovative and demand-driven approaches to empower and capacitate Jordanian companies, accelerate export development, increase export volume, and connect Jordan to the world.
See what incubation managers say
“This training I received as Incubation Manager and the program we operated in Guinea was an amazing experience.At first we had fears about doing an incubation program mostly online but actually the participants found it very well structured and the tools really changed their mindset.
Having access to a diverse pool of mentors has also been invaluable. I learned a lot and I’d like to do another such program myself, and see it replicated in other countries.”
Mohamed Lamine MagassoubaProgram Manager from Jathropha Hub IDEA CenterHaving access to a diverse pool of mentors has also been invaluable. I learned a lot and I’d like to do another such program myself, and see it replicated in other countries.”
We are looking for partners!
IDEA Program Jordan is on the lookout for public and private institutional partners and donors to make the program sustainable and amplify its impact over the next few years. Send us an email and make a difference in developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem of your country or region.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) partnered with Bridge for Billions to create IDEA, an online program to connect young entrepreneurs with mentors from all over the world to accelerate the growth of new entrepreneurship communities and foster an entrepreneurial culture.
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