IRAN, A NEW STARTUP NATION IS BORN
As I’m flying back to France a couple of days after the terrible attacks that killed so many innocents in Paris and Beirut, I can’t stop thinking on how much education and business is the source of peace. Iran has been officially an enemy of occident since the revolution of 1979 but this recently changed for the best and, as a result Persia is once again opening its door to the world.
If you don’t have time to read; my advice to you is simple : Go, visit and meet the Startup community in Iran, you will not regret it!
For another perspective, I recommend you to read my friend Kristjan’s post. He was the first foreigner (Icelandic Viking) to facilitate a startup weekend in Iran back in 2012.
WELCOME TO IRAN
“American?” These were the first words of the immigration officer greeting me at 4am in Khomeini Airport. A little nervous I replied “not American, French, I’m a French citizen living in America”, he and his colleague just looked back at me and laughed, they were just messing with me. The once intimidating officer then presented to me a piece of cake and offered me a glass of milk. This was my first contact with Iran, a country I only knew through the media through its history and through our amazing community of Startup Weekend Organizers.
I will pass on the last 100 years of history as you all know the middle east is a complex political mess since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, what I’d like to talk about is the future of Iran.
Something amazing happened, back in 2011, Iran organized its first Startup Weekend. Lead by amazing local entrepreneurs (Mohsen Malayeri) 4 years later this Iranian community has grown strong, and it was more than 200 Organizers and Coaches of Startup Weekend that I had the pleasure to meet in August near Teheran as a guest speaker. (thanks to Iman Davoodian and all our amazing Startup Weekend community)
IRAN 2.0 THE RISE OF STARTUP GENERATION
Like most of Muslim countries in the region, Iran applies the Islamic Law. But the vast majority of people I met in Iran like anywhere in the world uses smart phones; and while Twitter, Viber, Instagram or Facebook are blocked, it is not an issue. Surprisingly, most of the population is using a VPN to access these “closed” services. At the end of the day, the Iranian youth is eager to connect with the rest of the world and they are actively catching up!
Once again the empirical startup law of universalism is observed: The Iranian startup community is no different from the one you would come across in London, NYC, Berlin, Santiago or Paris.
Iran has some of the most untapped startup talents in the world, and I predict that we will see more and more VC fund growing there and if the international tension allows it, I’m sure a lot of technological and startup cross-pollination will happen between Iran, the US and the rest of the world.
GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK AND STARTUP WEEKEND GSB.
Iran constantly top our startup weekend community charts, as we enter our 7th GEW and Global Startup Battle, Iran is now technically the second most active grassroots startup community in the world!
STARTUP AND PEACE
I’d like to conclude that post with a hope, the hope that we will see startup weekend Iran with Israelies with Iraquis that we will have Iranian welcome to participate to Startup Weekend in Israel. The new generation wants peace and it is now time to let it happen, especially as a new war emerge… Next step is to bring some Iranian facilitator to Europe and to get a real Persian Carpet with a Startup Weekend logo on it :)
