On Monday December 02, 2019, the Business Management department of Tishk International University held a dynamic workshop on entrepreneurship; focusing on the contemporary issues facing start-ups both in Iraq and internationally, and how to overcome these barriers to launch an innovative, successful start-up.

Following a short opening statement from moderator Matthew Moore, Ava Nadir was welcomed to begin her presentation. Ms Nadir is the founder of INMA; Iraqi Kurdistan’s first digital platform for business growth, and she brought a refreshingly innovative approach to the issues facing entrepreneurs. Her speech challenged conventional wisdom and stressed the importance of innovation and creativity above all else.

Secondly, Natalia Pestova, a mental health advisor and yoga teacher gave an invigorating and interactive speech which sought to unify the philosophy of yoga with the qualities of a successful start-up enterprise. Ms Pestova concluded that to achieve success in entrepreneurship, one must first succeed in learning about themselves.

Finally, Dr Rebean Al-Silefanee, the Co-Founder of the Mesopotamia Foundation (MFED) and a PhD in Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development from Utrecht University took center-stage. Dr Rebean brought an enlightening analysis to his speech in which he suggested educational institutions should play a role in promoting a culture of entrepreneurship.

This was followed by a thought-provoking Q&A session in which our panel of specialists came together to respond to questions from students. The topics covered included methods for generating innovative start-up ideas, recovering from failure, the issue of corruption in the business environment, a lack of entrepreneurial education as well as the additional hurdles faced by female entrepreneurs.