UNIDO completes the LevelUP Accelerator program gate III with a networking event

Amman - The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Jordan, held a networking event to mark the conclusion of “Gate 3: Incubation and Scale-up” of the LevelUP Accelerator program.

The accelerator is a part of the larger LevelUp – Advancing Jordanian Industries multi-component project aimed at creating decent job opportunities for women and youth, by supporting entrepreneurs, innovators, SMEs, start-ups and organizations to build game-changing and successful business models to enter global markets. The program is built around a five gates selection process: Gate 1: Call for Applications and Open Days, Gate 2: Think Digital, Gate 3: Incubation and Scale-up, Gate 4: Seed to Grow and Gate 5: Go Global.

UNIDO and a coalition of public and private partners created the program to boost the growth of the Jordanian private sector in the context of Covid-19 worldwide economic crisis. The first three gates of the program included the sourcing, training, and mentoring phases. In the Gate III phase, 50 SMEs received tailor-made training to incubate enterprises at mature and early stages of development via e-coaching modules and mentorship delivered in synergy with corporates, financial ventures, and innovation hubs. Participants who completed the third gate were awarded certificates during the networking event.

UNIDO country representative to Jordan, Eng. Sulafa Mdanat, 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.

She added, “The purpose of this specific program, funded by the Italian government and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), is to provide the needed support and knowledge transfer for start-ups and entrepreneurs in Jordan to grow their businesses."

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.