ISSF grants $250,000 to iPARK@Aqaba Entrepreneurship Programme

AMMAN — As part of its Incubator and Accelerrator Development Programme (IADP), the Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) in October granted a $250,000 donation to the iPARK@Aqaba Entrepreneurship Programme.

The programme emphasises efforts to support early-stage startups and SMEs throughout the Kingdom, according to an ISSF statement.

iPARK@Aqaba is the first business incubator in the city and seeks to empower aspiring entrepreneurs within the tourism, logistics, entertainment and services sectors.

The programme is expected to support 98 ideas and startups, as well as generate 250 jobs, subsequently capitalising on the entrepreneurial potential of Aqaba, advancing the local ecosystem and driving economic growth. 

“By funding the iPARK@Aqaba Entrepreneurship Programme, we are providing young female and male entrepreneurs with a valuable opportunity to establish and nurture their innovative and commercially viable startups,” said ISSF Programmes Manager Shadi Al Khamayseh in the statement.

iPARK Incubation Director Serene Duwayri said in the statement: “We aim to develop a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in Aqaba that establishes a sustainable culture of entrepreneurship and startups with clear market demands and potential partnerships".

The ISSF is registered as a Jordanian private shareholding company. The objective of the ISSF is to support and elevate Jordan’s entrepreneurial and innovation landscape by facilitating the establishment of new investment funds that serve the ecosystem; making direct investments in innovative, export-oriented and scalable local startups; as well as implementing initiatives that improve the capabilities of Jordanian entrepreneurs and startup teams, according to the statement.