Tech Eid Didani London
Iratel Ventures Breakfast Series — London
Iratel Ventures Breakfast Series — London
We had the privilege of celebrating the first moments of Norooz discussing entrepreneurship and sharing thoughts on empowering global entrepreneurs among a distinguished group of tech ecosystem players.
Our first London event, Tech Eid Didani, is a special Norooz (Persian New Year) gathering of global Iranian entrepreneurs and tech ecosystem players in London, UK organised by Iratel Ventures and hosted by Vistra UK.
Attendees included researchers from Oxford University and Google DeepMind, entrepreneurs from Medopad, Blocks and Snapp and angel investors and VCs.
The topic the group proposed and discussed was “what are the obstacles in bringing tech startups from Iran to a global stage and what’s the best route?”
A fascinating discussion around topics ranging from money transfers, compliance and admin to culture and community took place. While there are many practical difficulties in achieving this dream, it is nonetheless something that the group felt is possible and within reach, especially if there is a dedicated energy like a VC behind it.
We acknowledged that there are startups in Iran who are targeting global markets but they are not the same as the ones who want to be global.
The top comment was that when you emphasize the global aspect as an investment criteria in new seed stage startups, it works as a self-selection mechanism; you end up with the startups with the right mission and objective.
Every ecosystem tries to replicate Silicon Valley by mixing the different ingredients that are present there and hoping it works. We believe the only parameter of the Silicon Valley culture that needs to be replicated is the #givefirst or pay-it-forward mindset. This will go far in helping startups and emerging communities from the within to create their own unique success stories.
For example, a highlight of the discussion was that a 30-staff startup in Tehran that one of the attendees works with, enjoys incredible gender diversity with a ratio of 1 to 1 female to male. This is something Silicon Valley could replicate.
What a great way to start the new year with this energy and focus. As Bijan put it in his Forbes article, “Happy Norooz to all of my fellow Persian entrepreneurs around the globe; from Tehran, Paris and Barcelona to New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and every location between. Your energy and focus is our foundation and will carry us to new heights in this New Year.”
We believe the more open the dialogue, the better it will allow innovation and bringing different disciplines including investors together. These series were started to increase the dialogue opportunities among ecosystem players and especially to bridge the gap between those who are willing to know more about Iranian startup environment and meet up with other ecosystem players. This will increase openness and transparency.
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This is the fourteenth in a series of posts about Iratel Ventures Events. We’d love to hear from teams with crazy (but commercial) startups. Get in touch or attend our breakfast series. Finally, don’t forget to get your IV Score or talk to our FundingBot to prepare for your next VC meeting.