On March 9th 2023, the final ceremony of the "Gate 4: Seed to Grow" phase of the UNIDO's LevelUp Accelerator program was held in Trieste, Italy. The event marked the successful completion of the program's fourth phase, which focused on helping seven Jordanian startups grow and develop their businesses.

Delivered in partnership with Jordan’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and local partners, including Change Labs, Jordan Exports, JEDCO, and Business and Professional Women Amman (BPWA), the LevelUp Accelerator program is a part of the larger "LevelUp – Advancing Jordanian Industries" multi-component project. The program is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and aims at creating decent job opportunities for women and youth by supporting Jordanian SMEs and start-ups to build game-changing business models to enter global markets.

The LevelUp Accelerator program follows a five-gate 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". The seven Jordanian SMEs had previously completed gates 1-3 of the LevelUP Accelerator program, earning the designation of "Champions of Digital Change"; in the framework of the “Gate 4: Seed to Grow” phase, immersive industry training and fundraising boot camps took place at Polo Tecnologico Alto Adriatico Andrea Galvani, in Italy.

The final ceremony was attended by government officials of the government of Friuli Venezia-Giulia region, business leaders, and representatives from UNIDO and its partner organizations. Delivering a keynote speech at the final ceremony, the Head of UNIDO ITPO Italy, Ms. Diana Battaggia recognized the achievements of the participating SMEs in the Level Up program and urged them to continue to use the skills and knowledge gained during the program to drive their businesses forward.

"In today’s world, a human-centered entrepreneurial approach is not a luxury that can be left until we find a solution to the world’s other problems: it is the solution to many of the world’s other problems. To this end, the LevelUp program was designed to equip entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in today's global market," Ms. Battaggia said.

Ms. Battaggia also shared the invitation to the Business and Investment Regional Forum that will take place in Amman this May, adding that "it will be an important occasion to promote investment and trade opportunities while showcasing best strategies and practices to strengthen export-oriented value chains in the MENA region."

For more information about the LevelUp program and UNIDO's other initiatives, please visit https://levelupjordan.org/en/home/.