Diginext startup camp started with the participation of teams from Khorasan Razavi, Sistan and Baluchistan, Fars, Isfahan and Yazd provinces.
According to Iran digital economy annotation, Diginext organizes a startup camp twice a year to attract startups. The ninth round of these camps started its work today (August 27, 2024) in the Diginext shed, located in the “Azadi Innovation Factory”.
The teams present in this camp will be held in Reverse Pitch method. In this framework, Diginext presents its needs to the teams, and based on this demand, they must present their MVP or minimum deliverable product within 8 weeks at the latest to be judged.
Co-founder of Digikala: Good days are waiting for the ecosystem
Saeed Mohammadi, the co-founder of DigiKala, said at the opening ceremony of the “Diginext” startup camp: “Currently, the startup environment does not seem favorable and many people do not have the motivation to enter the market. By the way, the time to start is when the situation is not good and the rate of forming startups is low.”
He continued: “I say now is the time to enter because I believe that investment in the startup ecosystem will improve in the next two or three years, and after two or three years, a strong and new startup wave will form. I strongly suggest to those who are hesitant to start their work because now is the right time.”
Continuing his speech at the Diginext event, Saeed Mohammadi said: “Sometimes I see people who are co-founders in a startup, but their focus is not on it, and at the same time they work in another company, they are active in the capital market, and maybe they build real estate.” This is not the case. It should not be tested and experimented. You have come to succeed. There should be a feeling that there is only one way forward, you should destroy all the bridges behind you.”
The CEO of Digikala Group said in another part of his talk about the better conditions for the growth of startups: “In 1989, we applied to be admitted to the incubator of the University of Tehran, but after a long time and even though we were profitable in the first one or two years, the response they rejected “Perhaps Tehran University at that stage had a different goal from what we had applied for, that’s not the issue, but in general, at that stage, there was no space to support startups.”
Mohammadi continued: “Now I hear from many active young people in this area that the economic and startup environment is not good. I agree that the situation is not good compared to seven or eight years ago, but compared to before when Digikala, Cafe Bazaar and Alibaba started their work, the atmosphere has improved a lot. “Now it’s easier to attract initial capital and collaborate with other startups and get support from universities and accelerators.”
Diginext CEO: Investors should pay more attention to the Seed Funding and Pre-seed Funding stage
“Kayvan Mohit Mafi”, the CEO of Diginext, also said in this event: “For several years, investment in the early stages of startups has decreased and most of the focus has gone to A and B rounds. “Investors should come to the source more and focus on the Seed Funding and Pre-seed Funding stage so that this cycle is guided in the right direction.”
Mohit Mafi also explained about the 9th Diginext startup camp: “One of the most important ways to attract startups is to launch the startup camp twice a year. “Diginext will provide the reverse pitch to the selected elites, and these people will present their MVP within 8 weeks to be judged and enter the next stages of acceleration.”
He added: “This year, we have increased the number of cities and people from 5 cities can participate in Diginext startup camp without needing to be in Tehran. Also, people who have ideas outside the field of e-commerce and artificial intelligence are supported. For this part, we got the support of various companies in other fields to bring teams in other parts such as e-health into the pre-acceleration process.
CEO of Sarava: Don’t start your business with the same people
“Farzin Fardis”, CEO of “Saraava”, was another speaker of this event. In his speech, Fardis gave some advice to the teams present and said: “If all the people who work in your organization and startup are the same, you will not succeed. When startups are formed, usually people who are similar in terms of knowledge and skills form the initial core. These people are often programmers and we rarely see people with sales, finance or legal skills. Just like having three identical fingers on one hand.
Fardis said about his experience in this field: “20 years ago, I had just finished my bachelor’s degree at the university and was studying for an MBA at the master’s level. I really wanted to start my own business. I made the same mistake then. The people we started working with are now some of the closest people in my life, but we were all the same. If I go back to that time, I will not repeat this mistake. That is, I did not establish a company only with my fellow majors and fellow universities.”
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