On October 29^th the Dutch-Palestinian Bilateral Forum is playing host to the pitch of 9 innovative Palestinian IT startups hoping to secure investment finance from a panel of Dutch investors and strategic partners. The pitches will take place between 11am and 3pm. SPARK encourages attending investors and businesses to view startup pitches as an opportunity for a lucrative venture in this high-tech industry. The forum, which includes a lunch, will take place at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague.

THE PITCH

This pitch has been organized by SPARK as part of the Dutch-Palestinian Bilateral Forum, which seeks to deepen the relations between the Netherlands and the Palestinian Authority. The cooperation’s overarching theme is that of innovation; a dynamic drive towards improvement which will be displayed by the mix of government, private sector and universities participating, and thus far the event has received a high level of interest from the Dutch and Palestinian business community.

For the pitch SPARK and its local partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have spent recent months carefully reviewing Palestinian IT entrepreneurs for the forum. The selected entrepreneurs then underwent an intensive bootcamp of training and guidance workshops to prepare them for the event. The 9 finalists demonstrate the talent and prospects which this region have to offer in the IT sector and present an attractive investment opportunity for Dutch businesses. Here is a list of Participating startups pitching at the Bilateral forum

THE FORUM

The Forum begins at 9am with presentations on the Palestinian market and the tools made available by the Dutch government to support both Dutch companies keen to invest and Palestinian businesses seeking partnerships. These presentations provide a solid foundation of knowledge in preparation for the pitches ahead. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Palestinian counterpart Prime Minister Hamdallah will be present at the Bilateral Forum’s official opening. The presence of Palestinians is expected to exceed over 100 people, including several mayors and entrepreneurs and scientists from the Agricultural, Energy, Water and ICT sector. In addition to the pitching startups, a number of established Palestinian IT outsourcing companies will participate at the forum.

INVITATION & REGISTER

SPARK invites you to attend the Bilateral Forum, whether as an investor or a spectator. The impressive pitches of these innovative IT startups merit an audience and are sure to be revealing about this profitable business market. Registration is via this link. For more information, or to register for the panel, please email: m.d.klerk@spark-online.org

PROGRAMME: Here is the Bilateral Forum’s entire programme

An IT matchmaking programme with other IT companies from Palestine and the Netherlands will follow the pitches and the official opening. This segment of the forum to which you are also welcome focuses on outsourcing opportunities.