The Business Incubator "Intersect" Celebrates Promising Palestinian Startups at the Graduation Ceremony of the Eighth Cohort of the "STIR" Program

SadaNews - The business incubator "Intersect", the entrepreneurial arm of the Bank of Palestine Group, celebrated a new generation of emerging and promising Palestinian tech startups that participated in the eighth edition of Intersect's leading incubation program, the "Startup Resident (STIR)" program. This edition concluded with a graduation ceremony for the eighth cohort held in Ramallah, featuring the startups engaged in the program from the Gaza Strip via Zoom technology.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from prominent local and regional entrepreneurial institutions, along with STIR program mentors, partners, and graduates from previous cohorts, including Ms. Lana Abu Hijleh, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of "Intersect", several members of the Intersect Board, Thair Hamayel, General Manager of PalPay - the fintech arm of the Bank of Palestine Group, and the Intersect programs team.

Following six months of structured learning, intensive mentoring, professional guidance, and practical support, the program culminated in the final ceremony showcasing a selection of the distinguished startups from this cohort. The event gathered a group of entrepreneurs, investors, business environment enablers, mentors, and partners to celebrate the achievements of the participating companies and explore future collaboration and growth opportunities.

This program is supported by the Bank of Palestine Group and the Proparco Foundation, which is part of the French Development Agency (AFD), and aims to empower early-stage entrepreneurs by providing them with the knowledge, skills, guidance, and resources needed to turn innovative ideas into market-ready projects.

In her remarks, Abu Hijleh congratulated the participating startups in the eighth edition of the program, reaffirming the bank's commitment to supporting entrepreneurial youth in Palestine. She added, "We confirm our ongoing commitment to supporting young innovators and enhancing an inclusive entrepreneurial environment, not only through 'Intersect' but also by providing funding opportunities and long-term support for startups across Palestine. Although we are concluding today's eighth edition of the program, the journey continues; the six-month incubation period is merely the first step on the path for every startup, and we hope to see all the companies participating today advance and secure funding for sustainable impact, with our continued support."

For his part, Hamayel noted in his speech the potential partnership and funding opportunities, particularly with PalPay, mentioning ongoing discussions to explore future collaboration to support the growth and expansion of startups. The importance of providing post-incubation support was also emphasized, focusing on building broader partnerships and activating involvement in the business environment to help startups accelerate their local and regional growth.

Also, Riham Dabbas, from the Intersect incubator team, provided a brief overview of the STIR program's journey and development over the past five years, highlighting the program's growth, impact, and contribution to the development of the entrepreneurial environment in Palestine.

Speakers highlighted the values of resilience, innovation, and determination demonstrated by the participating founders, emphasizing the pivotal role that entrepreneurship and innovation play in creating opportunities and driving economic development in Palestine, especially during challenging times.

During the ceremony, seven selected startups presented their projects, showcased their products, and interacted directly with the audience through a live Q&A session. These included three startups from the Gaza Strip and four from the West Bank, who exhibited the remarkable progress each has achieved during the incubation journey, representing various sectors such as fintech, health tech, edtech, AI, SaaS, and e-commerce.

Three startups from Gaza presented their pitches via video conferencing. Makeflow showcased its AI-supported front office operating system for medical clinics, which automates bookings, answers common patient questions, and sends reminders and guidance through WhatsApp and social media platforms, effectively replacing manual administrative work. Wessal from Gaza presented a comprehensive software platform that allows users to adhere to governance principles and audit the operational communication channels of schools and institutions, aiming to manage attendance and workflow notifications. Meanwhile, MedicoAI presented a unified healthcare platform that integrates clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, and AI-supported diagnostics into a seamless operating system.

From Ramallah, Students Hub participated, having developed an integrated academic platform designed to guide Palestinian students in selecting their university majors, tracking their academic rates, and achieving academic success, supported by an interactive student community. 
Loyint from Nablus also participated by presenting its digital platform, developed to enhance restaurant customer loyalty, helping restaurant owners and managers convert casual visitors into regular customers through a rewards system, engagement tracking, and referral and recommendation tools.

Additionally, two companies from Hebron participated, where Wamda showcased an operating system for "social media commerce" designed specifically for small traders in Palestine offering sales promotions across various communication channels and social media platforms, providing them with a complete store interface without requiring specific technical skills. Furthermore, Seola presented an integrated solution for Islamic supply chain financing, linking retailers to Sharia-compliant financing through an alternative innovative credit scoring engine named (NeoScore).

Since its inception, the STIR program has successfully completed eight cohorts, graduating more than 65 startups and providing support to over 120 entrepreneurs. Based on this momentum, "Intersect" plans to soon open applications for the ninth cohort of the program to welcome a new generation of entrepreneurs ready to turn ambitious ideas into scalable startups.
Overview of the STIR Program

The "Startup Resident" (STIR) program was established in 2021 as the leading incubation program of "Intersect", specifically designed to support Palestinian entrepreneurs in the early stages to transform their innovative ideas into market-ready projects. Over the past five years, STIR has evolved into a comprehensive and systematic program that accompanies founders through the stages of idea validation, product development, business growth, and investment readiness. The program is currently offered through "Intersect" centers in Ramallah, Nablus, and Hebron, along with its virtual extension in the Gaza Strip, enabling a hybrid incubation model that integrates training, personalized mentoring, professional guidance, networking opportunities, and post-incubation support.