Episode 10-Accelerating Iraq's Startup Revolution

In our 10th episode, we spoke to Matteo Mantovani, co-founder of Baly, an Iraq-based ride-hailing and super app.

 Matteo has dedicated a significant portion of his career to Iraq's advancement, managing multimillion-dollar projects in Basra and overseeing critical infrastructure initiatives.

As a co-founder of Baly, Matteo has observed first-hand Iraq’s thriving entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2022, Baly secured $10.5 million in funding from a consortium of investors including Kingsway Capital and Majid Al Futtaim. This funding catapulted the start-up into prominence and marking a significant moment in Iraq's tech history, showcasing the potential of its emerging start-up ecosystem.

Topic discussed in this episode include:

• Matteo's background
• His journey to and work experience in Iraq
• Matteo's account (opportunities and challenges) of running a start-up in Iraq

Intro theme song-'Tales of the Arabian Nights' composed by StudioKolomna via Pixabay