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Gaza Sky Geeks

April 12, 2024

Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), previously known as the Arab Developer Network Initiative, is the first and only tech hub and startup accelerator in Gaza in Palestine.[5] It was founded in 2011 with the backing of the global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps and Google, after Google executives, led by then Google.org and Google[X] head Megan Smith, visited Gaza.[6] GSG has since then been supported by other Silicon Valley companies, such as Microsoft, and by international donors such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.[7]

Gaza Sky Geeks
Founded2011; 13 years ago (2011)[1]
FounderAndy Dwonch
TypeNonprofit organization, Startup accelerator
Location
  • UNRWA HQ Square, Almotaz 3 Building
  • Gaza, Palestine
Coordinates31°30′47″N 34°26′43″E / 31.512981°N 34.445348°E / 31.512981; 34.445348
ProductsTraining Programs, Start-ups Accelators, co-working space
Director
Alan Al-kadhi[2]
Key people
Anam Raheem, Kevin Goomis, Rand Safi,[2] Iliana Montauk,[3] Ryan Sturgill[4]
Parent organization
Mercy Corps
Employees
46
Websitegazaskygeeks.com

The stated purpose of GSG is to create a stage for young talents to grow while improving their skills through receiving professional mentoring and performing hands-on work. It encourages female startup members within the IT community to engage in business and software engineering activities.[8] It provides start-up grants for young IT entrepreneurs to begin their businesses. GSG hosts up to 140 people a day, with almost half of those being women. A second location opened in Hebron in 2018.[9] Representatives from large tech companies like Uber, Google, SoundCloud, Microsoft, 500 Startups, Endeavor Global, Udacity, Hitachi, and more have visited the tech hub.[8][10]

History edit

In 2008 and 2009 employees of Google tried to enter Gaza as part of their developer outreach program but were unable to do so because of the blockade of the Gaza Strip.[11] In 2011 they gained access thanks to Mercy Corps which carried out humanitarian work in Gaza.[11] Google contributed a one-time seed grant of $900,000 which Mercy Corps used to launch the Arab Developer Network Initiative to stimulate tech and entrepreneurship in the isolated enclave.[5][12] In 2013 the tech hub developed into an accelerator.[5] In 2014, GSG ran a crowdfunding campaign bringing in $279,000.[13][8] In 2017, GSG launched two new programs: the Gaza Code Academy and the Freelancing Academy.[14][15]

A major obstacle for Palestinian freelancers is handling online payments as PayPal is unavailable to Palestinians. In March 2018, MasterCard began researching e-payment solutions for Palestinians.[16]

Programs edit

Gaza Sky Geeks runs three main programs: Code Academy, GeeXeleator and Skylancer Academy.[17] These were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine.

Code Academy edit

The Code Academy is a six-month long web development bootcamp with 16 students in each cohort (half female),[18] hosted on campuses in Gaza City and Hebron, launched in partnership with a UK-based bootcamp, Founders & Coders International in 2017.[19][20] The curriculum covers test-driven development, JavaScript, relational databases, UX design, and project management.[21]

GeeXelerator edit

GeeXelerator is GSG's 16-week pre-seed startup accelerator program. It helps teams build minimum viable products and to validate them with users.[22][23] In 2018, 34 teams participated in the program.[9] Access to co-working space, fiber internet, and other amenities in the GSG's facilities are provided along with $2,000 in grant money per team that is accepted into the program. Participants are expected to already have a strong business case and are selected through interviews.[24]

GSG runs a related, six-weeks long program, called Idea Labs.[24]

SkyLancer Academy edit

The Skylancer Academy (previously known as the Freelance Academy) is GSG's program for teaching freelancing. It offers two full-time tracks providing mentoring to beginning freelancers. The first track is a ten-week program teaching young people already familiar web development, graphical design, mobile development and social media how to succeed as freelancers.[25]

Impact edit

According to Damian Radcliffe, GSG has helped create over 100 jobs and $91,000 in revenue.[13] GSG has, according to Yolande Knell, helped nearly 30 startups acquire seed money and investment and its freelancing graduates have earned more than $400,000.[26]

Notes and references edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Middle East Monitor 2016.
  2. ^ a b Gaza Sky Geeks 2020.
  3. ^ NPR 2014.
  4. ^ Shieber 2018.
  5. ^ a b c England 2015.
  6. ^ Anid et al. 2016.
  7. ^ Abelmann & Konarek 2018, p. 109.
  8. ^ a b c Schroeder 2017.
  9. ^ a b Glausiusz 2019.
  10. ^ Kuchler 2018.
  11. ^ a b Anid et al. 2016, p. 20.
  12. ^ Mercy Corps 2011.
  13. ^ a b Radcliffe 2017.
  14. ^ Startupscene 2018.
  15. ^ al-Qedra 2018.
  16. ^ Gaza Sky Geeks 2018.
  17. ^ Sewell.
  18. ^ Holmes & Balousha 2018.
  19. ^ ORFL.
  20. ^ Radcliffe 2018.
  21. ^ MAGNiTT 2018.
  22. ^ Arabnet 2018.
  23. ^ Shurrab 2020.
  24. ^ a b Gaza Sky Geeks: Startup 2020.
  25. ^ Gaza Sky Geeks: Skylancer 2020.
  26. ^ Knell 2018.

Bibliography edit

Articles edit

  • "Gaza Sky Geeks take flight in London". Middle East Monitor. April 13, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • England, Lucy (August 17, 2015). "Google backed the only startup accelerator in the Gaza Strip". Business Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Kuchler, Hannah (February 21, 2018). "Gaza, Yemen and a lesson for Big Tech". Financial Times. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "MasterCard Teams Up with GSG to Overcome Online Payment Hurdles". Gaza Sky Geeks. March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Sewell, Abby. "Gaza Sky Geeks – hadaramagazine.com". hadaramagazine.com. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  • al-Qedra, Fedaa (November 17, 2018). "Palestinian 'geeks' code their way to a better future in Gaza - Middle East News". Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Meet The Founder of Gaza Sky Geeks". 1776. August 17, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Shieber, Jonathan (June 7, 2018). "The Hybrid and Gaza Sky Geeks are helping Arab-Israeli and Palestinian entrepreneurs overcome adversity – TechCrunch". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Gaza Sky Geeks". Gaza Sky Geeks. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Boosting Employment in Palestinian Tech Sector With Google.org and Source of Hope Foundation". Mercy Corps. October 10, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "World Bank Recognises Gaza Sky Geeks As Key Player In Palestine's Tech Startup Ecosystem". Startupscene. June 19, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Gaza Sky Geeks". ORFL. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Radcliffe, Damian (January 3, 2018). "Key Middle East trends: Experts pick out the big shifts in the region's tech". ZDNet. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • MAGNiTT (August 20, 2018). "Palestine's First Full-stack Code Academy". MAGNiTT. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Stuart, Hunter (November 30, 2016). "Meet Gaza's female geeks - Palestine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Gaza Sky Geeks Selects 10 Startups for the Final Demo Day". Arabnet. September 16, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Glausiusz, Josie (March 30, 2019). "Boxed in: The Struggles of Gaza's Technology Entrepreneurs". The Wire. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Startup Program". Gaza Sky Geeks. October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Skylancer Academy". Gaza Sky Geeks. September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Radcliffe, Damian (January 24, 2017). "With tech skills but not enough electricity, meet Gaza's first startup accelerator". ZDNet. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Schroeder, Christopher M. (January 10, 2017). "Gaza is attracting the attention of Silicon Valley as young tech entrepreneurs push to solve problems themselves". Vox. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Holmes, Oliver; Balousha, Hazem (July 5, 2018). "Wireless in Gaza: the whizz-kids making code not war". the Guardian. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Knell, Yolande (October 1, 2018). "Gaza: Coding in a conflict zone". BBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • Shurrab, Dalia (January 4, 2020). "Exporting Hope". This Week in Palestine. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  • "Gaza Tech Hub Finds Success In International Crowdfunding". NPR.org. December 14, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2020.

Books edit

  • Anid, Nada; Cantileno, Laurie; Morrow, Monique J.; Zafar, Rahilla (9 September 2016). The Internet of Women: Accelerating Culture Change. River Publishers. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-87-93379-68-8.
  • Abelmann, Anna; Konarek, Katharina (27 April 2018). The German Political Foundations' Work between Jerusalem, Ramallah and Tel Aviv: A Kaleidoscope of Different Perspectives. Springer. pp. 109–. ISBN 978-3-658-20019-0.

External links edit

  • He Found A Way Out Of Gaza. Then, Something Drew Him Back, 2018, Elizabeth MacBride, Forbes.
  • رواد الأعمال - غزة إسكاي جيكس.. مجتمع ريادة الأعمال بغزة (Arabic video), 2019, Al Jazeera, YouTube.
  • Mentoring the Geeks of Gaza, 2020, Tara Meyer, Factory Berlin.
  • Fear and Coding in Gaza (video), 2020, Tom Hayton, TEDx, YouTube.

April 12, 2024
gaza, geeks, previously, known, arab, developer, network, initiative, first, only, tech, startup, accelerator, gaza, palestine, founded, 2011, with, backing, global, humanitarian, organization, mercy, corps, google, after, google, executives, then, google, goo. Gaza Sky Geeks GSG previously known as the Arab Developer Network Initiative is the first and only tech hub and startup accelerator in Gaza in Palestine 5 It was founded in 2011 with the backing of the global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps and Google after Google executives led by then Google org and Google X head Megan Smith visited Gaza 6 GSG has since then been supported by other Silicon Valley companies such as Microsoft and by international donors such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation 7 Gaza Sky GeeksFounded2011 13 years ago 2011 1 FounderAndy DwonchTypeNonprofit organization Startup acceleratorLocationUNRWA HQ Square Almotaz 3 BuildingGaza PalestineCoordinates31 30 47 N 34 26 43 E 31 512981 N 34 445348 E 31 512981 34 445348ProductsTraining Programs Start ups Accelators co working spaceDirectorAlan Al kadhi 2 Key peopleAnam Raheem Kevin Goomis Rand Safi 2 Iliana Montauk 3 Ryan Sturgill 4 Parent organizationMercy CorpsEmployees46Websitegazaskygeeks wbr comThe stated purpose of GSG is to create a stage for young talents to grow while improving their skills through receiving professional mentoring and performing hands on work It encourages female startup members within the IT community to engage in business and software engineering activities 8 It provides start up grants for young IT entrepreneurs to begin their businesses GSG hosts up to 140 people a day with almost half of those being women A second location opened in Hebron in 2018 9 Representatives from large tech companies like Uber Google SoundCloud Microsoft 500 Startups Endeavor Global Udacity Hitachi and more have visited the tech hub 8 10 Contents 1 History 2 Programs 2 1 Code Academy 2 2 GeeXelerator 2 3 SkyLancer Academy 3 Impact 4 Notes and references 4 1 Citations 4 2 Bibliography 4 2 1 Articles 4 2 2 Books 5 External linksHistory editIn 2008 and 2009 employees of Google tried to enter Gaza as part of their developer outreach program but were unable to do so because of the blockade of the Gaza Strip 11 In 2011 they gained access thanks to Mercy Corps which carried out humanitarian work in Gaza 11 Google contributed a one time seed grant of 900 000 which Mercy Corps used to launch the Arab Developer Network Initiative to stimulate tech and entrepreneurship in the isolated enclave 5 12 In 2013 the tech hub developed into an accelerator 5 In 2014 GSG ran a crowdfunding campaign bringing in 279 000 13 8 In 2017 GSG launched two new programs the Gaza Code Academy and the Freelancing Academy 14 15 A major obstacle for Palestinian freelancers is handling online payments as PayPal is unavailable to Palestinians In March 2018 MasterCard began researching e payment solutions for Palestinians 16 Programs editGaza Sky Geeks runs three main programs Code Academy GeeXeleator and Skylancer Academy 17 These were interrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic in the State of Palestine Code Academy edit The Code Academy is a six month long web development bootcamp with 16 students in each cohort half female 18 hosted on campuses in Gaza City and Hebron launched in partnership with a UK based bootcamp Founders amp Coders International in 2017 19 20 The curriculum covers test driven development JavaScript relational databases UX design and project management 21 GeeXelerator edit GeeXelerator is GSG s 16 week pre seed startup accelerator program It helps teams build minimum viable products and to validate them with users 22 23 In 2018 34 teams participated in the program 9 Access to co working space fiber internet and other amenities in the GSG s facilities are provided along with 2 000 in grant money per team that is accepted into the program Participants are expected to already have a strong business case and are selected through interviews 24 GSG runs a related six weeks long program called Idea Labs 24 SkyLancer Academy edit The Skylancer Academy previously known as the Freelance Academy is GSG s program for teaching freelancing It offers two full time tracks providing mentoring to beginning freelancers The first track is a ten week program teaching young people already familiar web development graphical design mobile development and social media how to succeed as freelancers 25 Impact editAccording to Damian Radcliffe GSG has helped create over 100 jobs and 91 000 in revenue 13 GSG has according to Yolande Knell helped nearly 30 startups acquire seed money and investment and its freelancing graduates have earned more than 400 000 26 Notes and references editCitations edit Middle East Monitor 2016 a b Gaza Sky Geeks 2020 NPR 2014 Shieber 2018 a b c England 2015 Anid et al 2016 Abelmann amp Konarek 2018 p 109 a b c Schroeder 2017 a b Glausiusz 2019 Kuchler 2018 a b Anid et al 2016 p 20 Mercy Corps 2011 a b Radcliffe 2017 Startupscene 2018 al Qedra 2018 Gaza Sky Geeks 2018 Sewell Holmes amp Balousha 2018 ORFL Radcliffe 2018 MAGNiTT 2018 Arabnet 2018 Shurrab 2020 a b Gaza Sky Geeks Startup 2020 Gaza Sky Geeks Skylancer 2020 Knell 2018 Bibliography edit Articles edit Gaza Sky Geeks take flight in London Middle East Monitor April 13 2016 Retrieved October 20 2020 England Lucy August 17 2015 Google backed the only startup accelerator in the Gaza Strip Business Insider Retrieved October 20 2020 Kuchler Hannah February 21 2018 Gaza Yemen and a lesson for Big Tech Financial Times Retrieved October 20 2020 MasterCard Teams Up with GSG to Overcome Online Payment Hurdles Gaza Sky Geeks March 1 2018 Retrieved October 20 2020 Sewell Abby Gaza Sky Geeks hadaramagazine com hadaramagazine com Retrieved August 23 2020 al Qedra Fedaa November 17 2018 Palestinian geeks code their way to a better future in Gaza Middle East News Al Jazeera Retrieved October 20 2020 Meet The Founder of Gaza Sky Geeks 1776 August 17 2018 Retrieved October 20 2020 Shieber Jonathan June 7 2018 The Hybrid and Gaza Sky Geeks are helping Arab Israeli and Palestinian entrepreneurs overcome adversity TechCrunch TechCrunch Retrieved October 20 2020 Gaza Sky Geeks Gaza Sky Geeks September 22 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Boosting Employment in Palestinian Tech Sector With Google org and Source of Hope Foundation Mercy Corps October 10 2011 Retrieved October 20 2020 World Bank Recognises Gaza Sky Geeks As Key Player In Palestine s Tech Startup Ecosystem Startupscene June 19 2018 Retrieved October 20 2020 Gaza Sky Geeks ORFL Retrieved October 20 2020 Radcliffe Damian January 3 2018 Key Middle East trends Experts pick out the big shifts in the region s tech ZDNet Retrieved October 20 2020 MAGNiTT August 20 2018 Palestine s First Full stack Code Academy MAGNiTT Retrieved October 20 2020 Stuart Hunter November 30 2016 Meet Gaza s female geeks Palestine Al Jazeera Retrieved October 20 2020 Gaza Sky Geeks Selects 10 Startups for the Final Demo Day Arabnet September 16 2018 Retrieved October 20 2020 Glausiusz Josie March 30 2019 Boxed in The Struggles of Gaza s Technology Entrepreneurs The Wire Retrieved October 20 2020 Startup Program Gaza Sky Geeks October 19 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Skylancer Academy Gaza Sky Geeks September 17 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Radcliffe Damian January 24 2017 With tech skills but not enough electricity meet Gaza s first startup accelerator ZDNet Retrieved October 20 2020 Schroeder Christopher M January 10 2017 Gaza is attracting the attention of Silicon Valley as young tech entrepreneurs push to solve problems themselves Vox Retrieved October 20 2020 Holmes Oliver Balousha Hazem July 5 2018 Wireless in Gaza the whizz kids making code not war the Guardian Retrieved October 20 2020 Knell Yolande October 1 2018 Gaza Coding in a conflict zone BBC News Retrieved October 20 2020 Shurrab Dalia January 4 2020 Exporting Hope This Week in Palestine Retrieved October 20 2020 Gaza Tech Hub Finds Success In International Crowdfunding NPR org December 14 2014 Retrieved November 2 2020 Books edit Anid Nada Cantileno Laurie Morrow Monique J Zafar Rahilla 9 September 2016 The Internet of Women Accelerating Culture Change River Publishers pp 19 ISBN 978 87 93379 68 8 Abelmann Anna Konarek Katharina 27 April 2018 The German Political Foundations Work between Jerusalem Ramallah and Tel Aviv A Kaleidoscope of Different Perspectives Springer pp 109 ISBN 978 3 658 20019 0 External links editHe Found A Way Out Of Gaza Then Something Drew Him Back 2018 Elizabeth MacBride Forbes رواد الأعمال غزة إسكاي جيكس مجتمع ريادة الأعمال بغزة Arabic video 2019 Al Jazeera YouTube Mentoring the Geeks of Gaza 2020 Tara Meyer Factory Berlin Fear and Coding in Gaza video 2020 Tom Hayton TEDx YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gaza Sky Geeks amp oldid 1173936391, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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