Orange Foundation Jordan Bolsters Local Startups with Key Acceleration Program Completion

Last updated 1-01-2026

3 min

Orange Foundation Jordan completed its Startup Growth Acceleration Program, supporting entrepreneurs in Karak and Aqaba.

Eighty-eight startups benefited from structured training, mentorship, and industry connections via the Orange Digital Center.

The initiative, part of the E4DE project, boosts regional competitiveness and talent retention.

Partnerships with ICON Institute, GIZ, and the EU ensured smooth coordination of the program.

Orange Jordan remains focused on digital transformation and supporting local entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Orange Foundation Jordan has wrapped up its latest Startup Growth Acceleration Program, run in partnership with ICON Institute, after several months of hands‑on support for entrepreneurs in Karak and Aqaba. The closing ceremony wasn’t just a formality—participants walked away with certificates and, more importantly, the sense that their ideas had taken one step closer to becoming fully fledged businesses. In total, 88 startups from different economic sectors benefitted, which is no small feat for regions that often sit a bit outside the usual innovation spotlight.

The initiative was delivered through the Orange Digital Center’s network of accelerators, offering what many early founders desperately need: structured training, proper mentorship, industry connections and even logistical backing. I’ve seen plenty of programs in the region, and honestly, when mentorship is done right it can save entrepreneurs from a whole lot of faff later on. Orange Jordan Foundation has been keen to stress its ongoing commitment to giving founders practical tools rather than vague pep‑talks, and this program seems to reflect that approach.

Officials described the success in Karak and Aqaba as another sign that targeted interventions can help lift Jordan’s wider entrepreneurial scene. And believe it or not, such regional initiatives often create ripple effects—competitiveness rises, talent sticks around instead of drifting to capital cities, and local ecosystems start to feel, well… alive. I reckon that's spot on, especially after hearing from younger founders in similar Arageek‑featured programs who’ve told me how a single mentor meeting can change their entire roadmap.

This particular acceleration effort sits under the broader “Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economic Development and Employment” project, known as E4DE. It’s implemented by GIZ in cooperation with Jordan’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, and commissioned by Germany’s BMZ along with the European Union. On the flip side, with so many partners involved, coordination can sometimes be a bit of a juggling act—though here it seems everything ran smoothly enogh.

Orange, of course, is no stranger to major development projects. The group operates in 26 countries and serves hundreds of millions of customers across mobile and broadband services. Its global strategy, “Lead the Future”, focuses heavily on digital transformation and network excellence. In Jordan specifically, Orange employs more than 1,800 people and runs close to 300 shops across the kingdom, offering everything from mobile and fixed lines to smart‑life services and enterprise solutions under Orange Business.

Over the years, I’ve chatted with plenty of up‑and‑coming founders through Arageek’s coverage, and the pattern is always the same: access to the right support at the right moment can completely shift someone’s entrepreneurial trajectory. Programs like this one might not make headlines every day, but they stack up—brick by brick—into something genuinely impactful for communities outside the main startup hubs.

For anyone curious about the full details, Orange Jordan has more information available through its usual channels.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!