Yemen: The first angel investment forum in the country launches from Aden with European funding.
Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special
Arabian Sea - Yemen - Follow-ups: The first Angel Investment Forum in Yemen 2025, organized by "Deep Root" in cooperation with the "Rowad" Foundation within the "Wathbah" program funded by the European Union, under the slogan "Promoting the Entrepreneurship Environment and Enabling the Growth of Startups through Angel Investment," was launched in Aden. The forum, which is the first of its kind in the country, brought together investors, entrepreneurs, and local and international experts to discuss early-stage financing opportunities and the challenges facing startups, in a move described as a turning point for the Yemeni investment environment. The Minister of Industry and Trade in the internationally recognized government, Muhammad Al-Ashwal, stressed the importance of holding the forum in light of the current economic conditions, pointing to the government's keenness to empower entrepreneurs and support investment initiatives. He revealed the establishment of a special unit to support entrepreneurs within the ministry, praising the generous support provided by the European Union for entrepreneurial projects in Yemen. The European Union Ambassador, Patrick Simonnet, reaffirmed the Union's commitment to supporting development initiatives that enhance the economy and accelerate inclusive growth, pointing to existing partnerships with the Yemeni private sector, including the Social Innovation Lab in cooperation with the Hael Saeed Anam Group. The forum witnessed specialized presentations on angel investment, including a presentation by the Jordanian company "Beyond Capital" on the difference between angel investment and venture capital, in addition to discussion sessions with investors and founders that addressed practical experiences in early-stage financing for startups. Shawqi Ahmed Hael called in an intervention to finance small projects with high sensitivity in times of crisis, reviewing the experience of Al-Tadhamon Bank in supporting innovative youth and financing entrepreneurial events in a number of governorates. The director of the "Wathbah" project, Ahmed Nour El-Din, concluded the event with a speech in which he explained the mechanisms for joining angel investor networks in Yemen, stressing that the forum represents a real start to building an investment network that keeps pace with the aspirations of young people and redraws the features of the investment environment in the country.
