Build a startup
in one weekend
Startup Weekend Syria is the most action-packed weekend in the country. Build, validate, and pitch your startup in just 54 hours.
April 16-18, April 23-25 2026
Limited seats, book your seat now.
A Techstars ProgramUnder the Generous Patronage of
Sponsors & Partners
Damascus
Daraa
Homs
Hama
Lattakia
Aleppo
Idlib
Deir ez-Zur
Is This For Me?
Tap the one that sounds like you.
Successful founders come from all backgrounds. Teams need strategy, research, design, and storytelling just as much as they need code.
Organizing Team, Mentors & Judges
The people behind Startup Weekend Syria meet your organizers, mentors, and judges.
Molham Mahmoud
Lead Organizer
MHD Assef Moustafa Alnajjar
Co-Organizer
Jessica George Hamwi
Co-Organizer
Joud Khattab
Mentor
Mahmoud Alkhatib
Mentor
Mohammad Sharaf
Mentor
Mohammed Ousso
Mentor
Hamza Rabah
Mentor
Omar Wais
Mentor
Bashar Saaduddin Aljbawi
Mentor
Yumna Alshalak
Mentor
Ayat Hamwi
Mentor
Laith Rikabi
Mentor
Alia Hamwi
Mentor
MutazBellah Hakmi
Mentor
Areen Al Ail
Mentor
Imad-Addin Almasri
Mentor
Sana Hawasly
Mentor
Yahia Refaiea
Mentor
Loujain Alhasan
Mentor
Tareq Mando
Mentor
Asia Kabel
Mentor
Mustafa Alokoud
Mentor
Ismail Jubba
Mentor
Bayan Hamo
Mentor
Mohamed Abbas
Mentor
Yaman Ktish
Mentor
Ghalia Turki
Mentor
Gaelle Yammine
Mentor
What you can win
Prizes & Post-Program Support
The journey doesn't end on Sunday. City winners will travel to Damascus for Demo Day to pitch in front of a national panel of investors and mentors. The top teams will win prizes and receive continued support to help scale their startups.
Damascus
Demo Day
Win prizes and continued post-program support
Participating Cities
Damascus — Demo Day
City winners converge on Damascus to pitch in front of a national panel of investors and mentors.
Win prizes and continued post-program support
The best team at Demo Day will have the opportunity to win prizes and receive continued post-program support to help them scale..
Every city winner got the opportunity to pitch in demo day and travels to Damascus for Demo Day, where the best team competes for additional prizes and continued post-program support.
Startup Weekend Damascus 2013
Participation
Your pass to build something real in one weekend.
To ensure commitment and maintain high organizational standards, a nominal operational contribution is required from participants, which varies based on location and capacity, and typically ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 Syrian Pounds (old SYP).
Startup Weekend Syria
Invitation Pass
From
IDEA
To
STARTUP
Date
April 16-18, April 23-25 2026
Venue
Based on your city
Startup Weekend
Syria 2026
Date
April 16-18, April 23-25 2026
SWS-2026-001
Tap to see what's includedHover to see what's included →
Startup Weekend Syria
What's Included
Participate: Join the 3-day event and get a chance to win.
Food: Stay fueled with 7 meals across the three days, in addition to snacks and drinks available throughout the event.
Express Path: Fast-track into other startup programs.
Network & Learn: Find your community and learn from the best.
Agenda
Get ready for an action-packed weekend, a rollercoaster for startups.
Day 1
Thursday
It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be fun.
– Doors open + Registration Check in, grab name tags
– Welcome & How does Startup Weekend work Who is Startup Syria. Startup Weekend methodology
– Idea pitches 60 second pitches
– Idea voting Top 15–20 ideas advance
– Team formation Teams form organically by 8 PM
– Dinner and networking Meet everyone organically over dinner
Day 2
Friday
Teamwork, product, mentorship, and locking-in.
– Doors open + Breakfast
– Announcements & 2nd Day Presentation
– Start building Customer interviews. Market research. MVP development
– Juma'a prayer
– Mentor sessions / optional workshops
– Lunch break Working lunch encouraged
– Mentor sessions / optional workshops
– Dinner
– Wrap up
Day 3
Saturday
Your moment in the spotlight, it's pitch night.
– Doors open
– Breakfast Fuel for the big day
– Morning announcements Submission deadline, pitch order, judging criteria
– Final Sprint Last chance to build and refine
– Submissions due All code, demos, presentations locked
– Lunch
– Pitch lab Practice pitches and receive feedback
– Final presentations
– Dinner
– Awards & closing
Resources
Common Questions
The tools that'll make or break your weekend, keep these close.
Miro: A tool built for teams to brainstorm and validate ideas, design products, and apply frameworks.
Orai: An AI Speech Coach to help you look and sound better in presentations by giving immediate feedback.
Business Model Canvas: A strategic tool used to quickly and easily define and communicate a business idea or concept.
Lean Canvas: Think through how to describe your startup by looking at your customers, their problem, and your solution.
Planning Tips: Building a business in 54 hours can result in a chaotic environment. This video will guide you.
Customer Validation Tips: This provides a framework for thinking about the actual problem you're solving as you begin validation.
Moqups: A user-friendly design and wireframing tool that enables teams to create interactive prototypes.
Glide: Create mobile apps, making it easy to build responsive applications without coding.
Bubble.io: A visual web development platform that empowers users to build web applications without coding.
Apphive: A no-code app builder to create mobile applications quickly and easily, without hassle.
Zeroqode: No-code templates, plugins, users can build web and mobile applications without code.
Google AppSheet: The fastest way to build apps. Build powerful solutions that simplify work without code.
Unsplash: A collection of beautiful, high-resolution, and freely-usable images for various creative projects.
Noun Project: Offer free icons covering a wide range of categories, providing visual elements for diverse design needs.
Noun Project: Offer free icons covering a wide range of categories, providing visual elements for diverse design needs.
Artboard.Studio: Create mockups online, streamlining the process of visualizing design concepts and ideas.
Canva: Simple graphic design tools for everyone, making it easy to create stunning visuals for various purposes.
Powtoon: Create engaging videos and presentations, tell their stories with animated content.
HiSlide: A free library of beautiful Google Slides templates, Create visually appealing presentations.
FAQ
Everything you need to know, fast.
A 54-hour event where you pitch an idea, form a team with strangers, and build a real startup prototype by Sunday. It's run globally under the Techstars framework and independently organized in Syria. No experience, team, or idea required.
Thursday evening: everyone pitches ideas in 60 seconds, the audience votes, and the top ideas form teams. Saturday: teams do customer interviews, build prototypes, and get mentor guidance. Sunday: teams present to a panel of judges. The whole thing is intense, fun, and surprisingly productive.
You leave with a validated idea, a working prototype, a new network, and real entrepreneurship experience. Many teams keep building together. We share follow-up resources, recommended next steps, and ways to stay connected to Syria's founder community.
Participant contributions help cover part of the operational costs, including the venue, full weekend meals, materials, mentors, and overall event operations. We keep this contribution accessible, with student discounts available. Our goal is to deliver a high-quality, immersive experience, not profit.
No. Most people come alone and without an idea. Teams form organically Thursday night after pitches. You can pitch your own idea or join one that excites you. The mix of strangers is what makes it work.
A mix of developers, designers, marketers, students, career-changers, and first-time founders. About half of attendees are non-technical. The common thread is curiosity and a willingness to build something over a weekend.