Catalyst Bootcamp 2025: Training Local Leaders to Build Startup Communities

Startup Syria has launched Catalyst Bootcamp 2025, a national program designed to train and equip local community leaders to activate and grow startup ecosystems across Syria.

The week-long program brings together 40 participants from more than 20 cities for a practical, hands-on learning experience focused on startup community building, inclusion, and local leadership.

Building on Momentum

The Catalyst Bootcamp builds on the momentum of Startup Syria's nationwide Meetup Tour, which reached over 1,300 participants across 13 cities earlier this year. The meetups revealed a clear need for more structured local leadership to sustain the country's emerging entrepreneurial networks.

The Catalyst Bootcamp is Startup Syria's direct response to that need.

Building Local Capacity

The Catalyst Bootcamp will train participants to become community catalysts: trusted local figures who can organize events, connect founders, and gather insights about their city's startup environment.

The program combines interactive workshops, mentoring, and group exercises covering five key areas:

• •Community activation and leadership
• •Facilitation and communication skills
• •Partnership building and local outreach
• •Inclusion of women and underrepresented groups
• •Storytelling and reporting for impact

Grassroots Recovery Through Entrepreneurship

In many Syrian cities, there are few incubators, accelerators, or formal support structures. The Catalyst Bootcamp focuses on empowering the individuals who already bring others together to serve as the foundation of new, community-led startup ecosystems.

Startup Syria believes that recovery begins when local people organize around opportunity. The Catalyst Bootcamp aims to ensure that every major Syrian city has at least one trained ecosystem enabler capable of mobilizing founders, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the voices of entrepreneurs.

Recovery begins when local people organize around opportunity. The Catalyst Bootcamp ensures every major Syrian city has trained ecosystem enablers.

— Startup Syria

To learn more about the program, visit https://catalysts.startupsyria.org/