Jordan's E4DE Startup Program Ends With 697 Companies Supported

A four-year donor-funded entrepreneurship program in Jordan has closed with 697 supported startups, 748 jobs created by beneficiary companies, and 350 firms confirming business growth. Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Samirrat formally concluded the Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economic Development and Employment (E4DE) project at the New Horizons 2026 event, held at the University of Jordan Academy in Amman with startups, investors, private-sector representatives and entrepreneurship-support institutions in the room.

The ministry ran the project jointly with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), launched in 2022. Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union split the bill.

What did the money actually buy?

The headline numbers are decent for a program of this size. Of the 697 supported startups, 427 were women-led — roughly six in ten. Put differently, the project backed about 175 startups a year over its four-year run, and beneficiaries reported creating close to 750 jobs in total.

The project sits inside Jordan's National Entrepreneurship Policy (2021–2027), which aims to develop the Kingdom's entrepreneurship ecosystem, improve startups' access to financing and markets, and make doing business easier.

Samirrat framed startup support as a national priority. He said enabling startups to grow and expand serves the objectives of the Economic Modernisation Vision by stimulating private-sector growth, creating jobs, and strengthening entrepreneurial companies' contribution to the national economy.

He credited the project with turning the National Entrepreneurship Policy's priorities into practical programs — supporting startups and expanding the range of services and opportunities available to entrepreneurs in the governorates, outside the capital. He also stressed the need to build on the project's results and keep cooperating with partners so startups stay sustainable and reach new markets.

What does this change for founders outside Amman?

Quite a lot, according to Anne-Laure Roche-Rou, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Jordan. She said the project strengthened local entrepreneurship networks in Aqaba and the northern region, covering Jerash and Mafraq. It also tightened cooperation among government institutions, universities, municipalities and the private sector, so entrepreneurs can access services and business partners in their own governorates rather than chasing them in Amman.

Roche-Rou singled out the results for women entrepreneurs. She pointed to the Angels Investors Club and the planned launch of a national women's entrepreneurship network as tangible achievements that can help women access new networks, acquire knowledge, and find new opportunities to grow their businesses.

"These are results worth celebrating, and the European Union is proud to support them," she said.

On the institutional side, Roche-Rou said the project helped the ministry build a system to monitor and evaluate entrepreneurship-related interventions. It also contributed to simplifying business procedures and training public-sector employees who support entrepreneurs.

Deal-making at New Horizons 2026

The closing event wasn't just a ceremony. It ran targeted business-to-business matchmaking meetings, supported by ICON-INSTITUTE GmbH, connecting startups with investors, buyers, suppliers and potential partners. Participating companies presented their products and services to explore commercial and investment cooperation opportunities.

Sonke Lorenz, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Jordan, said the event builds on the project's results by strengthening direct communication between startups and the private sector. He highlighted the importance of integrating national policies with entrepreneurship-support programs so companies can grow and expand.

Lorenz framed the event's value in practical terms: attracting new customers, building relationships with suppliers and investors, and establishing commercial and investment partnerships that outlast the project itself — supporting both the National Entrepreneurship Policy and the Economic Modernisation Vision.

The event also showcased the project's key achievements, success stories from several beneficiary startups, and opportunities to extend the results into a next phase. With the National Entrepreneurship Policy running through 2027, the question now is whether the matchmaking relationships and the governorate-level networks survive the end of donor funding — the test Lorenz and Samirrat both set for what comes next.