For more than a decade, Joud Khattab has worked at the intersection of data, innovation, and human development. But despite witnessing extraordinary talent across the region, he repeatedly encountered the same challenge: brilliant ideas existed everywhere, yet the systems needed to support them often did not.

That realization ultimately led him to launch Bidayah, a Syria-based venture builder designed to help founders transform ideas into scalable businesses while supporting the country’s emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At a time when Syria is entering a new phase of recovery and economic reopening, Bidayah represents more than another startup support organization. It reflects a growing belief that entrepreneurship can become a powerful engine for rebuilding economies, creating jobs, and restoring hope.

From Data Scientist to Ecosystem Builder

Khattab describes himself as a data scientist, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder from Syria. Over the years, he built a career within the humanitarian and development sector, working across multiple United Nations agencies where he led initiatives focused on information management, digital transformation, analytics, and data-driven decision-making supporting large-scale programmes and complex operations.

Alongside his professional responsibilities, he remained deeply involved in entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. He designed and supported hackathons, leadership programmes, startup competitions, innovation forums, and capacity-building initiatives that enabled thousands of young people to develop skills, launch ventures, and connect with opportunities.

His own journey evolved from participant to mentor, jury member, advisor, and ecosystem architect. “I increasingly realized that talent is abundant and ideas are abundant,” Khattab says. “But ecosystems and support structures are often missing.”

Building Bidayah at a Turning Point for Syria

Bidayah was born during a pivotal moment in Syria’s modern history. As the country entered a period of renewed openness and recovery, investor interest began to emerge. Entrepreneurs started launching businesses, while regional companies explored opportunities within the Syrian market. Yet many founders lacked access to structured support, investment pathways, operational expertise, and long-term guidance.

Khattab and his team identified a significant gap. “We realized there was a missing piece in the ecosystem,” he explains. “A venture builder that could not only support startups but actively participate in building and investing in them.” Bidayah was created to fill that role.

Today, the company operates as a venture builder, startup enabler, and business growth platform, helping founders transform ideas into viable ventures while providing strategic support, operational guidance, and investor connections.

Acting as Syria’s Soft Landing Partner

Beyond supporting local entrepreneurs, Bidayah has identified another opportunity emerging from Syria’s changing economic landscape.

As regional and international businesses begin exploring entry into the Syrian market, many lack the local knowledge necessary to navigate regulations, culture, talent acquisition, and operational realities. Bidayah positions itself as a trusted bridge between external businesses and the Syrian market.

The company provides soft-landing services that include business development support, operational setup, talent acquisition, technology services, and ecosystem introductions. In doing so, Bidayah is helping facilitate both inbound investment and local entrepreneurship.

Building More Than Companies

What excites Khattab most is the belief that Bidayah is contributing to something larger than its own commercial success. “We are helping shape an ecosystem at a time when Syria is entering a new chapter filled with opportunities for innovation, investment, entrepreneurship, and growth,” he says.

The venture builder’s leadership team combines expertise spanning technology, entrepreneurship, investment, business operations, and ecosystem development. Rather than merely advising founders, Bidayah actively participates in building ventures from the ground up.

For Khattab, the greatest reward comes from watching an idea evolve into a product, then into a company capable of creating jobs and improving people’s lives. “We believe the greatest impact comes when innovation creates tangible value for society,” he says.

Early Traction Across Three Markets

Although still in its early stages, Bidayah has achieved notable progress in a relatively short period. The company currently operates across Syria, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Its team has grown to approximately 20 professionals and experts, with two operational offices already established and a third location under development. The upcoming expansion will include shared workspace facilities designed to support entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures.

Bidayah is also finalizing four ventures expected to launch in the near future while serving clients across multiple industries through its business, technology, and advisory services.

The company has participated in dozens of entrepreneurship events, innovation forums, and startup initiatives throughout the region and is preparing to launch three specialized programmes focused on founder development and business growth.

It has also cultivated partnerships with investors, ecosystem stakeholders, private-sector companies, and startup communities across the Middle East.

Yet Khattab measures success differently. “For us, the most important metric is not simply growth in numbers,” he says. “It is the number of opportunities we create, founders we support, ventures we help build, and partnerships we enable.”

Leadership Rooted in Purpose

Five values guide Bidayah’s culture and leadership philosophy: entrepreneurship with purpose, integrity and transparency, continuous learning, collaboration over competition, and long-term value creation.

Khattab believes leadership is fundamentally about enabling others. “We see ourselves as ecosystem builders rather than company builders alone,” he says. “Our role is to connect people, create opportunities, remove barriers, and help founders, businesses, and teams reach their full potential.”

That philosophy influences both internal operations and external relationships, encouraging experimentation, knowledge sharing, accountability, and partnership.

Advice for the Next Generation of Muslim Entrepreneurs

Reflecting on his own journey, Khattab encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to start before they feel fully prepared. “Perfect conditions rarely exist,” he says. “Waiting for certainty often means missing opportunities.”

He also emphasizes the importance of solving real problems, choosing the right team, committing to consistency, and embracing lifelong learning. Finally, he believes Muslim entrepreneurs have an opportunity to redefine how success is measured. “Success should not only be measured by revenue,” he says. “It should also be measured by the positive impact we create for people and communities.”

A New Beginning

Appropriately, the word “Bidayah” means “beginning.” For Khattab, it represents the beginning of a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem capable of unlocking Syria’s untapped potential.

After years of conflict and uncertainty, rebuilding requires more than infrastructure and investment. It requires institutions that empower people to create, innovate, and solve problems.

By helping founders launch businesses, supporting companies entering the market, and strengthening the ecosystem around them, Bidayah is betting that entrepreneurship can play a meaningful role in shaping Syria’s future. And perhaps the country’s next chapter will not simply be defined by recovery, but by reinvention.

Mohammed Abubakr

Mohammed Abubakr is the Founder & Editor of StartupMuslim.com. Through StartupMuslim, he documents the journeys of Muslim founders across industries, focusing on the challenges they overcome, the vision that drives them, and the impact they create.His work centers on building a narrative layer for the global Muslim startup ecosystem—one that not only highlights success, but also captures the process, discipline, and values behind it. By conducting in-depth interviews and publishing founder stories, he aims to inspire and enable the next generation of Muslim entrepreneurs to think bigger and build with purpose.