One of the best parts about traveling around the world hosting hackathons is being immersed into the culture of the host city and into the heart of their tech scene. There was something about Gaza Sky Geeks (the first startup accelerator in Gaza) that felt like a family. I travel to many startup hubs and it’s not common to be greeted with so much warmth when walking into a coworking space. GSG is surrounded by run-down neighborhoods, bullet-riddled apartments and rubble, all serving as a constant reminder that the threat of conflict lies right beneath the surface. There is a heavy and claustrophobic feeling walking around outside, knowing there are caged walls with armed guards on all sides of you.
Seeing people buzzing with energy and smiles was a nice transition that lifted some of the reminders of turmoil happening right outside the doors. Ahmed, one of the AH10 Gaza attendees, captured it well when he told me “This is the only place in my life where I am surrounded by optimists.” Being an optimist in a place where it is easy to be a pessimist is a difficult mountain to scale, but the ripe effect is powerful.
Spaces that allow people with dreams to truly experiment are more than just another startup laboratory, they allow that contagious optimism to spread. We have seen this in many places in the world where one startup success story fuels a whole ecosystem of dreamers and builders. We think Gaza Sky Geeks is planting the seeds for this same kind of evolution.
Surprisingly, Gaza is an outlier in our global hackathons with 38% female attendance so we wanted to delve deeper. Some told us they left their other jobs where they were making 10–20% less than their male counterparts (even as dentists) and see tech as a place where they can be treated equally. They also expressed how hard it is to find any female mentors or to get advice in general, as most women locally do not open up about personal obstacles. Gaza Sky Geeks is providing a safe place to get this kind of support for women.
Thank you Gaza Sky Geeks for being such a welcoming and inspiring home for our AH10 Series stop in Gaza. From the great projects, open communication, and the commitment attendees had to their code, AH10 Gaza will remain in my heart forever.
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