For the first time in 50 years, Syria has hosted an independent tech conference, as the conflict-ravaged country looks to rebuild its economy and infrastructure from the devastation of a 13-year-long civil war.
The two-day SYNC 25 conference, organized by a group of Syrian-Americans working in Silicon Valley, included workshops and discussions on artificial intelligence and data security, among other tech-related topics.
The conference took place amid the transitional government’s active outreach to regional powers, seeking to build support and re-establish diplomatic ties after ousting former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
The program aimed to connect Silicon Valley with Syria’s emerging tech ecosystem.
Tech entrepreneurs who attended the conference hope the event is a starting point to help build a better infrastructure for investors in Syria. “We need to look at employment and we need to improve the internet infrastructure,” Yazan Enayeh, a Syrian entrepreneur and founder of Switzerland-based watch company L’Orloger said.
“We wanted to bring Silicon Valley to Damascus,” Bassel Ojjeh, co-founder and CEO of LigaData, a Palo Alto-based company, who was one of the organizers of SYNC 25.
“We wanted to connect with entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and change-makers to exchange expertise and form strategic partnerships”.
In the past month, Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Shara has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh, as a part of his effort to invite economic and humanitarian help for the country.
The Saudi state news agency said that among other things, the two leaders discussed future plans in the fields of energy and technology.
