Rami Zeidan Founder of Bazzarc

Rami Zeidan is just one of many enterprising Palestinians that have embraced the power of entrepreneurship as a means to create transformative and far-reaching change. It all started when Rami enrolled at the Polytechnic University in Hebron, where he was able to immerse himself in the growing startup community that was providing a positive outlet for young yet enterprising Palestinians working to reclaim their future. 

Rami’s entrepreneurial pursuits began while still attending the Polytechnic University in Hebron, which provided him with the opportunity to reach out to start-up founders and up-and-coming entrepreneurs who were part of the in-campus Arab Innovation Network. Soon after, Rami became a Gaza Sky Geeks Ambassador, Vice Campus Director for Hult Prize in Hebron, and trained and volunteered with the public relations office at his alma mater and the STEM-based learning institute Al-Nayzak in 2019.  

While working with Hult, Rami was responsible for outreach and heavily involved in creating promotional content for the local branch's startup portfolio. From developing short videos, organizing photography sessions, and working on digital advertising campaigns, Rami soon realized that digital marketing was his calling and decided to turn this short-term opportunity into a full-time profession.  

Despite Rami's connections to his local startup community, accessing the level and quality of support needed to set-up his own enterprise was a growing challenge. Fortunately enough for Rami, MENACatalyst had just rolled out their latest support program, Self-Employment in a Digital Age, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. MENACatalyst's integrated digital marketing program is providing a new generation of digital marketers such as Rami with the market-ready skills, tools, and global networks of support they need to emerge as professionals in this fast-growing field. 

Since joining the program, Rami has ideated and incubated his startup idea for Bazzarc, a platform dedicated to handicrafters looking to market their crafts on a more professional and expansive scale. “Bazzarc is an e-commerce marketplace exclusively featuring handcrafted items such as apparel, embroidery, accessories, jewelry, and home décor items. Vendors will be able to sign-up and not only showcase their items but receive complimentary access to social media and promotional outreach services, which are essential for local Palestinian crafters working to establish or grow their customer base,” says Rami. 

With access to MENACatalyst’s expansive network of industry experts, business enablers, and leading mentors, Rami has received the support and guidance needed to translate Bazzarc into a reality. Showcasing the industriousness and artistry of Palestinian crafters and providing a virtual marketplace where they can share their stories with the rest of the world while becoming economically independent keeps Rami motivated and working towards his goal.