Iran Web and Mobile Festival Tries to Unite Startups Against Headwinds: Report

Entrepreneurs, startup managers, stakeholders, guild members and ICT officials converged in Tehran for the 11th Iran Web and Mobile Festival (IWMF).
Organized by the private sector, the two-day event that ended Friday brought together business owners and young entrepreneurs to  help them share experience and knowhow in the increasingly competitive sector.
Close to 1,800 startup and tech aficionados attended. During the event held at the Energy Research Institute, over a dozen panels and workshops were held covering a variety of subjects from digital marketing methods to state policies and the bloated government bureaucracy.
One of the panels that was a major attraction and triggered social media frenzy on Twitter was a talk on Thursday about laws and regulations that have harmed not helped the progress of Iranian startups.
Speakers at this panel were the head of Iran IT Organization, Amir Nazemi, Reza Olfatnasab, chairman of Tehran Guild Association of Online Businesses (locally known as e-Anjoman Persian for e-guild), chief editor of a news website Arash Barahamand, and Hessam Armandehi, cofounder of local Android market Café Bazaar.
Nazemi told the panel “The rigid disposition of some policymakers and authorities has hampered the growth of Iranian startups.”
While such companies have grown exponentially in recent years, in terms of numbers and revenue, Nazemi is of the opinion that bureaucracy and red tape must be curbed to provide the younger generation and entrepreneurs with a real shot at success.
“Some of those in charge see the exponential growth rate and scalability of startups as a sort of threat. They would like to ban startups and online businesses as soon as they can in terms of user traction.”