Queen pays surprise visit to ‘Grow Startups’ at King Hussein Business Park

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday met with members of the local startup scene, paying a surprise visit to several companies located within the “Grow Startups” building at King Hussein Business Park in Amman, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office.

The Queen dropped in at Parachute16, a consultation and edutainment company specialised in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. The company works in Jordan and across the Arab world with the aim of building an environment where creativity can flourish.  

According to its founder, Ghassan Halawa, Parachute16 offers emerging entrepreneurs a wide range of consultation and training services. The company develops incubator programmes and interactive edutainment workshops for local and international companies, while also facilitating investment, mentorship, and networking opportunities for startups. 

During the visit, the Parachute16 team shared its future plans with Her Majesty and introduced her to some of the projects it supports. These include “Mesh Mostaheel”, a first-of-its-kind social programme that invites all members of Jordanian society to present innovative solutions to challenges facing the country. 

The programme, which is conducted in partnership with Ro’ya TV, Partners for Good, New Think, and Parachute16, will present the top competing solutions on television next month, and award the winning proposal JD5,000 in prize money and JD25,000 in funding, according to the statement. 

Parachute16 also supports “TomohiLive”, a weekly programme that puts up-and-coming innovators and entrepreneurs in touch with supportive companies, individuals and organisations. Broadcast every Wednesday on Facebook Live, the interactive programme addresses viewers’ feedback and comments, providing a platform for successful entrepreneurs to share their expertise and inspire others.

The Queen wrapped up her visit with a stop at Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC), where she chatted with the teams behind a number of the startups it supports.