Sanad

What Sanad does

Sanad (legal name: Sanad Organization for Economic Development) is an Iraqi non-profit think tank founded in 2019 and headquartered in Al Mansour, Baghdad, with a second operational location in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The organization runs economic development programs across five interconnected domains: education, sustainable natural resources and the environment, incubation and financing of green entrepreneurs, capacity building, and technology fostering. It functions as a multi-disciplinary think tank, providing technical assessments, feasibility studies, due diligence, strategic planning, and institutional policy development, and complements this with program delivery including an incubator for green entrepreneurs and a 100-hour internship and capacity building program for young graduates launched in 2019 in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Relief International.

Sanad's core service lines are the Think Tank advisory arm, the Incubator for Initiatives, the Internship and Capacity Building Program, the Climate Change and Security (CCS) Conference held at the Iraqi Parliament, and the Rivers Talk photography initiative. These are delivered through partnerships rather than commercial channels: government institutions (Iraqi Parliament, Ministry of Higher Education), international and multilateral organizations (Relief International, UNIDO, FAO, Adaptation Fund, IWMI, UNICEF Iraq, the UN Water Convention/Protocol on Water and Health), bilateral donors (Kingdom of the Netherlands, FOEN, the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure), and corporate sponsors (Crescent Petroleum, Green Charter, Shell, Toyota Iraq, Insight360).

Sanad has 12 employees, does not charge for its core programs, and operates on grant funding, donor support, and partnership-based program delivery with episodic corporate sponsorship for conferences. The technology stack is non-software: there is no API, no disclosed AI/ML capability, and no proprietary digital platform; the underlying "technology" is a think-tank methodology combining technical assessment, complex-systems analysis, and multi-stakeholder convening. GTM is hybrid: event-driven through high-profile conferences and community-led through university, NGO, and government partnerships.

Name

Sanad

Legal name

Sanad Organization for Economic Development

Website

https://sanadiraq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sanad is an Iraqi non-profit think tank founded in 2019, based in Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah, that runs economic development programs across education, climate security, green entrepreneurship incubation, and youth capacity building for Iraqi government institutions, international organizations, and young graduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAEAC

Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

SECONDARYBPADABAO

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

Keywords

• Economic development programs
• Policy think tank
• Capacity building services
• Climate change initiatives
• Green entrepreneur incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Baghdad

HQ country

Iraq

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donor Support: As a non-profit organization, Sanad operates primarily through grants, donor funding, and partnerships with international organizations, governments, and NGOs to fund economic development programs.
2. Conference and Event Organization: Revenue generated through organizing conferences, workshops, and training programs on climate change, economic development, and capacity building themes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sanad is an Iraqi local non-profit organization that conducts economic development programs across five domains: Education, Sustainable Natural Resources and Environment, Incubation and Financing of Green Entrepreneurs, Capacity Building, and Fostering Technology. It functions as a think tank offering technical assessment, capacity building, feasibility studies, due diligence, strategic planning, and institutional policy development, and as an incubator supporting green entrepreneurs and running climate change and security conferences.

Product overview

Sanad is an Iraqi local non-profit organization for economic development operating across five interconnected domains: Education, Sustainable Natural Resources and Environment, Incubation and Financing Green Entrepreneurs, Capacity Building, and Fostering Technology. The organization functions as a think tank providing technical assessment, strategic planning, and institutional policy development services. Core offerings include an incubator program for green entrepreneurs, an internship and capacity building program for young graduates, the Climate Change and Security (CCS) Conference addressing water-food-economy-security nexus, and the Rivers Talk photography initiative on climate change awareness. Sanad operates as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Think Tank Sanad's analytical and advisory arm providing technical assessment, feasibility studies, due diligence, strategic planning, and institutional policy development services for economic development in Iraq.
• Incubator for Initiatives Incubation and financing program for green entrepreneurs in Iraq, supporting innovative economic development projects with mentorship, training, and resources.
• Internship and Capacity Building Program 100-hour internship and capacity building program (80 hours in-office, 20 hours online) for young graduates in KRG Sulaymaniyah, delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Relief International Organization, including a Data Science bootcamp component with Insight360.
• Climate Change and Security (CCS) Conference Conference organized by Sanad in cooperation with the Iraqi Parliament to address climate change impacts on Iraq across water, food, economy, and national security domains, with the objective of launching five climate change initiatives at legislative, executive, civil society, media, and research levels.
• Rivers Talk Initiative Photography initiative partnership between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sanad, in collaboration with Relief International, documenting the impacts of water scarcity and climate change on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq through artistic, historical, scientific, and social perspectives, featuring 17 pictures from 7 photographers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted Climate Change and Security Conference at Iraqi Parliament with key stakeholders
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kingdom of the NetherlandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership between Kingdom of the Netherlands and SANAD for the Rivers Talk initiative, a photography project focused on capturing impacts of water scarcity and climate change on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq.
• Relief InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ongoing collaboration between SANAD and Relief International for Rivers Talk initiative and multiple programs including internship initiatives, Data Science bootcamp, and climate change conferences. Relief International's Managing Director Dr. Sameh Wisam Al-Muqdadi serves as Sanad's Organizer and Moderator.
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Entrepreneurship and Project Development Course, providing training and capacity building for entrepreneurs in Iraq.
• Reggio Children Organization (Italy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Cooperation in Education and Training Sector, represented by Sanad's programs manager Hasan Azeez.
• Relations Institute for Foreign Cultural RelationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Cross-Cultural Training Program (CCP), supporting international cultural exchange and training initiatives.
• Ministry of Higher Education (Iraq)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for internship and capacity building programs for young graduates, operating since 2019 with programs based on Ministry standards (100 hours duration).
• Insight360minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Data Science bootcamp as part of internship and capacity building program, providing technical training components.
• Water Convention/Protocol on Water & HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, leading to COP27 special session development.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Adaptation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Ministerie van Infrastructure en WaterstaatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Iraqi ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for Climate Change and Security Conference, held at Iraqi Parliament Main Building on May 21, 2023, with objectives to launch five climate change initiatives at different levels.
• ShellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor of Climate Change and Security Conference organized by Sanad and Iraqi Parliament.
• Toyota IraqminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor of Climate Change and Security Conference organized by Sanad and Iraqi Parliament.
• Crescent PetroleumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGolden Sponsor of Climate Change and Security Conference organized by Sanad and Iraqi Parliament.
• Green CharterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGolden Sponsor of Climate Change and Security Conference organized by Sanad and Iraqi Parliament.
• UNICEF IraqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference speaker participation addressing water infrastructure and security topics at Climate Change and Security Conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization working on environment and sustainability. Comparable as a think tank model with policy advisory focus, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple geographies.
• Mercy Corps: Large international development and humanitarian organization with active programs in Iraq. Broader in scope than Sanad, with a wider portfolio of grants, but operates in the same grant-funded development and capacity-building space in Iraq.
• International Alert: International peacebuilding organization working on security and climate linkages. Comparable as a think tank addressing the climate-security nexus that Sanad's CCS Conference targets, but with global rather than Iraq-only operations.
• UNDP Iraq: UN development program operating extensively in Iraq on economic development, climate, and capacity building. Comparable as a major institutional actor working on overlapping themes with Sanad, but at vastly larger scale and budget.

Direct peers

• Relief International: International humanitarian and development NGO operating in Iraq. Directly comparable as a co-delivery partner with Sanad on Rivers Talk, internship programs, and the Data Science bootcamp, sharing a similar grant-funded operating model.
• UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization): UN agency focused on industrial development and inclusive, sustainable industry. Directly comparable as a Sanad partner for the Entrepreneurship and Project Development Course and capacity building for Iraqi entrepreneurs.
• Adaptation Fund: International climate finance fund supporting adaptation projects. Comparable as a co-organizer of the Global Workshop and a potential funder for the same climate adaptation programs Sanad supports in Iraq.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): Research-for-development organization working on water and land resources. Directly comparable as a co-organizer of Sanad's Geneva workshop and as a think tank addressing water scarcity issues aligned with Rivers Talk.
• FAO Iraq: UN agency for food and agriculture, with significant operations in Iraq on water-agriculture-climate nexus. Directly comparable as a co-organizer of the Global Workshop and a parallel institution addressing overlapping themes in Iraq.

Regional players

• Iraq Energy Institute: Iraq-focused think tank on energy policy and sustainability. Directly comparable as an Iraq-based research and policy advisory organization working on the same themes of economic development, energy, and climate that Sanad addresses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sanadiraqorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/sanadiraq.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sanadiraqorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sanad