Iraqi Agritech Company, Nakhla, Receives First Investment
Nakhla, an Iraqi agritech social enterprise has received a six-figure investment from Euphrates Ventures. The investment was facilitated by the Iraqi Angel Investors Network and marks the first investment round completed by an agritech startup. Nakhla is the Arabic name for date palm tree and has long been associated with Iraq’s history and culture.
Nakhla was founded in 2018 by Labeeb Kashif Al-Gitta to provide cultivation, harvesting and cleaning services to date palm trees across Baghdad. Users can subscribe to the company’s services in exchange for a subscription fee and a revenue share of the palm tree’s harvest. In addition, users can adopt a date palm tree planted in a public space. The company sells the harvest of the palm trees it serves under its own brand as part of its partnership with the Iraqi Company for Manufacturing and Marketing Dates and Imar Al Iraq.
Date palm trees have always been considered a national treasure in Iraq. Today there are more than 19 million date palm trees, 7 million of which are not made productive. We want to change that.
Labeeb, CEO of Nakhla
Nakhla has been awarded the care of more than 12,000 date palm trees across Baghdad by the local municipality. The company has also secured sponsored partnerships with major corporations in Iraq. Recently, the company has been selected to join the USAID-sponsored MENA Regional Hub initiative of the Water and Energy for Food program. The company plans to launch its mobile app by mid-year and has plans to integrate AI and IoT elements into its services.
Labeeb further commented “There is great potential in reviving agriculture in Iraq, but we want to go beyond that and integrate the latest technologies into our service”. It should be noted that Iraq’s harvest yield of palm trees falls behind that of other countries in the region.
Euphrates Venture has made investments into five startups including Miswag, the leading Iraqi e-commerce platform, and Alsaree3, a leading food delivery service. This investment marks Euphrates first venture into Agritech.
Agriculture has the potential to be one of the most dynamic sectors of the non-oil Iraqi economy, but it is often overlooked by foreign and local investors. We are thrilled to be supporting the team at Nakhla as they expand their unique business model to deliver both economic returns as well as social impact.
Grant Felgenhauer, Managing Partner at Euphrates Fund
Geoffrey Batt, a Managing Partner at the firm, added “Nakhla is attempting to revive a once-thriving industry in Iraq — we believe it can. The founders and employees have great expertise, drive and vision, and we are happy to play a role in helping them achieve their goals.”
The investment has been facilitated by the Iraqi Angel Investors Network. Ali Al Suhail, the Network Manager for the Iraqi Angel Investors Network commented “Agri-Tech is an attractive space in Iraq that we are very excited about and foresee much larger activity in the coming years”.
About Nakhla
Nakhla is an Iraqi startup that provides a wide range of services for date palm tree owners including harvesting, cultivating and cleaning. The company also sells harvest of the date palm trees it services under its own brand.
About Euphrates Ventures
Euphrates Ventures is a venture fund managed by Euphrates Advisors that invests in a concentrated portfolio of high growth early-stage private companies operating in Iraq.
