Editing Communications in Iran (section)

==Technology start-ups==
{{See also|Banking in Iran#Venture capital|Science in Iran#Technology parks|iBRIDGES|l1=Venture Capital in Iran|l2=Technology parks in Iran}}

[[Iran]] is an innovative country with a population of approximately 80 million and 120% mobile penetration. Yet the technology "start-up economy" represents less than 1% of [[economy of Iran|Iran's GDP]].<ref name=FT5/> Since 2012, Iran's startup ecosystem has flourished. According to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', [[sanctions against Iran|sanctions]] are also helping spur [[entrepreneurship]] in Iran by protecting them from outside competition.<ref name=WSJ/> Iran has three [[seed accelerator]]s already (e.g. [https://web.archive.org/web/20151127211649/http://avatech.ir/ Avatech] and [http://www.dmondgroup.com/ DMOND]), a few [[Venture capital|VCs]] (e.g. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150905060943/http://saravapars.com/en/ Sarava Pars] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20220331053148/http://www.shenasaco.com/index.php?lang=en Shenasa]) and 170 [[business incubator|incubator]]s (e.g. MAPS).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/domestic-economy/54984/tayyebnia-overcomes-impeachment-bid|title=Tayyebnia Overcomes Impeachment Bid|date=7 December 2016|access-date=8 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082507/https://financialtribune.com/articles/domestic-economy/54984/tayyebnia-overcomes-impeachment-bid|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Dino Auciello: L'Iran invente sa banque de demain. Bilan. December 9, 2015.</ref> eCommerce is growing at a rapid speed. The advent of higher Internet speed marks the beginning of a new era for entrepreneurs. Iran Entrepreneurship Association (IEA) is the flagship [[NGO]] in the "entrepreneurship revolution" in Iran.<ref name=Guardian>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/31/amazon-iranian-style-digikala-other-startups-aparat-hamijoo-takhfifan|title=From Digikala to Hamijoo: the Iranian startup revolution, phase two|first=Saeed Kamali|last=Dehghan|date=31 May 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412095014/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/31/amazon-iranian-style-digikala-other-startups-aparat-hamijoo-takhfifan|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> TechRasa is the leading [[Media of Iran|online media]] devoted to the coverage of technology startups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2016/11/02/32001-20161102ARTFIG00290-l-iran-dernier-terrain-de-conquete-numerique.php|title=L'Iran, dernier terrain de conquête numérique|date=2 November 2016|access-date=6 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106185103/http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2016/11/02/32001-20161102ARTFIG00290-l-iran-dernier-terrain-de-conquete-numerique.php|archive-date=6 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2015, there are almost 180 [[technology startup]]s companies in Iran, many of them backed by [[Higher education in Iran|state-run universities]] (this number does not include [[Science in Iran#Technology parks|3,000 (non-IT) knowledge based companies]] also active in Iran).<ref name=FT6/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://irstartups.com/en/wiki/index.php/Main_Page|title=Iran Startups Encyclopedia|website=irstartups.com|access-date=2016-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128162120/http://irstartups.com/en/wiki/index.php/Main_Page|archive-date=2016-01-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2016, [[Central Bank of Iran#Fintech|fifty fintech firms are operating in Iran]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-business-and-markets/56766/banking-reform-blueprint-unveiled|title=Banking Reform Blueprint Unveiled|date=2 January 2017|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104143817/https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-business-and-markets/56766/banking-reform-blueprint-unveiled|archive-date=4 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Parsijoo]] and [[Yooz]] are 2 domestic [[search engine]]s with 600,000 and 100,000 hits per day and 120,000 and 60,000 searches per day respectively.<ref name="payvand.com2"/> Adro is a leading [[Adtech]]/[[Ad exchange]] start-up (In 2016, publishers had 365 billion impressions through Iranian [[Ad networks]]).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://techrasa.com/2016/11/11/report-iran-adtech-overview/| title=Report: Iran AdTech Overview| date=2016-11-11| access-date=2018-07-06| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712033838/http://techrasa.com/2016/11/11/report-iran-adtech-overview/| archive-date=2018-07-12| url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Cafe Bazaar]], with 20 million visits weekly and a market share of 85%, has 25,000 downloadable Iranian and international [[Mobile app|apps]] for gaming, social media, messaging and other uses.<ref name=WSJ>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/technology-startups-take-root-in-tehran-1424917952|title=Technology Startups Take Root in Tehran|first1=Benoît|last1=Faucon|first2=Rory|last2=Jones|date=26 February 2015|via=www.wsj.com|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=6 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620051120/https://www.wsj.com/articles/technology-startups-take-root-in-tehran-1424917952|archive-date=20 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Iranians developed 70 thousand mobile apps in less than 2 years (2016).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.mehrnews.com/news/116891/Iranians-developed-70k-mobile-apps-in-less-than-2-years|title=Iranians developed 70k mobile apps in less than 2 years|date=28 May 2016|access-date=30 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530074156/http://en.mehrnews.com/news/116891/Iranians-developed-70k-mobile-apps-in-less-than-2-years|archive-date=30 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Cloob]], the Iranian version of [[Facebook]], has 2.5 million users.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/14/jan/1121.html|title=Has Iran's Internet Policy Changed With Rouhani?|website=www.payvand.com|access-date=2015-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122413/http://www.payvand.com/news/14/jan/1121.html|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Soroush messenger|Soroush]] is the messaging application replacing [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/iran-releases-messaging-app-soroush-replace-telegram-180426112935318.html|title=Iran releases messaging app Soroush to replace Telegram|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2018-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614040007/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/iran-releases-messaging-app-soroush-replace-telegram-180426112935318.html|archive-date=2018-06-14|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Aparat]] (Owned by ''Saba Idea Technology Co''), with a staff of 65, is an Iranian video-sharing platform similar to [[YouTube]], has a following of 5 millions a day and has 22,000 minutes of video uploaded daily. [[Takhfifan]] (with 100 employees) and [[Netbarg]] are two [[group buying]] portals.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://techrasa.com/2016/03/13/interview-with-the-founders-of-netbarg-the-iranian-group-buying-website/| publisher=TechRasa| title=Interview with the Founders of Netbarg, the Iranian Group Buying Website| access-date=2016-03-13| date=2016-03-13| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315135408/http://techrasa.com/2016/03/13/interview-with-the-founders-of-netbarg-the-iranian-group-buying-website/| archive-date=2016-03-15| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-dotcom-idUSKCN0UX1TS|title=Iranian dotcoms eye foreign investment, new customers after sanctions|first=Bozorgmehr|last=Sharafedin|newspaper=Reuters|date=2016-01-19|access-date=2017-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630065835/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-dotcom-idUSKCN0UX1TS|archive-date=2017-06-30|url-status=live}}</ref> [[eSam]] and Saddarsad are similar to [[eBay]].<ref name=Guardian/><ref name=STP1/> [[Digikala]], an e-commerce platform like [[Amazon.com]] with a daily average income of $400,000, ships more than 4,000 orders each day.<ref name=WSJ/> With a staff of 900 and about 850,000 visitors every day, Digikala was estimated to be worth $150 million in 2014 ($500 million according to the company in 2015, over $1 billion in 2018).<ref name="medium.com"/><ref name=BBC/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XrExbBV6810NANr_jFOXNEsQkLGm_Qs6TQb5X_OfXGc/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1&usp=embed_facebook|title=1_World Startup Report Research on the Biggest Internet Companies|website=Google Docs}}</ref><ref name="techrasa.com1">{{cite web|url = http://techrasa.com/2018/07/04/iran-stock-exchange-current-startup-valuations-not-accepted/|title = Iran Stock Exchange: Current Startup Valuations Are Not Accepted|date = 2018-07-04|access-date = 2018-07-06|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180711151701/http://techrasa.com/2018/07/04/iran-stock-exchange-current-startup-valuations-not-accepted/|archive-date = 2018-07-11|url-status = dead}}</ref> As of 2015, 85–90% of Iran's [[e-commerce]] takes place on Digikala (which has its own [[courier]] system throughout Iran).<ref name=Guardian/> [[Albasko]] is another well-known e-commerce platform.<ref name=STP1>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/iran-startups/why-ecommerce-is-the-next-big-thing-in-iran-d5cb017efa08|title=Why eCommerce is the next big thing in Iran|first=Hadi|last=Farnoud|date=5 June 2014|access-date=9 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415221641/https://medium.com/iran-startups/why-ecommerce-is-the-next-big-thing-in-iran-d5cb017efa08|archive-date=15 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fidibo]] is the Iranian equivalent of [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]].<ref name=BBC>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34458898|title=Iran's digital start-ups signal changing times|first=Hossein|last=Sharif|date=12 October 2015|newspaper=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329081058/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34458898|archive-date=29 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> With 40,000 orders per month, [[Maman-Paz]] is a [[food delivery]] service that connects hungry workers with housewives selling home-cooked meals.<ref name=BBC/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/17/jan/1027.html|title=Iranian Startups: Maman Paz delivers 200,000 orders of "mom-made" food in Tehran|website=www.payvand.com|access-date=2017-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106103532/http://www.payvand.com/news/17/jan/1027.html|archive-date=2017-01-06|url-status=live}}</ref> Its restaurant-based counterpart is [[ZoodFood]].<ref name=SA/> [[ShopFa]], with 2000 active [[online store]]s in 2012, is the local version of [[Shopify]].<ref name=STP1/> [[ZarinPal]] (owned by ''SamanSystems''), with 2 million transactions processed in 2012, is the Iranian alternative to [[PayPal]].<ref name=STP1/> As of 2015, [[Taskulu]], a [[task management]] platform, had over 8000 users from 120 different countries.<ref name=Guardian/> [[Hamijoo]] is a [[crowdfunding]] platform. [[AnjamMidam]] is an [[online marketplace]] for [[Freelancer|freelance services]] modeled after [[Fiverr]].<ref name=Guardian/> [[Navaak]] is modeled after [[Spotify]], the online [[music streaming]] company.<ref name="FT6">{{cite news |last1=Bozorgmehr |first1=Najmeh |date=21 May 2015 |title=Iran's tech sector to display potential in Berlin |website=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d729e71c-fed9-11e4-84b2-00144feabdc0 |url-status=live |access-date=2018-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617123745/https://www.ft.com/content/d729e71c-fed9-11e4-84b2-00144feabdc0 |archive-date=2018-06-17}}</ref> [[AloPeyk]] is a delivery service company.<ref name=FT5/> [[Pak Charkh]] is a [[bike-sharing]] app like Germany's [[Nextbike]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/426596/Tehrani-citizens-to-enjoy-riding-IoT-based-bikes|title=Tehrani citizens to enjoy riding IoT-based bikes|date=17 August 2018|access-date=29 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175502/http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/426596/Tehrani-citizens-to-enjoy-riding-IoT-based-bikes|archive-date=29 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81919121|title=Smart-bike sharing for Tehran|date=13 January 2016|access-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906003450/http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81919121|archive-date=2018-09-06|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2015, many foreign companies are beginning to explore ways to start technology companies in Iran (such as Germany's [[Rocket Internet]]) or allow their services to become available in the country (such as United States' [[Google]]).<ref name="reuters.com"/><ref name="WSJ"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/15/jun/1028.html|title=Iran startups open biggest event in Berlin|website=www.payvand.com|access-date=2015-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606082710/http://www.payvand.com/news/15/jun/1028.html|archive-date=2015-06-06|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/sci-tech/52406/chinese-startups-eye-iran|title=Chinese Startups Eye Iran|date=28 October 2016|access-date=29 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030075619/https://financialtribune.com/articles/sci-tech/52406/chinese-startups-eye-iran|archive-date=30 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, ''Iran Internet Group'', a [[Foreign direct investment in Iran#Joint ventures|joint venture]] between South African telecom company [[MTN Irancell|MTN]] and Rocket Internet has been launching Iranian versions of eBay ([[Mozando]]), Amazon ([[Bamilo]]), and [[Uber]] ([[Snapp (company)|Snapp]]/previously known as ''Taxi Yaab'').<ref name=Guardian/><ref name=SA>{{cite web | url=http://www.businesslive.co.za/companies/telecoms/2016-10-12-mtn-invests-20m-in-snapp-irans-answer-to-uber/ | title=MTN invests €20m in Snapp, Iran's answer to Uber | access-date=2016-10-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016080737/http://www.businesslive.co.za/companies/telecoms/2016-10-12-mtn-invests-20m-in-snapp-irans-answer-to-uber/ | archive-date=2016-10-16 | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Snapp (company)|Snapp]] has over 600,000 drivers across Iran and has a valuation potential of [[Unicorn (company)|$1 billion]] ($1.4–1.7 billion according to the company in 2018).<ref name="techrasa.com1"/> It carries over 1 million passengers-a-day.<ref name="FT5">{{cite news |last1=Bozorgmehr |first1=Najmeh |date=17 April 2018 |title=Start-up republic: can Iran's booming tech sector thrive? |website=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ca7ab580-3d71-11e8-b9f9-de94fa33a81e |url-status=live |access-date=2018-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614072002/https://www.ft.com/content/ca7ab580-3d71-11e8-b9f9-de94fa33a81e |archive-date=2018-06-14}}</ref> Many returning [[Iranian citizens abroad]] are also participating in this trend ([[Iranian American]]s in particular).<ref name=Guardian/>