Startups: How Can They Overcome a Limited Market?

Startups in Amman face the structural constraint of a small domestic market but can nonetheless scale regionally and globally by adopting a "Global First" approach, industry leaders say. Jordan’s unemployment rate among Jordanians reached 21.1% in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring the urgency of turning startups into scalable exporters of digital services, while national exports rose 5.8% in the first five months of 2026, signaling growing access to international markets.

"Jordan’s unemployment rate among Jordanians reached 21.1% in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring that entrepreneurship is no longer an additional option but a national necessity for creating quality jobs and diversifying sources of growth," said Dr. Bilal Al‑Wadi, CEO of the Jordanian Entrepreneurship Association. He added that the domestic market's size "should not become a ceiling on their ambitions."

Digital tools, regional partnerships and early internationalisation

Experts argue that the domestic market should act as an incubator and testbed, not the end goal. Dr. Al‑Wadi urged founders to measure success by "the ability to build a scalable and internationalized business model" rather than local customer counts, citing the 2026 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) findings covering 53 economies and representing 57% of global GDP. He warned of a widening "survival gap" between company formation and development into stable businesses.

Technology and business model design are central to overcoming geographic limits. Engineer Hani Al‑Batsh, a digital transformation and entrepreneurship specialist, noted that Jordan has "a limited population base compared with regional markets, while purchasing power in some sectors is not particularly high." Still, he said, "the digital economy has changed the rules of competition," enabling Amman-based startups to serve customers in the Gulf, Europe or North America through cloud computing, electronic payment systems, remote work and digital marketing.

• Invest in cloud, e‑commerce and targeted digital marketing to reach customers abroad without costly physical offices.
• Build regional partnerships to navigate regulatory and logistical hurdles in target markets.
• Focus on exportable digital sectors such as software, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech and digital education.

Al‑Wadi pointed to market signals that favour technology-led exports: the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report showed a 218% increase in funding for AI‑founded companies and a 969% increase in their valuations within entrepreneurial ecosystems. "The future belongs to companies that use artificial intelligence and data to export software, knowledge‑based services and digital solutions," he said.

Outlook

Both Al‑Wadi and Al‑Batsh call for a shift in policy: from supporting company formation to engineering international growth. Measures they recommend include expansion financing, credit guarantees, intellectual property protection, support for international certifications, and linking startups with overseas investors and buyers. As Al‑Wadi put it, a pioneering state "removes obstacles, provides a fair opportunity and opens the doors of the world to Jordanian innovation." If entrepreneurs embed a Global First mindset and leverage digital infrastructure and strategic partnerships early, Jordanian startups can convert local market limits into a platform for regional and global expansion.