ElevateBridge: From Skills to Opportunities
How ElevateBridge Connects Palestinian Talent with Global Markets
At Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), we believe training Palestinian individuals is only the beginning. After training, we focus on turning digital skills into real opportunities, sustainable income, and stronger businesses by connecting talent with hiring companies, creating pathways to employment, and supporting continued skills development.
We apply the same approach to assisting Palestinian tech companies. Elevate builds on GSG’s 2022 Market Systems Development (MSD) program, which combined Train to Hire with Project Hunters to address two critical needs: talent supply and market access.
- Train to Hire connected Palestinian tech companies with Palestinian individuals trained around their specific company needs, creating a pathway from training to internships to employment.
- Project Hunters connected high-performing Palestinian freelancers, many from Gaza, with Palestinian tech companies. These freelancers were placed as sales reps into Palestinian tech companies to win new clients and projects through digital platforms, such as Upwork.
The model created value on both sides: Palestinian individuals secured jobs, and Palestinian tech companies gained access to new talent and new revenue-generating opportunities.
Following October 7, 2023, Project Hunters was paused as disruptions to electricity, internet, and mobility made digital work increasingly difficult in Gaza.
But the need for these connections never disappeared.
Creating the conditions to restart
As GSG began exploring new ways to support Palestinian digital workers, we launched our coworking spaces pilot, helping provide access to spaces with electricity and more stable internet connectivity.
This created an important opportunity.
We knew that some of the digital professionals who had previously participated in Project Hunters were still in Gaza. We also knew that, with the right working environment and connectivity, they could once again contribute to the growth of technology companies.
So, we decided to bring the concept back! But with a new identity and within the Elevate ecosystem.
Project Hunters became ElevateBridge.
The name reflects the role these professionals play: they are bridges connecting Palestinian companies with opportunities and clients beyond their immediate markets.
ElevateBridge: Connecting companies with global opportunities
The first ElevateBridge cohort launched on June 1, 2026, bringing together eight hunters and six Palestinian technology companies. Early results show how talent, digital tools, and market access can work together.
During the first check-in, participants shared progress and best practices, including:
- Loay from Sada secured three local deals through LinkedIn and Instagram, using a three-month free-trial approach to convert new clients into paid subscriptions.
- Ayman from Sada developed an AI-powered lead-generation tool using Claude, Apify, and n8n. Sada is exploring how to integrate it into its marketing efforts, while Ayman plans to share the tool with other ElevateBridge freelancers.
- Hedaya from Haweyyeh secured two projects through Upwork and is currently discussing a third.
These early results demonstrate the potential of ElevateBridge to help Palestinian digital professionals generate income, support company growth, and connect local businesses with new markets.
Building Bridges Beyond Borders
ElevateBridge is about more than finding projects. It creates connections between Palestinian talent, technology companies, and global markets—turning digital skills into opportunities and opportunities into sustainable growth.
At GSG, we believe Palestinian talent needs more than skills; it needs a pathway to opportunity, income, and long-term economic growth.
How you can support GSG:
Help power Palestine’s digital future by supporting Gaza Sky Geeks through a donation or by partnering with one of our coworking spaces:
https://europe.mercycorps.org/en-gb/donate/gazaskygeeks
Hire a Palestinian talent by filling out the form:
https://talent.gazaskygeeks.com/f/partner-hiring-request