Since 2017

The Story Behind the Lens

From a camera and a dream in Baghdad to Iraq's leading creative technology studio — powered by 350+ creators, trusted by 50+ brands, and now running on AI.

Our Journey

9 years of building, breaking, and building again

2017

The Spark

Photonect was born — Iraq's first crowdsourcing photography network. Ahmed Alhamzawi started with a camera and a vision.

2019

Incubation & Growth

Selected for Five One Labs (GIZ-funded) and YIP at The Station. First major clients onboarded. The network grew to 50+ creators.

2020

Going Official

Al-Bawaba for Digital Marketing LTD established. Expanded beyond photography into full media production — video, ads, documentaries.

2021

Scaling Nationwide

Coverage across all 18 Iraqi governorates. Team grew to 12 full-time employees + 350+ freelance creators. Major contracts with UN, GIZ, and Toyota.

2022

Enterprise Clients

Secured COSL, CNPC, BGP (oil & gas). Built fabrication arm — 3D signboards, kiosk production. Full-service event capabilities launched.

2023

Berlin & Beyond

Represented Iraq at Berlin:Connect (Hub.Berlin) as an investment-ready company. Baly partnership launched — 6-city signboard rollout.

2024

The AI Pivot

Trained 20 AI media producers internally. Launched AI-generated video production. Historical Figures of Iraq — first AI video series.

2025

Radical Reinvention

Bold move: replaced the entire team with AI. Claude became the full-stack operator. AI chatbots and calling agents developed for Iraqi businesses.

2026

Building the Future

Photonect AI Studio in development — Iraq's first AI-powered design studio. 13 AI agents running operations. BUILD-FIRST: products before pitches.

Our Philosophy

BUILD-FIRST

We don't pitch what we can't prove. Products ship before promises. Portfolio pieces come before proposals. When we go to market, we go with proof — not PowerPoints.

Iraq-First, World-Ready

Built for Iraqi businesses. Arabic-first interfaces, IQD pricing, local payment methods. But world-class quality — because Iraqi businesses deserve nothing less.

Human Creativity, AI Power

AI is our engine, not our replacement. Every deliverable is touched by human taste, cultural context, and creative vision. The machine scales. The human decides.

Eat Our Own Cooking

Every tool we sell, we use first. Our AI chatbot handles our own leads. Our brand studio designed our own identity. If it's not good enough for us, it's not ready for you.

The Team

A core human team. An AI backbone. 350+ creators on call.

Ahmed Alhamzawi

CEO & Founder

Growth manager by day (Baly Fintech), creative technologist by night. 9 years building Photonect from zero.

Ibrahim Kadhim

CTO

Engineering lead. Ships the systems that keep Photonect running, from the AI stack to the production pipelines.

Abdulrazaq Alzamily

COO

Operations and delivery. Makes sure every shoot, every deliverable, every client handoff lands on time and on spec.

Adrian Lahoud

Creative Director

Shapes the visual language across every project — from brand identity to campaign art direction. Craft-obsessed.

Abdulbassit Kanaan

AI Project Lead

Leads AI build-outs for clients — chatbots, calling agents, and generative pipelines that actually ship to production.

Haider Khalid

Videographer

Camera, lights, edit bay. Shoots and cuts everything from corporate spots to live events — fast turnarounds, broadcast quality.

Celine Youness

Social Media Manager

Owns the channels. Turns every shoot, every launch, every behind-the-scenes into content that travels.

Claude AI

Full-Stack Operator

Strategy, operations, sales, product, content — the AI backbone running Photonect 24/7. 13 specialized agents in the system.

350+

Creator Network

Freelance Professionals

Photographers, videographers, editors, drone operators — across all 18 Iraqi governorates. On-demand, quality-vetted.

Out in the Field

Scouting Tech, Bringing It Home

Bits & Pretzels in Munich. NAB Show in Las Vegas. Suli Innovation Forum. We go where the next wave of media and creative tech is being built — and bring it back to Iraqi businesses.