Yehia Chali

Yehya Chali, an entrepreneur from Erbil, is the CEO and co-founder of Ovanya. Driven by a passion for harnessing AI and digital transformation, he works to address real-world challenges and create new opportunities in Kurdistan and Iraq. Beyond business, he is deeply committed to shaping a future where young people in the region can compete globally without leaving their homeland. He believes in continuous learning, bold ideas, and creating lasting impact not only through technology but by transforming the way society thinks. Witnessing the gap between technological potential and its actual use in his community, Yehya began his journey as a software developer at the age of 13. By 21, he co-founded Ovanya, Iraq’s first AI and data science company. Introducing advanced technology to a market unfamiliar with it presented significant challenges, but these experiences shaped his resilience, creativity, and ability to build trust. For Yehya, every obstacle became a lesson, and every achievement a testament to the fact that innovation can flourish even in the most unexpected places.

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