Open Startup International Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852642709
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
2672424937
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Economic Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,771,233
Expenses
$1,578,393
Assets
$956,660
Liabilities
$620,092

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KAMIL JEDIDI (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • SONIA SOUAYAH (CFO): $29,632 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Open startup international corporation is a non-profit organization that fosters innovation and capacity building through entrepreneurship, education, and cross-cultural exchange, creating communities and connecting ecosystems across the middle east and africa. Open startup works toward leveraging networks and empowering entrepreneurs by providing them with world-class opportunities, prgrams and resources.

What it reported doing in 2025

Brain program - delivered a pan-african deeptech accelerator program supporting startups developing advanced technology solutions in sectors such as artificial intelligence, climate technology, health technology, and digital innovation. Provided intensive mentorship, technical and business support, investor exposure, partnership opportunities, and capacity building activities to help founders scale innovative technology-driven ventures across african markets.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.

The verdict

MIXED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 42
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 72.9%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 39.8%; rating input score 40; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 10.9%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.61; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.65; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.9%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 37.6% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65% of revenue deployed · 72.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $30K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 30 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes foreign activity and grants
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 40/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.