Ziad Sankari learned his father’s heart attack could have been prevented. So he got to work. For Ziad Sankari, a family tragedy was the spur that got him to start a business. Twelve years ago, his father died of a heart attack—a painful loss in itself, but even more so when Mr. Sankari learned that […]
The Central Bank of Lebanon (Banque du Liban / BDL) is organizing Lebanon’s second annual international startup conference – BDL Accelerate 2015 – on Thursday and Friday, the 10th and 11th of December 2015 at Forum de Beyrouth. The theme, “Emerging Startup Ecosystems”, will gather entrepreneurs, investors, and support institutions from key emerging startup ecosystems […]
When Ghaith fled Syria in 2013, he left with more than the clothes on his back. Though refugees are commonly thought of as poor, uneducated and helpless, Ghaith, who comes from a middle-class background and was studying computer science at the University of Aleppo before the Syrian civil war, brought his education and intellectual curiosity […]
Samer Karam is the founder of Lebanon’s first accelerator Seeqnce, whose first companies graduated in 2012. He is also the founder of Startup Megaphone, a company which has been asked by the central bank of Lebanon to manage the image of the tiny Middle Eastern country’s start-up ecosystem. Next month Mr Karam will travel to […]
For a country that has defined and redefined itself through politics, religion, immigrations, emigrations, and decades of war, you may wonder what it’s like starting a company in Lebanon. “Surprisingly peaceful, given all that you hear in the media,” says David El Achkar, co-founder of Beirut-based Yellow, a tech startup aiming to make bitcoin payments […]
A car-pooling app developed by a team of four college grads won this year’s $20,000 Samir and Claude Abillama Eco-Entrepreneurship Award, which promotes the role of entrepreneurship in nature conservation efforts. tulos is a rewards-based carpooling app for university students that aims to reduce the number of cars on the road. “We are creating a […]
Seven ways I want to grow my company As he helped me gather my bags and wished me well, the taxi driver on my recent trip to the airport expressed hope that I was leaving for a short trip and would soon return home, because, he said, Lebanon depended on its youth to prosper. I […]
25 percent of all startups fail in their first year and among the major reasons behind failure is a lack of managerial experience, studies have shown. Nevertheless, young Lebanese entrepreneur Marwan Harmouche decided to take up the challenge. After two years of management experience in the advertising and film-making industry, Harmouche, 24 partnered with two […]
BEIRUT—The first thing that strikes you about the Lebanese capital is the traffic. As far as you can tell there appear to be few, if any, rules. Traffic lights appear at best advisory, lane markings—where they exist—are little more than decoration, and the concept of right of way is utterly foreign. But despite that, it […]
As Lebanon’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to gather momentum despite the country’s dire economic conditions, several young and hungry entrepreneurs have rolled up their sleeves and set up shop online. Executive spoke to three new Lebanese online startups: a party supplier and two search engines, one for banking products and one for local fashion items. Facing […]