Beiruting News

Endeavorize Lebanon, a global entrepreneurship event,was held in Beirut, on July 24, 2017, under the Patronage of H.E. Prime Minister Saad Hariri and in the presence of hundreds of local, regional and international guests. Hosted by Endeavor, a global organization that leads the high-impact entrepreneur movement, the event included notable speakers who took part in engaging conversations about the possibilities of the private sector in innovating, impacting, and inspiring Lebanon. Endeavorize Lebanon is part of Endeavor's 73^rd International Selection Panel (ISP), where international entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their businesses to experts and then are voted upon to be part of the Endeavor family.

"There is an evident movement of great ideas coming out of Lebanon and the global scene has taken note. As a result, we decided to launch of the 'Summer of Innovation' program, that seeks to provide the stage and turn the spotlight on the impressive ideas coming out of Lebanon," shared H.E. Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Commenting on hosting an International Selection Panel for the first time in Lebanon, Linda Rottenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor said:  "Endeavor is all about connecting global leaders and entrepreneurs to build a thriving network.  We are pleased to be hosting the ISP in Lebanon, which boasts an impressive entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.  This only pushes us further."

The lineup of speakers focused on innovation on numerous levels, the role of the private sector to create opportunities, as well as how to pave the way towards a more digitized world community in Lebanon and the rest of the world. The speakers included:H.E. Mr. Jamal Jarrah, Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications; Diego Piacentini, Senior VP of Amazon International and digitalization advisor to the Italian government; Fadi Ghandour, Executive Chairman of Wamda Group and Salim Edde, Co-founder of Murex; Fadi Majdalani, Senior Partner at Strategy& and Chairman of Endeavor Lebanon; Kevin Ryan, Former CEO of DoubleClick and Chairman and Founder of MongoDB, Zola, Workframe, and Nomad Health; Emre Gurkan, CEO of Touch; Imad Kreidieh, Chairman and General Director of Ogero and Omar Christidis, Founder and CEO of Arabnet.

"We are proud to host an event of this stature in Lebanon and put the country on the global map for innovation and entrepreneurship," said Tarek Sadi, Managing Director of Endeavor Lebanon. "Lebanon and its entrepreneurial scene has been thriving as of late, gaining traction and many local ideas have gone global. It is our role to support them in their growth strategies," he commented.

Endeavor hosts the ISP in different countries across the globe. This is the first time the ISP has been held in Lebanon. The format of the Panel includes interviews, deliberations and networking between the candidates and global business leaders. The candidates are selected via a thorough screening process, testing entrepreneurs on their leadership skills, business growth potential, impact on the ecosystem, as well as timing in growth trajectory. Endeavor makes forecasted growth possible by introducing business leaders to a large network of peers, encouraging collaboration and the sharing of ideas.

The sponsors that came together to realized Endeavorize Lebanon and the ISP include: Banque Libano-Francaise, Beirut Digital District (BDD), BLC Bank, B&Y Ventures, Leap Ventures, Ogero, SGBL, Touch and Wheelers.