The Samih Darwazah Center for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the Olayan School of Business of the American University of Beirut is dedicated to the study of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region with a view to documenting and enhancing innovative practices in the business community. It seeks to generate reliable information to guide evidence-based decision making in this key sector that holds strategic importance in a knowledge economy. Its scope includes research, field studies, benchmarking, seminars and workshops as well as conferences all focused on the pivotal domain of organizational renewal and wealth creation through creative enterprise.
 
 

Bader is a NGO established in 2006 by 40 top business leaders in the country. Bader is a-political and a-religious. Bader’s mission is to promote entrepreneurship in Lebanon with a focus on high-impact businesses.
Bader covers the whole chain the entrepreneur goes through: from Education to Finance to Networking.
 
On the financial level we have:
Lebanese Business Angel (LBA): If you are a startup/early stage business and you are looking for financing, the Lebanese Business Angels is your source of equity funding. Bader, through its new initiative, the Lebanese Business Angel (LBA) facilitates the introduction of entrepreneurs to potential investors through presentations and other mechanisms. LBA consists of individual angel investors as well as institutions interested in financing privately held companies or ventures typically in a startup/ early stage of development, based in Lebanon and in all sectors, pertaining they have a compelling value proposition and high added value, an innovative/ creative product or service and the potential for regional and international reach. 
 
On the educational level we have:
Workshop program: The objective of the workshop is to give entrepreneurs the tools to prepare a business plan for financing purposes. To start with, we are going to under-privileged areas (Nabatyieh, Rashaya, Khiam, etc.). In addition, we are doing workshops in Beirut on a regular basis.
Going all over Lebanon allows us to know what kind of entrepreneurs there is in the regions where almost no-one is going. Furthermore, it allows developing a network of entrepreneurs all across Lebanon not only on the coastal area
Mentorship program: Our mentorship program assigns one mentor to one entrepreneur for a period of 2 years (the most critical period in the life of a startup). We have gathered a pool of more than 20 mentors who have been trained. In parallel, the list of entrepreneurs interested in having a mentor is also growing.
Entrepreneurs Clinic:  The Bader Entrepreneurs’ Clinic provides a platform where entrepreneurs meet experts from a wide range of fields to answer questions on technical, administrative or business issues.
After taking an appointment, the entrepreneur will have a free 30 minute one-on-one meeting with the expert(s) of his choice. The entrepreneur is only eligible to 4 meetings within the same field. The Bader Entrepreneurs’ Clinics are scheduled to operate once a month. Appointments will be taken on a first come – first served basis as places are limited.
Scholarship program: Thanks to the contribution of donors (a Bader member, Patchi, MENA capital, BBAC, Chalhoub Group, and Quantum), high merit students have received scholarship. From USD 36k in 2008, the program awarded more than USD 160k in 2009 and USD 38k in 2010.
Partnership with MIT: for the 5th year, Bader is continuing its partnership with MIT Arab Business Plan Competition.
Deutsche Bank Award: For the 2nd year, Bader partnered with Deutsche Bank to launch 2 Creative Awards in Lebanon of €10,000 each to artists, craftspeople, designers and performers to start a business or carry out a project.
Bader Entrepreneurship Clubs in Universities:  The clubs bring direct support to the future entrepreneurs of Lebanon. With already 7 clubs and 3 potential new clubs for this year, we keep on expanding our network.
 
On the networking level we have:
Bader has international partnerships with IPEMED and the World Economic Forum (WEF)

 
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Beyond Reform & Development is a consulting firm and a social business established to serve individuals and organizations through values of creativity, interdependence, impartiality & diversity. We specialize in policy innovation, strategy development, reform facilitation, capacity building, and learning design for public institutions, international organizations, and civil society groups across the Arab World..
 
We believe “…that the best promise of cohesion, development and prosperity for communities relies on the desire and the ability of each of its members to learn, to take responsibility and to adapt to an ever-changing environment.”
 
We have extensive experience in the areas of research, public administration, media reform, political development, development consulting, NGO capacity building, electoral reform, education policy, SMEs and entrepreneurship consulting, public health issues, women and youth empowerment… We are serving a range of clients in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, Libya, Kuwait, UAE, KSA, and other countries in the region.
 
Beyond Reform & Development, is a sister company to Beyond Consulting & Training and Effiqual Management Consultants – Canada. Beyond Consulting & Training, along with its strategic allies worldwide, has contributed to the growth and development of a myriad of organizations in the public and private sectors in the Arab World, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

We have worked in partnership with client organizations, teams, and people to initiate change, provide support, and foster a culture that empowers people, encourages innovation, rewards success, and values honesty and feedback.
 
For registration on our mailing list and furthe details on projects, consultant profiles and services please contact us on info@beyondrd.com

 
BAUCFE was established On September 2011 at Beirut Arab University as one of BAU’s  social responsibilities
 
CFE aims to promote the culture of Entrepreneurship. It aims to identify the individuals with entrepreneurial potential and assist them in an integrated manner with information, knowledge, skills and project implementation support as also inputs to strengthen entrepreneurial competencies that could lead to enhancing the supply of entrepreneurs.
 
This aim will be accomplished by:
 
1. Enhancing Entrepreneurship education and practice worldwide through developing a New Approach.
2. Providing Technical Support and Possible Facilities for the Submitted Projects.
3. Developing the Issue of Scientific Research in all fields.
4. Building Capacity by Developing successful external outreach activities.
5. Engaging stakeholders inside and outside BAU.
 

 
 
Established in Canada in 2002, Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) is a leading international social enterprise - an innovator in enabling people to access and apply information and communications technologies (ICT) to create education, economic and entrepreneurial opportunities. DOT’s vision is to make these opportunities available to marginalized people, especially women and youth, as a strategy to eradicate poverty, vulnerability and gender inequality.
 
DOT’s founding supporters include Cisco Systems, the Canadian International Development Agency and USAID. Its expanding global partnership network also includes IBM and The MasterCard Foundation. DOT is one of three implementers for IBM’s Corporate Service Corps and Executive Service Corps international programs.
 
Following a strategic growth strategy, DOT is operating sustainable programs through its local offices in 11 countries in North America, Middle East, Asia and Africa.
 
DOT Lebanon: In Lebanon, DOT launched it's pilot ReachUp! project in 2003 with funding from Cisco Systems. In 2008, the ReachUp! and ScaleUp! programs were reintroduced into Lebanon, sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency. In 2009, DOT partnered with Cisco and the Partnership for Lebanon to implement a related Connected Communities and Businesses Initiative.
 
In late 2010, DOT Lebanon launched projects with the refugee communities, targeting vulnerable women and youth with funds from the Canadian Embassy and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
 
So far, 60 Interns were trained and delivered the DOT training programs (Reach Up! Or Scale Up!)  to around 2,000 participants.
 
http://www.facebook.com/DigitalOpportunityTrust
Twitter: DOTintheNews
lebanon@dotrust.org
 

Endeavor Lebanon was launched in January 2011. The mission of Endeavor Lebanon is to accelerate high‐value job creation, and GDP growth by supporting Lebanon’s leading High‐Impact Entrepreneurs.  We achieve this by identifying entrepreneurs leading high‐growth companies in the local market and give them access to world‐class strategic advice, key global networks, and other tools to catapult them towards sustainable success.  
 
Endeavor was set up 13 years ago and is present in 11 countries including 6 in Latin America, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.  Endeavor Entrepreneurs globally have created more than 156,000 jobs and generated $4.5 billion in revenues in 2010.
 

The Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) is the national investment promotion agency that aims to promotes Lebanon as a key investment destination and attract, facilitate and retain investment in the country.
 
Established in 1994, IDAL grants a set of incentives through Investment Law No.360 for investment projects in key economic sectors including Industry, Agriculture, Agro-Industry, Tourism, Information Technology, Technology, Telecommunication, and Media.
 
Main incentive schemes include: Investment Project by Zone (IPZ) based on the project’s geographical location, investment size and sector type; and Package Deal Contract (PDC) based on the project’s investment size, number of jobs created, and sector type.
 
IDAL enjoys financial and administrative autonomy and reports to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers which exercises a tutorial authority over it.

JCI Lebanon
 
JCI is a worldwide community of young active citizens ages 18-40 who share the belief that in order to create positive change.
Engaging in activities ranging from Entrepreneurship, personal development, community development to international projects.
Members demonstrate their social responsibility and improve themselves through participation, leadership and action. 

JCI Mission: To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.
JCI Vision: To be the leading global network of young active citizens.
 
Be Better
JCI members constantly seek ways to live JCI’s slogan: Be Better. They not only believe that improvement is possible, they believe it is their responsibility to initiate positive change both in themselves and in their local community. All members around the world share this sense of social responsibility and the initiative to take action to create a better future for all.

JCI Around the World
With over 5,000 Local Organizations in more than 115 countries and territories, JCI forms a vibrant international community of nearly 200,000 active citizens. All members belong to a JCI Local Organization where they focus on finding solutions to improve their local community. Local Organizations are affiliated to National Organizations where members coordinate activities on national and international scales. This structure links JCI members together to form a global grassroots movement creating global impact through local action.

 
MEVP is a Middle East-focused venture capital firm that invests in the early and growth stages of innovative companies run by talented entrepreneurs primarily, but not exclusively, in Lebanon and the greater Levant region.
 
We have a unique combination of backgrounds and expertise that allows us to partner with innovative entrepreneurs and help them grow and develop, especially in their early stages.

We believe that, today, timing is ideal to start companies in our region. The region has a young, middle-class population that is rapidly growing, disposable income is increasing due to economic growth and societies are more aligned with global culture due to higher levels of connectivity.
 
These trends offer opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs to build market-leading ventures.
 
We seek passionate entrepreneurs with young companies or fresh ideas that are innovative in their fields. These innovations could be in their product, service, business model, or value chain. Their differentiated and proprietary edge will allow them to build a great brand, customer loyalty, and a robust, healthy business.
 
We favor the consumer technology, consumer products, and consumer services sectors, but also consider ventures in other areas, such as logistics, food processing, and hospitality, among others.

Potential has pioneered the innovative Next Generation Performance framework for DEVELOPING STARS, whether Individual Entrepreneurs, Large Organizations or employees within SMEs. Founded in 2005 with headquarters in Dubai and team locations across the Middle East region, Potential is supporting thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies to kick-start their businesses, improve their performance, boost sales, improve customer service performance, innovate, expand and develop their Next Generation Leaders.
 
The company’s portfolio consists of consulting, coaching and training capabilities, deployed across products such as the flagship Potential Entrepreneur program for Entrepreneurs starting up their business, the revolutionary SME Evolution Program for small and medium businesses as well as bespoke development programs for Large Organizations. Potential follows a special and unique methodology of work with its customers. It uses a customized sequential program to evaluate the situation of the client’s business, discover areas that need improvement, undertake training and onsite coaching and then re-evaluate results.
 
During the past 5 years, Potential helped dozens of entrepreneurs to startup their companies and supported hundreds of SMEs to expand their business. Moreover, Potential has provided tailored performance improving programs to over 50 leading corporations including Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Doha Bank, Dell, Du, Belkin, HP, and Saudi Telecom.

The Mowgli Foundation provides mentors who inspire, support and empower entrepreneurs in achieving their business and personal potential, encouraging sustainable job creation and social and economic development. We work in Lebanon and other countries across the MENA region, with many local partners and supporting volunteers.
 
 
Mowgli brings groups of mentors and entrepreneurs together for a preliminary 4-day session to train them, build relationships, match them together in one-to-one pairs, and support the beginning of their journey. We then support the relationships for the following year. These mentoring relationships can be carried out flexibly and remotely after the initial investment of time. Our results show that Mowgli entrepreneurs create jobs, are more confident running their businesses, and increase their personal income and business turnover, and many are inspired to mentor others. Read more on our website under How it Works, and also visit the Mowgli Knowledge Centre for free resources on business, entrepreneurship, and mentoring.