BDL Accelerate 2015 | International Startup Conference – Emerging Startup Ecosystems

Speakers

Seasoned entrepreneurs, investors, and experts will gather on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean to share experiences, insights, techniques, methods, and know-how, dishing out how-tos for newcomers, dos-and-donts for the up and coming, and inspiration for the rest.

Riad Salameh — Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon — Riad Salameh Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon

Marianne Hoayek — Director of the Executive Office at Banque du Liban || Lebanon — Marianne Hoayek Director of the Executive Office at Banque du Liban || Lebanon

Emmanuel Bonne — Ambassador of France to Lebanon — Emmanuel Bonne Ambassador of France to Lebanon

Dr. Joseph Torbey — Chairman of the Association of Banks in Lebanon || Lebanon — Dr. Joseph Torbey Chairman of the Association of Banks in Lebanon || Lebanon

Mark Daher — Managing Director at Daher Capital || Lebanon — Mark Daher Managing Director at Daher Capital || Lebanon

David Troy — CEO of 410 Labs || Baltimore, USA — David Troy CEO of 410 Labs || Baltimore, USA

Marvin Liao — Partner at 500 Startups || Europe — Marvin Liao Partner at 500 Startups || Europe

Loic Le Meur — Co-Founder of LeWeb || San Francisco, USA — Loic Le Meur Co-Founder of LeWeb || San Francisco, USA

Leila Janah — Founder & CEO of SamaGroup & Laxmi || San Francisco, USA — Leila Janah Founder & CEO of SamaGroup & Laxmi || San Francisco, USA

Paul Papadimitriou (Host) — Founder of Intelligencr || London, UK — Paul Papadimitriou (Host) Founder of Intelligencr || London, UK

Ahmad Ashkar — CEO of Hult Prize (Bill Clinton & TIME Magazine’s Top 5 Ideas Changing the World) || Washington D.C., USA — Ahmad Ashkar CEO of Hult Prize (Bill Clinton & TIME Magazine’s Top 5 Ideas Changing the World) || Washington D.C., USA

Mike Butcher — Editor at Large of TechCrunch || World — Mike Butcher Editor at Large of TechCrunch || World

Paul Bragiel — Managing Partner at I/O Ventures || San Francisco, USA — Paul Bragiel Managing Partner at I/O Ventures || San Francisco, USA

Mansour Salame — Founder & CEO of FrontSpin || Atherton, USA — Mansour Salame Founder & CEO of FrontSpin || Atherton, USA

Gen Kanai — Mentor at 500 Startups & Chinaccelerator || Shanghai, China — Gen Kanai Mentor at 500 Startups & Chinaccelerator || Shanghai, China

Joyce Kim — Executive Director and Co-Founder of Stellar || San Fransisco, USA — Joyce Kim Executive Director and Co-Founder of Stellar || San Fransisco, USA

Aziza Sheerin — City Director at General Assemb.ly || Singapore — Aziza Sheerin City Director at General Assemb.ly || Singapore

Danny Karam — Vice President MENA Digital Life & Smart Cities Leader at Booz Allen Hamilton || Lebanon — Danny Karam Vice President MENA Digital Life & Smart Cities Leader at Booz Allen Hamilton || Lebanon

Joe Haslam — Executive Director of the Owners and Management Program at IE Business School || Madrid, Spain — Joe Haslam Executive Director of the Owners and Management Program at IE Business School || Madrid, Spain

Mira Kaddoura — Founder & Executive Creative Director of Red & Co. || Portland, USA — Mira Kaddoura Founder & Executive Creative Director of Red & Co. || Portland, USA

Rani Aliahmad — Managing General Partner of Venvest Capital || Los Angeles, USA — Rani Aliahmad Managing General Partner of Venvest Capital || Los Angeles, USA

Youssef Abillama — CEO of MMG Overseas Ltd. || Lebanon — Youssef Abillama CEO of MMG Overseas Ltd. || Lebanon

Sally Sangwon Park — Head of Sales & Operations at KNOWCK Co.,Ltd. || Korea — Sally Sangwon Park Head of Sales & Operations at KNOWCK Co.,Ltd. || Korea

Nay Ghorayeb — Group Strategy and Finance Director at Algorithm Pharmaceuticals || Lebanon — Nay Ghorayeb Group Strategy and Finance Director at Algorithm Pharmaceuticals || Lebanon

Sanjay Sabnani — Chairman & CEO of CrowdGather, Inc. || Los Angeles, USA — Sanjay Sabnani Chairman & CEO of CrowdGather, Inc. || Los Angeles, USA

Daniel Young — Founder & CEO of DXY Digital GmbH || Berlin, Germany — Daniel Young Founder & CEO of DXY Digital GmbH || Berlin, Germany

Amarit Charoenphan Co-Founder & Co-CEO at HUBBA || Bangkok, Thailand

Liz Fleming — VP International of South Summit || Madrid, Spain — Liz Fleming VP International of South Summit || Madrid, Spain

Natalia Kiskova — Growth Manager of Bluewolf || Prague, Czech Republic — Natalia Kiskova Growth Manager of Bluewolf || Prague, Czech Republic

Alejandro Barrera (Host) — Co-Founder & Contributing editor of Tech.eu || Madrid, Spain — Alejandro Barrera (Host) Co-Founder & Contributing editor of Tech.eu || Madrid, Spain

Nicolas Boukather — Chairman of A.N.Boukather || Lebanon — Nicolas Boukather Chairman of A.N.Boukather || Lebanon

Ville Miettinen Founder & CEO at Microtask || Finland

Reinaldo Normand — Author & Founder of Innovation² || Brazil — Reinaldo Normand Author & Founder of Innovation² || Brazil

Samir Abdelkrim — Founder & Editor StartupBRICS.com || Sub-Saharan Africa — Samir Abdelkrim Founder & Editor StartupBRICS.com || Sub-Saharan Africa

Moaffak Ahmed — Co-Founder & Chairman of Sisu Game Ventures || Finland — Moaffak Ahmed Co-Founder & Chairman of Sisu Game Ventures || Finland

Michael Lints — Venture Partner at Golden Gate Ventures || Singapore — Michael Lints Venture Partner at Golden Gate Ventures || Singapore

Josephine Goube — Co-Managing Director @Migreat || London, UK — Josephine Goube Co-Managing Director @Migreat || London, UK

Mbwana Alliy — Managing Partner of Savannah Fund || Kenya — Mbwana Alliy Managing Partner of Savannah Fund || Kenya

Mark Haidar — Founder & CEO of Vinli || Dallas, USA — Mark Haidar Founder & CEO of Vinli || Dallas, USA

Rishita Bachu — Head of Advertisement & Monetization at APTOIDE, SA || Lisbon, Portugal — Rishita Bachu Head of Advertisement & Monetization at APTOIDE, SA || Lisbon, Portugal

Uldis Leiterts — Co-Founder of Infogr.am || Latvia — Uldis Leiterts Co-Founder of Infogr.am || Latvia

Rand Hindi — Founder & CEO of Snips || Paris, France — Rand Hindi Founder & CEO of Snips || Paris, France

Neda Aldihany — Founder of BrilliantLab Accelerator || Kuwait — Neda Aldihany Founder of BrilliantLab Accelerator || Kuwait

Cigdem Toraman — Managing Director of Startupbootcamp İstanbul || Istanbul, Turkey — Cigdem Toraman Managing Director of Startupbootcamp İstanbul || Istanbul, Turkey

Andra Larin — Strategist & Co-Creator of Business Model Generation Book || Germany — Andra Larin Strategist & Co-Creator of Business Model Generation Book || Germany

Mario Berta — Founder & CEO of FlySpaces || Manila, Philippines — Mario Berta Founder & CEO of FlySpaces || Manila, Philippines

Jean Nehme — Co-Founder & CEO of Touch Surgery || London, UK — Jean Nehme Co-Founder & CEO of Touch Surgery || London, UK

Zahi Karam — Principal Data Scientist at Bluecore Inc. || New York, USA — Zahi Karam Principal Data Scientist at Bluecore Inc. || New York, USA

Imad Riachi — Data Science Lead for Product Analytics at Facebook || London, UK — Imad Riachi Data Science Lead for Product Analytics at Facebook || London, UK

Hadi Farnoud — CEO of Camva || Tehran, Iran — Hadi Farnoud CEO of Camva || Tehran, Iran

Mohamad El Rafei — Co-Founder & CEO of Hiperpool || London, UK — Mohamad El Rafei Co-Founder & CEO of Hiperpool || London, UK

Karim Atiyeh — Founder & CTO of Paribus || USA — Karim Atiyeh Founder & CTO of Paribus || USA

Georges Abou Adal — Business Development Director at Holdal – Abou Adal Group || Beirut, Lebanon — Georges Abou Adal Business Development Director at Holdal – Abou Adal Group || Beirut, Lebanon

Marwan Kheireddine — Chairman-General Manager at Al Mawarid Bank || Lebanon — Marwan Kheireddine Chairman-General Manager at Al Mawarid Bank || Lebanon

Loulou Khazen Baz — Founder & CEO of Nabbesh.com || Dubai, UAE — Loulou Khazen Baz Founder & CEO of Nabbesh.com || Dubai, UAE

Khater Abi Habib — Chairman at Kafalat || Lebanon — Khater Abi Habib Chairman at Kafalat || Lebanon

Nicolas Sehnaoui — Former Minister of Telecom, Chairman of UK Lebanon Tech Hub || Lebanon — Nicolas Sehnaoui Former Minister of Telecom, Chairman of UK Lebanon Tech Hub || Lebanon

Yasser Akkaoui — Editor-in-Chief at Executive Magazine & Founder of KConcept Holding || Lebanon — Yasser Akkaoui Editor-in-Chief at Executive Magazine & Founder of KConcept Holding || Lebanon

Henri Asseily — Managing Partner at Leap Ventures || Lebanon — Henri Asseily Managing Partner at Leap Ventures || Lebanon

Tarek Sadi — Managing Director of Endeavor Lebanon || Lebanon — Tarek Sadi Managing Director of Endeavor Lebanon || Lebanon

Maroun Chammas — Chairman at Berytech || Lebanon — Maroun Chammas Chairman at Berytech || Lebanon

Hala Fadel — Managing Partner & Founder of Leap Ventures || Lebanon — Hala Fadel Managing Partner & Founder of Leap Ventures || Lebanon

Colm Reilly — Member of PA Consulting Group || London, UK — Colm Reilly Member of PA Consulting Group || London, UK

Ziad Yammine — Managing Partner at YLE || Beirut, Lebanon — Ziad Yammine Managing Partner at YLE || Beirut, Lebanon

Paul Chucrallah — Fund Manager at Berytech Fund 2 || Lebanon — Paul Chucrallah Fund Manager at Berytech Fund 2 || Lebanon

Nicolas Rouhana — General Manager at IM Capital || Lebanon — Nicolas Rouhana General Manager at IM Capital || Lebanon

Fadi Daou — CEO of Multilane || Lebanon — Fadi Daou CEO of Multilane || Lebanon

Salim Zeeni — Chairman of American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce || Lebanon — Salim Zeeni Chairman of American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce || Lebanon

Robert Fadel — President of Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program || Lebanon — Robert Fadel President of Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program || Lebanon

Herve Cuviliez — Co-Founder & CEO of Diwanee || Lebanon — Herve Cuviliez Co-Founder & CEO of Diwanee || Lebanon

Jamil Corbani — CEO of Green Studios || Lebanon — Jamil Corbani CEO of Green Studios || Lebanon

Mouhamad Rabah — General Manager of ZRE S.A.L || Lebanon — Mouhamad Rabah General Manager of ZRE S.A.L || Lebanon

Tara Nehme — Founder of TMB || Lebanon — Tara Nehme Founder of TMB || Lebanon

Fouad Rahme — Managing Director at BLC Invest || Lebanon — Fouad Rahme Managing Director at BLC Invest || Lebanon

Theodore Khoury — Program Managing Director at Bootcamp || Lebanon — Theodore Khoury Program Managing Director at Bootcamp || Lebanon

Sami Abou Saab — CEO of Speed@BDD || Lebanon — Sami Abou Saab CEO of Speed@BDD || Lebanon

Walid Mansour — Managing Partner of Middle East Venture Partners || Lebanon — Walid Mansour Managing Partner of Middle East Venture Partners || Lebanon

Paul Saber — Founder & CEO of eTobb || Beirut, Lebanon — Paul Saber Founder & CEO of eTobb || Beirut, Lebanon

Bijan Azad — Director of the Samih Darwazah Center for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship || Beirut, Lebanon — Bijan Azad Director of the Samih Darwazah Center for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship || Beirut, Lebanon

Marc Atiyeh — Head of Growth of Paribus || New York, USA — Marc Atiyeh Head of Growth of Paribus || New York, USA

Dr. Joseph Torbey — Beirut, Lebanon — Dr. Joseph Torbey Beirut, Lebanon

Rita Khoriaty — Lawyer at Soumrani Lawyers and Legal Counsels || Beirut, Lebanon — Rita Khoriaty Lawyer at Soumrani Lawyers and Legal Counsels || Beirut, Lebanon

Martin Jaenhert — Founder of Binee || Germany — Martin Jaenhert Founder of Binee || Germany

Audrey Hage — Investment Manager at LEAP Ventures || Beirut, Lebanon — Audrey Hage Investment Manager at LEAP Ventures || Beirut, Lebanon

Arnaud De La Tour — VP at Hello Tomorrow, Partner and Board Member at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon — Arnaud De La Tour VP at Hello Tomorrow, Partner and Board Member at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon

Jovana Kovacevic — Chief Scientific Officer at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon — Jovana Kovacevic Chief Scientific Officer at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon

Sarah Pedroza — Partner at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon — Sarah Pedroza Partner at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon

Romain Schalck — Lead Service Design and Service Innovation at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon — Romain Schalck Lead Service Design and Service Innovation at WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon

Christophe Tallec — Founder of WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon — Christophe Tallec Founder of WDS || Web & Mobile Hackathon

Agenda

BDL Accelerate 2015 features 2 stages, 2 workshop spaces, and 2 hackathons.

DAY 1 | STAGES | WORKSHOPS

DAY 2 | STAGES | WORKSHOPS

Early Stage Startup Competition

Exhibiting Startups

Last Year’s Conference in 30 Seconds

Host + Organizer

Circular 331 Partners

Dealmakers Lounge Sponsor

Early Stage Startup Competition Sponsor

Idea Stage Startup Competition Sponsor

Workshops Sponsors

Wearables Hackathon Sponsor

Food Sponsors

Coffee Sponsor

Furnished by

Radio Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Official Music Partner

Silver Sponsors

Official Transportation Sponsor

International Media Partners

TV Partners

Media Sponsor

Ecosystem Sponsors

Ecosystem Partners

Media Partners

Institutions Represented

Venue & Hotels

Forum de Beyrouth – Beirut, Lebanon

Venue Google Maps Coordinates

Speakers Hotel: InterContinental Phoenicia Hotel – Beirut, Lebanon

Hotel Google Maps Coordinates

Strategically located at the capital’s major crossroads, within minutes from Beirut International Airport, the Speakers Hotel, and all major nightlife areas, Forum de Beyrouth figures among the largest permanent multipurpose centers in the Middle East and measures up to Lebanon’s key role of economic and cultural exchange. For special hotel rates at Phoenicia Hotel, please click on the link on your right. For special rates (less than 100$/day) at Radisson Blue Martinez, please contact us for the Promo Code. Both hotels are 5*.

Official Conference Hotels:: 5* InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut; 5* Radisson Blu Martinez

F.A.Q.

If your question isn’t answered in the Frequently Asked Questions below, tweet us @BDLaccelerate!

What is Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015?: Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015 is Lebanon’s 2nd international startup conference, featuring 100 stellar speakers from 50 countries – Singapore to San Francisco – and 5,000 select attendees. The Conference will take place on December 10-11 2015, at Forum de Beyrouth, in Beirut, Lebanon.
Who is behind Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015?: The Central Bank of Lebanon is the host and organizer of Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015.
Is Beirut Safe?: According to GOV.UK the areas you’ll be visiting and frequenting are GREEN.
What is the opening and closing time?: The conference starts at 9:00am and ends at 6:00pm.
Can I come and leave anytime I wish?: Yes you can, as long as you keep your registration credentials.
How long will the Hackathon run for?: The Hackathon will run through the entire conference and participants are allowed to stay overnight if they wish to.
Do I need to register to attend?: Absolutely. No exceptions.
Do I need to print my ticket beforehand?: You do not have to have a hard copy of your ticket. Showing your ticket on the phone should be enough. That said, if you had registered but do not have a ticket, your entrance to the conference will take longer to process.
Do I have to attend both days?: You can attend and leave at your leisure.
Can I bring a guest?: You can bring a guest as long as they are registered. NO ONE will be allowed inside the conference without prior registration.
Will food and beverage be available at the conference?: Yes, there will be several restaurants, caterers, and beverage providers who are sponsoring the food at the conference. There will be enough food for everyone and every taste. It is all for FREE!

Who can attend the Conference?: Everyone!
Who can attend the Speakers’ Dinner?: Only speakers at the Conference, and select guests can attend the Speakers’ Dinner. Non-speakers will receive a special invitation letter to the Dinner.
What are the spoken languages in Beirut?: All three languages – Arabic, English, and French – are spoken by the locals in Beirut. Feel free to use either of these three languages, there’ll always be someone around who can ‘undo to the letter’.
Should I reserve to attend the different workshops?: You only have to register to enter the conference. Once inside, you can attend anything that you like.
Will there be any security during the conference?: There will be security around the conference all the time. There will be Internal Security Forces, Lebanese Army as well as private security personnel.
Where should I park my car?: There will free valet parking available to all our guests. However, if you wish to park your car yourself, you will be guided to the B018 parking lot area.
Are there any specific transportation methods directly related to the conference?: We do not provide transportation to our general admission attendees.
Is the conference suitable for children?: The conference is suitable for all ages.
Will I get the chance to meet investors and incubators even if I do not pitch?: The conference is designed to allow access to VC’s and investors at specific times and designated spaces.
What is the meaning of Life?: 42