All posts by Banque du Liban Accelerate

Marvin Liao – 500 startups – Silicon Valley

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marvin

Marvin Liao
500 startups, Partner

Marvin Liao is a Partner at 500 startups, a global Seed Venture Capital Firm & Startup Accelerator based in Silicon Valley. He invests in Digital Media, Enterprise SAAS, Marketplace, Fintech, Digital Health, Internet of Things & Mobile startups across the globe. Additionally, he is a Mentor for over 20 Startup Accelerator programs around the globe. He helps guide startup teams with their sales, marketing and partner development efforts.

500 Startups is a seed accelerator and investment fund started by celebrated Silicon Valley investor Dave McClure in 2010. The company took in its first batch of start-ups in 2011 and since then hundreds of US and international start-ups have been through its classes.

Formerly at Yahoo! Inc. for over 10 years, Marvin has held roles in the various departments of Sales, Business Development, Ad Operations and Marketing. Most of his roles were regional or global management roles giving him extensive experience across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States in his career at the company.

A longtime fan, participant, and observer of the digital media revolution occurring for the last 15 years across the world, he is interested in opportunities with top growth companies large and small with a focus on driving international revenues and expanding into new international markets. He presently serves on the boards/advisory boards of several Internet advertising and ad technology companies across the globe.

Moreover, Marvin is an experienced client-facing senior executive in the media and technology space in both large and startup growth companies, having managed large multifunctional teams across multiple countries. He is a frequent speaker at many Digital Marketing & Startup Conferences and will be speaking at BDL Accelerate 2015 taking place December 10 and 11.

 

 

Rebranding Lebanon: The Media

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In a country such as Lebanon that has suffered from decades of instability and troubled civic finances, rebranding is of essence. Since Banque du Liban introduced Circular 331, the Lebanese startup ecosystem has been thriving and the world has been recognizing the country’s attempt to foster innovation and development.

BDL Accelerate 2015 themed, ‘Emerging Startup Ecosystems,’ will gather entrepreneurs, investors, and support institutions from key emerging markets across 5 continents under one roof. So far, the organizers have received over 3500 registration requests from around 50 countries to attend the conference. The success of BDL Accelerate 2014 in establishing Lebanon as an international startup hub has created a global buzz attracting a considerable increase in the number of international applicants to BDL Accelerate 2015.

The change in the Lebanese global reputation is happening and although the process to erase stereotypes may be difficult, they are taking place and the country is signaling change. Everyone has a role in rebranding a nation, but mass media, both traditional and social media, play a major role by promoting all the positive aspects. As the media are observing the impact and benefits of the local startup scene, they have been more enticed to communicate it to their audiences.

Below is a sample of the media outlets who are sponsoring and partnering with BDL Accelerate 2015:

MIT Technology Review Arab Edition, regionally renowned for providing intelligent and serious journalism on technology, will promote innovation through Arab figures at BDL Accelerate 2015. They will be providing regional readers with success stories in the Arab world by exploring and understanding their new technologies and their impact.

In the spirit of finding the next generation of entrepreneurs, the BDL Accelerate 2015 team has been visiting all major universities in Lebanon to inspire youth to join the startup movement and attend the conference. NRJ Radio, Aghani, and Nostalgie have been tagging along to spread the word further and farther. High school students are also encouraged to attend, with a couple of schools already scheduling class trips for their senior students.

BDL Accelerate 2015 has also secured a long list of local and regional media partners:
Al Hadeel, Al Morakeb Al Mali, Al Massira, Al Hasnaa Magazine, Al Bank Wal Mustathmer,Al Bayan, Al Kifah Al Arabi, Joumhouriya, Assafir Daily, Al Sharq, Al Markazia, Tree Ad, Lebanon Daily Star, The Gate, iloubnan, Ekarouna, Focus Magazine, L’Orient Le Jour, Le Commerce Du Levant, Leader Press, FaceLook, Naharnet, National News Agency,  Aalamoki,  Al Markaziya, El Nashra, Al Liwaa,  Ad Diyar, Today’s Outlook, T3 Middle East, Iktissad Wa Aamal, Sinna Iktisad, Beiruting, Lebtivity, Bread on Butter, LiveLoveBeirut, NABD, Techrasa, International New York Times,  Inspirational Unlimited eMagazine.

Rebranding a Country: Chilecon Valley

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Five years ago, it would have been really difficult to imagine Chile on the global map of entrepreneurial hubs. Chile, a stable country, had a growing economy exporting copper, fruits, wine, seafood, and other produce. Today, Chile is globally known and recognized for its groundbreaking Start-Up Chile program and is becoming known as the Chilecon Valley. How could a country known for exporting natural resources and produce become a growing global hub for entrepreneurship?

In 2010, the globally recognized acceleration program, Start-Up Chile, was created and sponsored by the Chilean government. The program aims to rebrand Chile placing it on the map of global entrepreneurial hubs by inviting entrepreneurs from around the world to apply to its 6-month acceleration program. Experts in startups from Silicon Valley and a Chilean Innovation board select entrepreneurs who receive up to $40,000 of equity-free seed capital and a temporary 1 year visa to develop their business in Santiago, along with access to the most powerful and influential social and capital networks in the country.

During the pilot year, 22 startups from 12 countries took part in the program with the goals of bringing 300 startups to Chile during the first year of the program, and having 1,000 bootstrappers participate in the program by the end of 2014. The first application process of 2011 brought 87 startups to Chile from over 30 countries, after having received 330 applications and, during the second process that took place during July of 2011, over 650 startups applied.

The program has been a huge hit and has succeeded in publicity. In 2014, the program attracted several thousands of applications from all over the world and even more encouraging is the increase in the number of domestic applicants to the program that indicates that there is a higher number of Chileans who aspire to become entrepreneurs.

Through Start-Up Chile, Chile has succeeded to spark a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation and become internationally recognized as a growing global hub for entrepreneurs as mentioned by Forbes, The Economist, Reuters, Business, TechCrunch, and many more. The program has managed to diversify the country’s economy by moving away from its dependence on natural resources whilst tackling youth unemployment by creating job opportunities.

Chile, a true rebrand success story, will be one of the emerging ecosystems at BDL Accelerate 2015. Learn more here.

Idea Stage Workshop: Session #2

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Workshop 2

The second workshop session was kicked off with an intro on gaining user insight about the problem or challenge that each team was assigned as a theme last week.

The teams then spread out throughout the creative venue and were asked to identify the persona of their users– archetypes developed to understand the final user’s needs, wants, and expectations in order to design the best experience for them. The teams then had to draw a customer journey map to tell the story of the customer experience throughout the different stages. Finally, the teams were then asked to come up with up to 10 ideas on methods of how to research their topics through observation, engagement, and immersion.

The workshop is the second of five weekly workshops in series of design thinking workshops offered by SETT, part of the BDL Accelerate Idea Stage Startup competition themed Reimagining Lebanon. 24 participants were selected and assembled into 8 teams of 3 to develop a startup idea to address a problem assigned to them. The participating teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in front of an audience during Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015 for the chance to win 5,000 USD.

Workshop 2

BDL Accelerate 2015 Web & Mobile Hackathon

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BDL Accelerate 2015 is hosting a Web & Mobile hackathon organized by MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab & WDS.

The participants will be provided with a brief that will consist of a specific theme and the contestants will have to collaboratively brainstorm and work extensively to find a web or mobile solution to a specific issue that is shared with them at the start of the hackathon.

The BDL Accelerate 2015 Web & Mobile Hackathon will gather developers/programmers, designers, and businesspersons, who will be grouped in teams and each team will have 36 hours to develop a working website or app.

The teams will pitch their solutions to a panel of international judges on stage at BDL Accelerate 2015. The winning team will win a $3,000 cash prize, the 1st runner-up team will win a $2,000 cash prize, and the 2nd runner-up team will win a $1,000 cash prize.

If you can code, design, or conceptualize ideas then this Web & Mobile Hackathon is for you! Anyone is free to join. No restrictions on age or years of experience. Apply before December 7th.