Tag Archives: ecosystem

The Power of Social Entrepreneurship

Written by

social impact

Social entrepreneurs are visionary individuals who create innovative solutions to some of the world’s most perplexing social issues to create a widespread change. They are often confused with NGOs whereas the main difference between the two is the revenue model; unlike NGOs, social entrepreneurships have a steady stream of income similarly to regular businesses creating a self-sustainable enterprise. They create socially responsible businesses that aim to generate profit whilst solving social and environmental problems and then implement these solutions on a large scale.

In the MENA region, there has been a rise in social entrepreneurship. The high youth population has been expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo and the socially committed young generation has turned to social entrepreneurship to create a social impact at an accelerated pace.

However, being a social entrepreneur is not an easy feat; it’s tough and challenging and there are several things to consider before being a social entrepreneur. To enable a new generation of social entrepreneurs to create positive change, Chivas launched The Venture, an initiative that calls for innovative businesses that create a positive impact and gives them the opportunity to apply and pitch for a share of The Venture’s $1 million fund, and to gain access to their tools and mentorship to accelerate their growth.

As part of the BDL Accelerate 2015 Idea Stage Startup workshop series and competition themed Reimagining Lebanon , SETT a think tank focused on enabling emerging startup companies, has been offering a series of design-think workshops to empower applicants with the entrepreneurial skills to develop solutions for a better Lebanon. The contestants, who passionately want to create an impact in their community, have been assembled into 8 teams of 3 and each group has been assigned with an issue that they need to address.

If you have a great idea for solving a pressing social issue, do not be discouraged! Society needs you so go ahead and join the world of social entrepreneurship.

Mansour Salame – Band of Angels – Silicon Valley

Written by

Mansour Salame

Mansour Salame
Band of Angels
Member

Mansour Salame is an accomplished Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has founded and led successful startups from inception to exit. He is also a member of the Band of Angels. His first startup, NextAge Technologies, a forecasting and scheduling software company, was acquired by Alcatel in 1999. In 2004, he founded his second startup Contactual, Saas/Cloud Contact Center Technology that was acquired by 8×8 in 2011. Later in 2014, he launched his 3rd startup, FrontSpin, aimed to double the performance of Inside Sales Teams.

Mansour is a member of Silicon Valley’s oldest seed funding organization, Band of Angels, a formal group of 150 former and current high tech executives who invest in new, cutting edge startup companies. Band of Angels has seeded over 277 companies, over 55 profitable M&A exits and 10 Nasdaq IPOs.

Prior to being a serial entrepreneur, Mansour held executive and consulting positions with Genesys Telcommunications and Accenture. He enjoys building companies that convert ideas using technology to turn into products of tremendous value to customers. He also enjoys ‘debugging’ startups and turning them into successful, profitable, growing companies.

Accomplished serial entrepreneur, Mansour Salame will be speaking at BDL Accelerate 2015. If you have not registered yet, don’t miss the chance to do so and register now!

5000 Registrations!!

Written by

registrations

 

 

Yes! 5,000 unique registrations! Five thousand! The original target was just 3,000 and with 10 days to go, and the Pikasso billboard campaign has yet to launch.

Spanning over 6,000m2, the region’s most anticipated startup conference, BDL Accelerate 2015, will be bringing together 100 influential speakers from over 30 countries and 100 exhibitors from 9 emerging startup ecosystems. The conference will also be hosting 2 startup conferences and 2 hackathons.

If you haven’t registered yet, go ahead and do so now before you miss the chance!

Leila Janah – Sama Group & Laxmi – San Francisco

Written by

Leila Janah

Leila Janah
Sama Group & Laxmi
Founder & CEO

Leila Janah is an award-winning social entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Sama Group, a family of impact enterprises dedicated to ending poverty and promoting social and economic justice. Laxmi is her latest venture under the Sama umbrella with the same mission: to Give Work.

Leila is passionate about creating a social impact and strongly believes that there is so much potential to fix a lot of the problems and issues the world faces through using techniques adapted from the private sectors. She founded Sama Group in 2008 which has grown three successful social ventures and helped cultivate a new industry, Impact Sourcing. Their focus is on poverty alleviation and access to health care, and they have successfully moved twenty-seven thousand people above the poverty line since they started by pioneering a new model called Impact Sourcing, which is using technology-based jobs to provide opportunity to people in very poor locations.

In 2014, Leila launched Laxmi, a luxury beauty brand that aims to enable their producers to earn at least three times the local average wages. Through this venture, as with all Sama Group enterprises, Leila aims to end global poverty by connecting the world’s poorest people to dignified work – impact sourcing.

Prior to Sama Group, Leila was a visiting scholar with the Stanford Program on Global Justice and Australian National University’s Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. She was a founding director of Incentives for Global Health, an initiative to increase R&D spending on diseases of the poor, and a management consultant at Katzenbach Partners (now Booz & Co.). She has also worked at the World Bank and as a travel writer for Let’s Go in Mozambique, Brazil, and Borneo. Leila is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a Director of CARE USA, a 2012 TechFellow, recipient of the inaugural Club de Madrid Young Leadership Award, and in 2014, was the youngest person to win a Heinz Award.

BDL Accelerate 2015 Foodies and Yummies

Written by

The following BDL Accelerate 2015 Food & Coffee Sponsors will be providing our attendees with plenty of delicious food to keep them energized and their tummies happy.

FOOD SPONSORS

socrate logo

Socrate
Socrate’s rich heritage goes back as far as 1964, with the opening of its restaurant on Beirut’s Bliss Street. Close to the prestigious American University of Beirut, it soon became the favored venue of Ras Beirut’s sophisticated clientele. Today the restaurant offers a wide variety of specialties and is renowned for its daily dishes. Over the years, Socrates catering has earned significant experience in providing remarkable catering services. Socrate Catering’s accolades and recognitions by individuals, culinary experts and international organizations were the true inspiration and motive to excel year after year. Socrate Catering won the Grumpy Gourmet 2007 and 2008 Awards for Best Catering in Lebanon and Jordan.

Food sponsor

Zaatar W Zeit
Zaatar W Zeit, the casual urban eatery, opened their first branch in 1999 offering a new and modern spin on Lebanon’s beloved manousheh. They made the staple of Lebanese cuisine a hero by upgrading it and modernizing it for a new generation. Today, Zaatar W Zeit has over 15 branches in Lebanon and can also be found in the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, KSA, and Qatar. Their menu has expanded to include a variety of breakfast, manakeesh, salads, platters, pizzas, specialty wraps, a light menu, and dessert.

Logo al balad with signature eng

Al Balad
Open since 1999 in Beirut, Al Balad restaurant introduced the concept of Lebanese dining in a casual atmosphere. This proved to be a success and soon enough, expansion began in Lebanon and the Middle East. Al Balad preserves Lebanese traditions in each of their exquisite recipes, which are based on the most innovative combinations of the finest ingredients. Al Balad has 2 branches in Lebanon and may be found in Kuwait, KSA, Qatar, and Egypt.

FRANK WITHOUT BACKGROUND

Frank Wurst
In 2009, Frank Wurst opened the first uniquely designed hotdog caravan that would quickly shape the industry of Lebanese food trucks. With the simple idea of making really good sandwiches, the little red truck in the heart of Byblos city started attracting food lovers in no time. In a matter of months, Frank Wurst became the leading hotdog vendor in Lebanon and has over 16 locations today. 

KB Doner

KB Doner
When KB Doner opened in Lebanon in 2003, it introduced Doner kebab inside a laden broth.  Using its unique spices, fresh baked laden bro, KB Doner offers quality gourmet done  in 3 types of sauces – spicy, garlic, or herbal, available to eat at any time of day.

Wrap_n_roll_final_logo

Wrap’n’Roll
Wrap’n’Roll food truck serve gourmet wraps with fresh local ingredients. Mostly, Wrap’n’Roll enjoy serving students and people with a sense of adventure and excitement when it comes to food. Thus, you can find their truck around universities, in hip areas around the country, and at happening events.

 

COFFEE SPONSOR

DD-Logo-High-Res

Dunkin’ Donuts Lebanon
Dunkin’ Donuts Lebanon opened its doors in 1998 and was the first to introduce donuts and filtered coffee in Lebanon. Today, with over 30 branches all over the country, Dunkin’ Donuts serves a wide variety of 35 donuts, hot and iced coffees, lattes and cappuccinos, hot chocolate, iced tea, Coolatta cold drinks and many more. In addition, Dunkin’ Donuts Lebanon serves delicious baked goods, croissant sandwiches, diet snacks, pre-packed sandwiches and salads.