Tag Archives: ecosystem

BDL Accelerate 2015 is taking place in 2 weeks!

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Registration Chart

As of today, our total number of registered attendees is at 4,500 and we have adjusted production to accommodate another 500 attendees for a grand total of 5,000 expected registrants. The extra batch of tickets are available here.

Using Eventbrite’s geolocation stats, we know that attendees will be flying in to Beirut from 50 countries across 6 continents. The majority are from Europe, USA, Southeast Asia, Caucasus, and MENA, with a handful from China, South Asia, Australia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The breakdown of registrants provides for a diverse set of profiles distributed organically for an ideal mix of entrepreneurs, investors, advisors, mentors, academics, public servants and professionals. For every 10 entrepreneurs attending, there will be approximately 2 investors, 3 advisors & mentors, 1 academic, 1 public servant, and 15 professionals.

Our Startup Competitions & Exhibition attracted hundreds of applications from dozens of countries. 30 top-tier startups from around the world have been selected for our Early Stage Startup Competition. The winner will take home an impressive 10,000 US$ in cash, but more importantly, will peak the interest of the 200+ investors with over $500 million to invest. Investors are not limited to locals, with some flying over 10,000 kilometers to participate in Banque du Liban Accelerate 2015.

Separately, our Wearables Hackathon and Web & Mobile Hackathon are now accepting applications. Each is awarding 6,000 US$ of cash prizes, which should make for worthy challenges to test the best

We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

Benefits of Co-Working Spaces

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When an entrepreneur is starting up, especially when bootstrapping everything themselves, it could get pretty tough and challenging. Working from home may have its perks but it also has some cons. When entrepreneurs get started, they usually don’t understand the process of startups and may face obstacles they find challenging. Working from home in your PJs at your own comfort will not help with that. This is how co-working spaces can begin to benefit an entrepreneur.

There are quite a few co-working spaces and startup hubs in Beirut. Each have their own unique feel, provide different services, and are filled will talented individuals who can benefit entrepreneurs in the short and long term. Besides fighting off loneliness, these working environments are beneficial for entrepreneurs since they form a collaborative community creating the ideal ground for innovation and networking.

The spaces are created to enhance the ability to interact with others. They are places where you may meet brilliant and inspirational entrepreneurs who can help you strategize, share insight, and provide networking opportunities. You can also find writers, developers, designers, or marketing specialists at these spaces who can provide you with their skills. Some co-working spaces constantly have workshops, events, and seminars to help entrepreneurs turn their startups from ideas to reality. Most of them offer affordable rent from daily to monthly contracts with access to necessary office amenities such as Internet, printers, and conference rooms. Every dollar saved is an additional dollar to invest in your startup. Make sure you read about the space, visit them, get a feel of their vibe and see how they could benefit you.

DigiHive:
Berytech DigiHive is a pioneer co-working space allowing interaction with the community in a collaborative approach. It is located in Berytech Digital Park in Beirut Digital District (BDD) area, an innovative environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, in a prime location. DigiHive has developed a dynamic and vibrant community entrepreneurs promoting innovation, technology and business development. They have co-working spaces available on daily, weekly, and monthly rates. Check out their website to learn more.

Beirut Digital District (BDD):
Located in the historical district of Bachoura, BDD has been developing a community that brings together people encouraging them to connect, exchange ideas, and grow. The district is a cutting edge sustainable project dedicated to improve the digital industry by providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and superior support services at competitive rates. Check out their website to learn more.

 

 

 

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.