Mark Haidar was one of the seasoned entrepreneur speakers at BDL Accelerate 2014. He is a serial entrepreneur who combines advanced technological skills with astute business knowledge. Throughout his career, Mark was able to build more than 42 different notable products and grow several technology-based businesses. Mark started his first technology company in Lebanon at the age of 17. By the age of 21, he had built the first fully integrated web-based university management system in Lebanon, the first 3D game engine built locally in the Middle East, the first wireless application protocol based internet-to-home remote control system in Lebanon, and had won a People’s Choice Award for Best Web Product in the Middle East for transforming municipality records from paper to digital. In 2006, Mark moved to the US and led the development of a state of the art research and development project for the US Army Tank Automotive Research Development Engineering Center (TARDEC). He was able to successfully create an original service-oriented intra and inter-vehicle communication system for transportation, robotic, and military systems that enhanced each vehicle’s situation assessment and awareness in military combats and have the potential to help create safer and more efficient highway systems.
With a huge demand for innovative and scalable technology solutions, Mark cofounded Dialexa, a global product-focused technology innovation and development company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Dialexa has been growing at an exponential rate with clients ranging from venture-backed startups to Fortune 20 companies and governments around the world. In 2014, Dialexa started a division under the name of Dialexa Labs, a self funded venture lab that develops internal products or services and spins out new companies. In September 2014, Dialexa Labs launched Vinli, the first connected car technology platform at Techcrunch Disrupt. Mark is currently serving as the CEO of Vinli. During the past year, Vinli has been recognized as one of the fastest growing startups and has managed to complete a $6.5 million Series A financing led by Samsung Venture Investment Corporation to connect old cars connective technology. Moreover, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Vinli and Carport announced a partnership with Continental to integrate its technology that carmakers will pre-install into new cars, Vinli’s first entrance to the new car market.
Additionally, Mark has numerous journal publications, pending patents, and is a regular speaker at global technology conferences. Mark founded Peace.Report, an online news aggregator that went live earlier in 2015, focusing on current conflicts around the world. It collects news articles that promote peace and expose atrocities. Also during the past year, Mark founded LISA (Lebanese International Startup Association), which helps startups in the Middle East launch and scale their companies in international markets.
