Time to talk it up a notch

Lebanon is at a crossroads. It has been two years since the announcement of Circular 331, and the murmurings of a revitalised golden age brought about by our startup and entrepreneurial system. Whilst it might be too early to speak of the clear tangible benefits to the Lebanese economy, there is obvious traction within the sector which in 2015 witnessed a growth in the number of acceleration programs and non-financial initiatives that complemented the large input from Lebanese venture capital powerhouses. Executive’s special report on the entrepreneurship profiles several of these accelerators, and discusses the current impact circular 331 is having on the ecosystem. Though money is needed and has been well received, deployment has been slow and the central bank should create a centralized database of 331-related investments to keep spending as transparent as possible. How long will entrepreneurs have to wait in line to get the investments and