Emerging talents

  It can be daunting to be an entrepreneur in Lebanon. A lack of solid infrastructure, slow Internet and a lack of proper legal structures put significant pressure on the already stressful event of launching a business. Add to that kidnappings by men in balaclavas, a tragic bomb in the heart of Beirut, travel warnings from regional countries drying up the tourism season and little prospect for economic growth, and the enthusiasm it takes to launch one’s own business might become hard to find. However, a support system is growing, with an aim of helping entrepreneurs overcome these nerve-wracking challenges. A new incubator launched in 2012, a Beirut-based accelerator began investing in startups, and a handful of venture capital (VC) funds deployed a total of $14 million in equity capital into seven Lebanese startups (as of end of November 2012).  Happening hubs In the summer of 2012, AltCity, a space