Q&A with Smart ESA’s Jihad Bitar on upcoming hackathon and future plans for the accelerator

The middle of 2020 is seeing three virtual hackathons—the first that are being staged in Lebanon in the space of just two weeks, from June 27 until July 10. Organized by the MIT Lebanon challenge, the American University of Beirut, and the Smart ESA accelerator at the Ecole Superieure des Affaires, all three separate hackathons are dedicated to solutions for Lebanon. According to the organizers of the third event, the Smart ESA hackathon will be a relatively small event with 10 pre-formed teams and dedicated to ‘a take on Lebanon’ after coronavirus. Executive talked to Jihad Bitar, director of Smart ESA, who shares not only about this event but also about the new batch of startups at the accelerator, plans for fintech and a coding school, and wider plans for an institutional angel fund, ESA Invest. Will you first confirm for us that a virtual hackathon is coming up at