Lebanon’s doppelgänger

by Samer Karam August 13, 2015

written by Samer Karam August 13, 2015

Imagine a country with a mix of ancient and modern cultures and religions, and 6000 years of history. Imagine a country where women and men are equally educated, and where technology and innovation combine. Imagine a country with some of the highest Human Development Indicators (HDI) in the region but with a labor potential that remains untapped, and a stifling brain drain. Imagine a country where the diaspora is a vast, successful, powerful pillar of its economy and its fledgling startup ecosystem struggled for years until a critical event resulted in overnight capital abundance. To every Lebanese, in Lebanon and its diaspora, this country is Lebanon. To me, this is also Iran, Lebanon’s doppelgänger – not in all things for sure, but in entrepreneurship. Lebanon’s startup ecosystem was born around 2010, with 2 Venture Capital (VC) funds, an accelerator, a tech conference, a startup weekend, and an angel network. For

Samer Karam

Samer is a serial entrepreneur and international angel investor based out of Beirut, Lebanon. He has invested in USA, UK, Finland, Thailand, and Lebanon. In 2010, Samer founded Lebanon’s 1st startup accelerator ‘Seeqnce’, which went on to create 4 (out of 9) successful startups, valued at between 2 and 10 million USD. He recently successfully exited his first angel investment. In 2014, Samer organized Lebanon’s 1st international startup conference ‘Banque du Liban Accelerate 2014′, which attracted over 1,600 professionals from 20 countries with a lineup of 53 international speakers from 25 countries across the globe. In 2015, Samer was tasked by the Central Bank of Lebanon to form an independent, neutral organization Startup Megaphone to manage the international image of Lebanon’s startup ecosystem. In his free time, Samer is a street photographe

Lebanon’s doppelgänger

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