Beirut, 6 November 2025 – As part of its mission to empower Lebanon’s tech talent and expand access to global remote opportunities, OnRamp Academy sponsored LIFE’s panel discussion, “Resilient by Design: Growth Lessons from Startup Founders,” held on 4 November 2025 in New York City.
Hosted at Aboard’s headquarters in Union Square, the event brought together leading Lebanese entrepreneurs Rabih Ramadi (Co-Founder & CEO, Avantos.ai) and Richard Ziade (CEO, Aboard). The discussion was moderated by Osman Ghandour (Co-Founder, Soal Labs) and centered around their own backgrounds and experiences as Lebanese entrepreneurs and how that helped guide them through the challenging early stages of starting a business.
The panel set the tone for a wider conversation around resilience, innovation, and the growing role of OnRamp Academy in equipping Lebanon’s engineering and teaching talent to thrive in the global remote economy.
Born from a non-profit collaboration between LIFE Lebanon, Forward MENA, and Speedlane, OnRamp Academy is redefining what it means to build a career from Lebanon. The initiative upskills local engineers talent through free, 12-week advanced bootcamps and a growing employer network, preparing them for global remote roles.
Since its launch in April 2024, OnRamp has already achieved tangible results:
- Attracted over 1,200 applicants,
- Trained three cohorts of engineers, and
- Graduated 61 engineers. Of these, 36 participants from the first two cohorts have already secured employment or improved their earnings through strengthened technical and professional skills.
Building on this momentum, Cohort 4 will launch in December 2025, training 25 engineers for local and remote roles across the United States and beyond.
“OnRamp works because of our hands-on approach and by surrounding learners with the coaching, mentorship and structure to land roles,” said Marwan Atallah, Program Director at Forward MENA.
The academy’s success lies in the strength of its partners and their complementary expertise:
- Forward MENA Leads program implementation and operations, provides learner support, career enablement, and employer outreach operations.
- Speedlane engineers design and deliver the advanced full-stack curriculum (including AI tools integration), run assessments, code reviews, and capstone projects.
- LIFE funds the academy, oversees its implementation and raises its visibility amongst its global network of members.
“Teaching the Advanced Full Stack Development course at Onramp Academy has been a truly rewarding experience. The participants showed great commitment, curiosity, and steady technical growth. Their teamwork, problem-solving, and final projects reflected real progress and passion. I’m proud of what they’ve achieved and confident they’re ready to thrive as modern software engineers,” added Alexi Akl, Head of Engineering at Speedlane.
“The collaboration between LIFE, Speedlane and OnRamp Academy stands as a model of how partnerships can unlock opportunities for Lebanon’s growing tech talent,” added Zeina Mhanna, Executive Director, Promote at LIFE. “By connecting local expertise with international networks, the initiative not only helps engineers thrive in global markets but also strengthens Lebanon’s knowledge economy and professional resilience for years to come.”
For many participants, OnRamp is more than a training program; it represents a bridge to global opportunity and a symbol of Lebanon’s enduring talent and adaptability.
“The training program is excellent. The seniors are super helpful and always there to support us. I’ve learned so much and really appreciate the guidance. Highly recommend!” said Hadi Beydoun, an OnRamp Academy student.
Through this collaborative model, OnRamp Academy demonstrates how local skill-building and global connectivity can coexist to create meaningful, future-ready careers.
The partnership between LIFE, Forward MENA, and Speedlane through OnRamp Academy demonstrates how purposeful collaboration can create lasting impact. By aligning shared expertise in education, technology, and global networking, the initiative has created an ecosystem of opportunity. It’s redefining how Lebanon’s talent connects with the world, proving that when collaboration is driven by vision and trust, it can unlock pathways that extend far beyond borders.
About LIFE
LIFE is a global membership organization that unites more than 1800 Lebanese professionals in the finance, consulting, law, and technology sectors worldwide. Founded in 2009 to bring together diaspora professionals dedicated to empowering the Lebanese community, the network maintains unwavering standards of governance, adhering to a non-partisan, non-sectarian, and independent approach to integrity.
With a diverse presence across 20 chapters worldwide, LIFE operates as an expansive network offering support to Lebanese professionals globally, extending from America to Asia. Leveraging the unity and collective action of its members, LIFE seeks to uplift and empower the Lebanese community on a global scale, while also advocating for economic and social reform within the country.
About Forward MENA
Forward MENA is a non for profit organization aiming to develop the digital skillset of people from all backgrounds to fulfill the jobs of today and tomorrow. It is an incubator of educational programs at the intersection of design, technology, and leadership targeting Kids, University Students, and Continuous Learners.
About SPEEDLANE
Speedlane is a digital product agency based in New York city. It provides strategic, design and engineering capabilities to help clients navigate the rapidly changing AI landscape.