Lebanon’s youth can and must take the lead, regionally and globally
Beirut, February 25, 2019: Believing that business can and should be used as a force for good, solving critical human challenges, Changemaker gathered more than 1,000 students from 60 university campuses across Lebanon for the Lebanon Student Startup Forum at Beirut Digital District, on February 23, 2019, where Lebanon’s top young entrepreneurs pitched their innovative business ideas before leading judges. Students also attended free workshops delivered by ecosystem leaders like BLOM Bank, Berytech, Speed, UKLTH, Flat6Labs, among others. Following the daytime activities, six of the top student startups were shortlisted to pitch live at the Hult Prize Lebanon Summit’s evening gala, hosted at Beirut’s iconic landmark building, ‘The Egg’, and invited to an all-expense paid 6 week accelerator to be held in Beirut this summer.
In partnership with Banque du Liban, BLOM Bank, Kobeissi and Frangié, and Beirut Digital District, the forum gave more than 800 students the chance to participate in 15 educational workshops covering ideation, pitching, personal branding, and much more. More than 150 VIP guests including the chairman of BLOM Bank, a number of government advisors, and leaders from the private sector attended the forum that hosted the 2019 Hult Prize Lebanon Semi-Finals, the final stage before the winning teams proceed to the Hult Prize Lebanon Accelerator and later to the Hult Prize Middle East Finals, all brought to Lebanese university students through a multi-year strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Lebanon, and BLOM Bank.
Commenting on the event, Mr. Karim Samra, Chief Operating Officer of the Hult Prize said, “For the first time in Lebanon, with the support of Banque Du Liban and BLOM Bank, we’re empowering thousands of student youth to see themselves as job creators rather than job seekers, by inspiring them to launch startups that generate an economic return while also solving some of their country’s most pressing challenges; the Student Startup Forum served as an optimal and ideal host and backdrop to our Lebanon summit this year, and we hope to continue the partnership”.
Following the semi-finals, The Hult Prize Lebanon Startup Accelerator will start in May, The Lebanon Impact Awards will be hosted at the Grand Serail in June, and the Changemaker Festival will take place this summer and host the Hult Prize Lebanon Finals , where one winning startup will be awarded $250,000 of funding, the largest seed investment in the Middle East.
More info about the Hult Prize Foundation
The Hult Prize Foundation was founded in 2009 by current CEO and Palestinian-American entrepreneur Ahmad A. Ashkar. Ahmad founded the company after he left the banking industry to provide youth around the world with the inspiration, knowledge, and training to create startup enterprises that sustainably solve global challenges. Originally launched as a program offering university students an opportunity to win startup funding for an idea stage social enterprise, the organization today has become a global movement of more than one million youth spanning 121 countries with a diverse and international staff of more than 2500 people. Through the backing of the Hult family and the Hult International Business School, and in partnership with the United Nations, the Hult Prize now offers robust learning programs focused on youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and impact. The organization has been recognized by Fast Company as “One of the Top 10 Most Innovative” companies in the world and was featured in a TIME Magazine cover story on the, “Top 5 Ideas Changing the World.”
More info about Changemaker Inc
Founded by impact pioneers Ahmad Ashkar and Karim Samra, Changemaker is a decade-old learning company that works with leading corporations, governments, and family offices to help accelerate in-country youth’s contribution to national economies via purposeful entrepreneurship. This is achieved through multiple programs aimed at youth Inspiration (cases, competitions), Education (degrees, workshops, hackathons, and incubators), Celebration (awards, prizes), and Investment (funding). Changemaker’s founders believe that fast growing populations and rising unemployment in emerging markets around the world coupled with archaic education systems, increasing inequality, and economic marginalization for the many, hinder human development. Our mission is to leverage the transformative power of youth and business to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges, creating shared prosperity and economic opportunity for all. At Changemaker, we believe that interventions can turn youth into entrepreneurs, regardless of predisposition, often altering the course of a life – entrepreneurship can be taught.