Job Creation

LIFE pitch nights

LIFE is dedicated to empowering Lebanese entrepreneurs around the world by organising pitch events with local strategic partners. These events allow promising founders to showcase their innovative business ideas to potential investors and connect with mentors. The effort goes beyond event preparation and includes hands-on support for participants both before and after the pitching sessions. 

 

Through this initiative, Lebanese entrepreneurs get the opportunity to secure investment and guidance to take their ventures to new heights.

 

Check the events:

- New York, 2024

- London, 2024

- Paris, 2024

- Paris, 2023

- Dubai, 2023

- Dubai, 2022

DIASPORA FOR LEBANON: SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE AND GREEN SECTORS IN LEBANON 2023-2026

LIFE has collaborated with the DROSOS FOUNDATION to secure a $957,600 grant for the Diaspora for Lebanon initiative. Generously funded by the DROSOS FOUNDATION, the Diaspora for Lebanon project officially commenced in September 2023 and is slated for a three-year implementation period.

 

The purpose of the Diaspora for Lebanon project is to support Lebanon's Education sector and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Agriculture and Green sectors. The grant will specifically benefit up to 10 MSMEs and more than 20 students each year. Throughout the project's duration, both financial and technical assistance will be provided to the MSMEs along with a LIFE mentor and internship opportunities with LIFE scholars.

 

DROSOS FOUNDATION is an independent philanthropic organisation committed to unlocking young people’s potential. Together with its partners, the foundation nurtures young people’s lives and professional skills, promoting their economic independence and social inclusion. DROSOS FOUNDATION pursues a holistic funding approach, contributing to positive change at the individual, organisational, and systemic levels. Founded in 2003 in Switzerland, DROSOS FOUNDATION is active in Switzerland, Germany, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia.

 

Read more and apply >>

LIFE x McKinsey - Standing with Lebanese SMEs - 2021

LIFE has partnered with McKinsey & Company to support 10 Lebanese SMEs in 3 different ways:
 

  1. One-to-one mentorship programme: We matched the founders/senior executives of 6 SMEs with McKinsey partners/associate partners based on background and expertise. The mentorship programme will run for the coming six months. 
  2. Fuel Ignition Club: We selected 7 SMEs that will work with a team of consultants from the McKinsey Fuel Ignition Club to help them tackle a critical challenge that requires support to enable their growth. 
  3. The McKinsey Forward program: We provided all employees of the SMEs in our database with access to McKinsey's new virtual learning programme for entrepreneurs and young professionals in the first years of their career. Participants will have free access to a learning journey that focuses on cross-cutting practical skills across leadership, business and digital.

Boost with Facebook - Masterclasses for Lebanese SMEs - 2021

LIFE has partnered with Seedstars, Mindshare and Ecomz, to launch a series of masterclasses open to all Lebanese SMEs and entrepreneurs under the 'Boost with Facebook' programme. These sessions aim to improve their presence on social media and grow their e-commerce potential.

 

Join us for one or more of these masterclasses:
 

#lovelocal - Donated to LIFE by Facebook - Small and Medium Business Grant - 2021

In 2021, LIFE received a $300,000 donation from Facebook to support vulnerable businesses in Lebanon. 

With the help of 3QA and the 22 project partners, we identified more than 1,000 Small and Medium Businesses, conducted due diligence on 188 of them and supported 115 businesses across 12 sectors in all 8 governorates of Lebanon, directly impacting 515 jobs. Small and Medium Businesses are the backbone of the Lebanese economy, 95% of businesses in Lebanon are SMBs and they provide 51% of employment.

 

For a full report on this project, click here

 

 

Accelerate Beirut - 2021

More than 10,000 SMEs were severely damaged during the Beirut explosion and many more are still suffering from its economic impact. Accelerate Beirut is an initiative launched following the Beirut blast, as a collaboration between LIFE, Alia Atieh and a team of consultants from Bain & Company. The objective is to support Lebanese SMEs by establishing connections and enabling collaborations between local SMEs and global corporates. These collaborations take the form of financial contributions, in-kind donations, partnerships and mentorship programmes, or technical assistance from large corporates.

 

Several promising Lebanese businesses in different sectors (creative, food & beverages, craftsmanship, etc.) were identified with the help of 3 partner NGOs (Stand for Women, Nusaned and Alfanar). The ambition is to help them weather the current crisis, preserve employment and livelihood, and grow their presence internationally. Accelerate Beirut also offers global corporates the opportunity to discover Lebanese brands and knowhow while sponsoring the growth of local talent.

Achievements so far:

 

  • Working with Nusaned and through a $50,000 donation from the Accor Hotels group, we have supported the rehabilitation of 5 restaurants in Mar Mikhael; 
  • The Sisley-d'Ornano Foundation donated $24,000 to fashion designer Sandra Mansour; 
  • Eres donated 500 items of clothing to Stand for Women beneficiaries;
  • L’Oréal Levant are working on a collaboration with Sarah's Bag; and 
  • House of Zejd and Joyau d’Olive are two other SMEs who have received $20,000 of funding.

Beirut Emergency Fund - 2021

Through the Beirut Emergency Fund, LIFE supported 170 micro and small businesses. Working with our partner NGO Together LiBeirut, we delivered a wholistic programme of rehabilitation, capex/business support and capacity building. The total budget of this programme is $600,000.

Invest in Lebanon - 2014-2018

The Invest in Lebanon Initiative was created to encourage the diaspora to invest in SMEs in Lebanon across all sectors in order to support entrepreneurship and stimulate economic growth and job creation.

 

Lebanon boasts a vibrant and large pool of entrepreneurial talent and innovators. The country also enjoys an exceptional network of successful expatriates, who have access to capital, expertise, and global business connections.

 

Lebanese entrepreneurs face several obstacles to growth, including a lack of access to private capital and limited access to international markets and global businesses. The Invest in Lebanon initiative aims to address these hindrances through bridging the gap between the Lebanese expatriates and local entrepreneurs, in order to maximise their potential to thrive in Lebanon and abroad.

 

Between 2014 and 2018, LIFE organised a yearly Global Business Summit bringing together hundreds of Lebanese expatriates and local entrepreneurs. These events proved immensely successful in initiating business and investment partnership dialogue between expatriates and entrepreneurs and in positioning Lebanon as a market that offers attractive opportunities for investment and entrepreneurship.

Lebanon for Entrepreneurs (LFE) - 2013-2017

Lebanon for Entrepreneurs (LFE) ran between 2013 and 2017 as a joint initiative between LIFE, LebNet (Silicon Valley) and SEAL (New York) to accelerate the development of Lebanon’s technology start up ecosystem.

LFE acted as a gateway for the Lebanese diaspora network to engage with the local entrepreneurial community. It was able to mobilise hundreds of Lebanese technology and finance professionals overseas to support the Lebanese start up ecosystem.

 

Key achievements of LFE include:

 

  • Mentored 15 promising Lebanese technology start-ups, helping 5 of them raise 7.8 million USD in funding and another to secure two large banks as customers;
     
  • Co-founded the accelerator Speed@BDD, tasked with spawning 100 fast-growing technology start-ups within 5 years;
     
  • Led the drafting of the Lebanese Private Equity Funds law and helped lobby for 12 other laws beneficial to the start-up ecosystem in Lebanon;
     
  • Authored a paper about broadband and the legal environment for start-ups in Lebanon and advocated with the Prime Minister for required telecom and regulatory reforms;
     
  • Published, in collaboration with IDAL, a first-of-its-kind research paper on competitive technology subsectors in Lebanon.

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