Endeavor Lebanon, in partnership with Beirut Digital District, Offshore, and LebNet, successfully brought the Ignite 2025 Lebanese Founders Forum back to Beirut last Friday. The event served as a significant gathering for the local innovation sector, uniting over 300 founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem builders. Beyond the attendance numbers, the forum was characterized by grounded and honest conversations regarding the challenges and opportunities facing Lebanese entrepreneurs today.
bridging global ambition with local resilience
The forum featured critical discussions on scaling strategies, highlighting the dichotomy between building from Lebanon and expanding globally. A panel titled “Brains Abroad,” featuring Endeavor Entrepreneurs such as Jad Antoun, Sami Bejjani, Tony Jamous, and Antoine Jebara, underscored that thinking globally from day one is a prerequisite for scale rather than just an ambition. Conversely, the “Scaling from Lebanon” session focused on the unique strengths of local talent, with founders like Wael Bizri, Nael Halwani, Fadi Daou, and Carole Rizkallah Alsharabati noting that resourcefulness, adaptability, and problem-solving are defining characteristics of companies built within the country.
hyper-growth leadership and national digitization
High-level strategic insights were a focal point of the event, anchored by a fireside chat with Tarek Mansour, Co-founder and CEO of the decacorn Kalshi. Mansour shared candid perspectives on the skills necessary to lead through hyper-growth, emphasizing decision-making under pressure, resilience, and maintaining long-term conviction amidst uncertainty. On the public sector front, H.E. Kamal Shehadi, Lebanon’s Minister of Technology & AI, delivered a keynote revealing newly signed global partnerships designed to strengthen Lebanon’s AI ecosystem and accelerate the nation’s digitization efforts.
About Endeavor Lebanon
Endeavor Lebanon is the local chapter of the global high-impact entrepreneurship movement, dedicated to supporting scale-up entrepreneurs who drive economic growth and job creation. By providing access to mentorship, markets, and capital, Endeavor helps high-potential founders scale their businesses and multiply their impact within the Lebanese ecosystem.
Source: Endeavor Lebanon
