A merger was finalized on February 13 between LebNet, a US based non-profit organization and the Lebanese Canadian Tech Hub (LCTechHub), a Canada based non-profit organization. Both North American groups are dedicated to enable tech entrepreneurs and professionals of Lebanese descent to succeed on a global stage. This merger follows hard on the heels of a strong partnership between these two groups reflected in common events and mentoring activities. The new organization will adopt LebNet’s online presence and its new logo which was unveiled on October 2018.

The new LebNet will have a membership exceeding 1,000 tech professionals and will be better positioned to accelerate the implementation of the LebNet 2.0 plan of expanding communities in the US and Canada, while developing more programs and events to serve its constituents. The programs will include mentoring, internships, coaching, and job referrals to name a few. In addition, LebNet will harness a larger knowledge base and professional expertise to strengthen Lebanon’s tech bridge to North America: paying it forward remains a priority.

“This merger brings together two organizations with similar goals and aspirations operating in complementary regions” said Fadi Joseph, LCTechHub President. “This will allow us to connect our members in the fast growing Canadian tech sector to their counterparts in US cities. We are very excited to expand the professional reach of Lebanese Canadians from tech focused cities like Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver.” Fadi Joseph, along with Raymond Lahoud and Frederick Wardini from LCTechHub, will be joining LebNet’s board of directors.

“This just feels right and is long overdue,” said Abdo George Kadifa, LebNet Chairman. “The new organization will better support our members everywhere in North America and more importantly, present a unified front to our stakeholders in the Lebanese entrepreneurship ecosystem; it’s a win-win all around.”

This merger coincides with the establishment of a new role of CEO for LebNet as of January 1, 2019 which will be filled by George Akiki, previous President and co-founder.

LebNet is thrilled to announce its hypergrowth plan, LebNet 2.0.

This means more locations to cover, more programs, more members, more connections and more giving back.

To deliver on this plan, we will need your support in our upcoming fundraising campaign which will enable us to hire the proper staff for growth. The below infographic depicts our 2020 targets and explains how we will get to the next level.

After winning $50,000 during the fifth demo day from Lebanese accelerator Speed@BDD in March 2018, diabetes startup Spike strikes again, and this time during GITEX’s Future Stars’ Supernova Challenge, taking home $100,000.

GITEX is an annual consumer, computer and electronics trade exhibition, and conference that takes place in Dubai. 24 startups from around the world pitched and competed for the first title, which was won by Spike, a mobile assistant that helps diabetics track their glucose level and manage their diabetes.

Spike was launched by Ziad Alame in 2017. Through its mobile assistant, it monitors the patient’s regular behaviour, sends reminders about insulin shots, activity and food. The data received by the app get stored for further analysis or for sharing with doctors and caregivers.

Shortly after winning the Speed@BDD demo day, CEO Sami Abou Saab announced that the startup, along with coding academy TeensWhoCode, won a fully sponsored trip to attend LebNet Ignite, a two-week accelerator program  in Silicon Valley.

Congrats to team and we look forward to hearing more positive news from them.