On February 8, LebNet DC hosted a captivating event attended by more than 40 individuals, featuring guest speaker Joseph Ghaleb Karam, Executive Vice President of ECODIT LLC and President of the American Friends of the Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT). With skillful moderation by Maya Reslan and Noura Saad, and lively engagement by the attendees, Joseph shared his experience founding and leading ECODIT, an international company dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible development worldwide, and his life journey in conceptualizing, realizing and championing the LMT.

Joseph passionately discussed how the Appalachian Trail inspired him to conceive and develop the idea of a national long-distance hiking trail through the mountains of Lebanon, how ECODIT established the LMT with funding support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and how ongoing efforts by the LMT Association in Lebanon and the American Friends of the LMT in the USA are protecting, maintaining, and promoting the LMT as a worldclass hiking destination. Joseph also discussed ECODIT’s current implementation of the USAID-funded DAWERR project, which aims to improve solid waste management in rural communities through intentional recycling and composting.

Joseph’s profound love for Lebanon, its natural beauty, and rich culture deeply resonated with all attendees, as he expressed, “Although I left Lebanon in 1977, I never truly left… nor did it ever leave me!”

Thank you, Joseph, for sharing your contagious love for Lebanon and your passion for sustainable development and the LMT. Many of us have now been inspired to add walking on the LMT, and perhaps doing a full thru hike of the 275-mile trail, to the top of our bucket lists!

The event, attended by 50 participants, featured a distinguished panel and explored the transformative role of generative AI in industries. Discussions focused on the value AI brings in automating processes, ethical AI development, and collaborative strategies between technical and policy teams. Additionally, advice was shared on AI career advancement, talent recruitment, and staying updated with AI innovations.  Special gratitude to our esteemed panelists: Lama Ahmad, Jeffrey Akiki, Mohamed El-Geish, and Mark Saroufim, as well as our moderator, Nathalie Saade. We extend our thanks to Ballout Law for sponsoring the event, to Google for hosting us and commend the LebNet Bay Area team for their outstanding organization!

The LebNet WiT Mentorship program commenced with an orientation session on 1/16 with the participation of 25 mentors and mentees.  Layal Rouhana, LebNet Women in Tech committee leader reviewed the groundrules of the program. The recording of the session is available here, and you can access the charts here: LebNet Women in Tech 1_1 SMART Mentorship- Orientation Session.pdf

THANK YOU AGAIN to ALL the Mentors for donating their time and expertise and to the Mentees who are looking to get out of their comfort zone and grow their careers!  For any questions or support, please reach us at [email protected] 

Forty individuals gathered in Long Beach to network and celebrate the year’s end. The ambience was delightful and it was truly gratifying to see so many familiar faces and meet new friends.  Everyone relished in engaging and meaningful conversations with fellow community members and had an enjoyable time.

As we look ahead to 2024, the LebNet leadership team in LA/OC is excited about organizing more events that strengthen and bring the community together.

Special thanks to Neofie for sponsoring this event and to the LA/OC leadership team for making it happen!

LebNet San Diego’s Dinner and Mixer event on December 15th was a resounding success, drawing in a crowd of 50 attendees eager to connect and engage in the Akiki Brothers’ enlightening Tech Talk. Gregory, Geoffrey and Fram Akiki conducted a captivating session during Friday’s LebNet gathering, graciously hosted at Cooley LLP. The main discussion of the event was digital transformation, exploring cutting-edge topics such as quantum computers, 5g connectivity, cloud computing, AI, and the profound impact of technology moving forward.  We extend our gratitude to Joun Technologies for sponsoring this event, to the Akiki brothers for their gift of time and expertise, and to the LebNet San Diego leadership team for making this event happen.

On September 14th, the LebNet Bay Area committee organized a fireside chat featuring Amer Deeba, CEO and Co-Founder of Normalyze. Amer shared his professional journey with a group of 40 attendees.

During the conversation, Amer discussed his transition from a dedicated developer to a Chief Commercial Officer at Qualys and ultimately a Co-founder and CEO at Normalyze, a cybersecurity startup focused on cloud data security that he started during the pandemic.

Jibran Jahshan (left) moderating a session with Amer Deeba

The fireside chat comprehensively covered Amer's career trajectory, offering practical advice and insights. He talked about topics ranging from strategic tips to his concerns, emphasizing the qualities of an effective team and recounting how he met his co-founder. Amer also explored the customer and product journey, stressing the importance of prioritizing customer needs and the product/service in all business decisions for successful company growth. “The product has to be easy to adopt and delight its users,” he said. 

In terms of maintaining a connected and motivated dispersed team—given that most of Normalyze's 50 employees work remotely—Amer described his practice of crafting a detailed end-of-week communication that he shares with all employees, highlighting their achievements and project progress. He believes this fosters teamwork, transparency, and collaboration while maintaining alignment within the team. He encouraged the audience to monitor employee progress using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and to hire autonomous leaders who align with the company's values, mission, and vision.

Amer delved into the subjects of funding and recruiting top talent, advising the audience to continually build a network of investors, technologists, and business visionaries who can contribute to the journey. When asked about Lebanon's talent and potential landscape, Amer underscored the country's impressive talent pool and expressed his interest in collaborating with Lebanese professionals on future ventures. He urged the audience to connect with him on LinkedIn to further the conversation.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Amer Deeba for his invaluable insights, and to  Jibran Jahshan, VP of Software Engineering at Nvidia, for skillfully moderating the discussion. A special thanks is also due to Silicon Valley Bank for graciously hosting the event, and to the dedicated LebNet Bay Area committee for their meticulous organization.  Lastly, we appreciate the enthusiastic attendance of the Bay Area community.  Stay tuned for upcoming events! 

On August 31st, LebNet hosted an exclusive roundtable discussion with Habib Haddad, LebNet Chairman & Managing Partner at E14 Fund.

The closed-door virtual conversation, exclusively available to 10 paying LebNet members, delved into Habib’s journey as a successful entrepreneur and seasoned professional. It transitioned into a Q&A session where attendees had the opportunity to inquire about LebNet’s Chairman investment strategies, networking methods, guidance and other topics of interest.

Around 20 years ago, Habib moved to the US from Lebanon. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, early-stage investor and community builder. Currently, he is the Managing Partner of E14 Fund, a deep tech venture affiliated with the MIT Media Lab. During his career, he has been instrumental in various startup ventures.  One notable startup was creating linguistic tools for right-to-left languages, called Yamli, which he successfully sold to Yahoo! in 2012. 

Afterward, he became an active angel investor in the Boston area.  Later, he returned to the Middle East and started Wamda, a media company focused on startups.  He also played a crucial role in launching Wamda Capital, one of the first early-stage venture funds in the MENA region. 

Habib’s achievements have garnered recognition on multiple fronts. In 2009, the World Economic Forum recognized him as a Young Global Leader.  Additionally, in 2011, he was recognized as a top innovator under 35 (TR35) by the MIT Technology review. His involvement in the global entrepreneurial sphere was further highlighted when he served as the Vice Chair of the World Economic Forum council on entrepreneurship in 2013.  Presently he is a member of the Global Future Council on Systems and Platforms.

Let’s explore some of the questions he addressed during the roundtable. You can also watch the live roundtable discussion by visiting this link. 

Do you hold optimism for Lebanon’s recovery?

Responding to this, Habib Stated “Everyone on the ground is fighting creatively to help Lebanon recover and that gives me slivers of optimism despite the challenging macro-level situation in the country”. Personally I am engaged with AUB through an initiative launched by Alan Shihadeh, the Dean of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, which focuses on providing coding training to the Lebanese army as a means of upskilling. Another source of optimism is Hadi Salman, a top AI scientist who recently completed his PhD in Computer Science at MIT.  Hadi envisions returning to Lebanon after his career in the US to establish an AI research team there.” 

What’s your guide to building relationships across the globe 

“In my career, building relationships has been the cornerstone.”  To excel at this, It’s about the lasting impression you leave on people. Leverage your strength to your benefit.  Prioritize creating a meaningful connection, not just a transaction.  People aiming to build lasting business relationships and succeed in their work, be in a startup or a profession, should showcase outstanding personality traits, possess the stamina, and assemble a stellar team around them. 

How do you prioritize your time on the things that matter?

I have been changing careers every 7 years and I make it my priority to become obsessed with every new endeavor, absorbing as much knowledge as possible and becoming an evangelist for it.

What do you look for in a startup that is created based on a student's research?

It revolves around building relationships with founders.  In founders, we seek a blend of tenacity and flexibility, along with the capacity to be purposeful and goal-oriented while also possessing the agility to anticipate future developments.  While the scientific aspect is important, in the early stages, it’s the unwavering obsession to devise a meaningful business model that takes precedence.  In addition, grit and perseverance are vital in securing that first customer.

How to build a decentralized support system for Lebanon

“LebNet is a great example of building a decentralized support system. The connections exist, but what we need to do more of is help institutions like LebNet scale. LebNet’s goal this year is to multiply its efforts, and keep doing impactful programs like Fellowships, Internships and more.” 

Will AI replace white collar jobs, not just in assistive skills, in your opinion, where does the demand lie for jobs within the next 5-10 years?

Immediately post GPT, there was a concern about the fate of jobs, and numerous students were depressed about their future.  Contrary to what some believe, the transformation in the job market won’t be as dire. While Gen AI is poised to offer substantial assistance, its integration will lead to the emergence of new roles.  I wouldn’t be an alarmist about job impacts.  AI is evolving into an augmentative tool for enhancements, rather than a complete replacement.

During the one-hour roundtable, many more topics were discussed, including supporting entrepreneurship in Lebanon, scaling apps without compromising quality, attracting strategic investors to early-stage startups, healthcare technology in the MENA region, investment climate in Lebanon, and more. Watch the full discussion on our YouTube channel by visiting this link. 

On the 16th of August, the LebNet Toronto community organized an entertaining and networking gathering at Dave & Buster's.

Attendees, including members and their friends, took part in arcade games while simultaneously delving into lively conversations spanning topics like artificial intelligence, web development, fintech, civil engineering, finance, the challenges of launching a startup in Toronto, and more. These networking sessions not only facilitated fresh connections but also led to promising job leads, career openings, and the chance to reconnect with familiar faces.

If you're residing in Toronto, make sure you become a part of our LebNet Toronto community by following this link. This way, you'll stay informed about our upcoming events and activities. We eagerly anticipate your presence at our next gathering this fall.

The LebNet Montreal community hosted a Meet and Network event on August 3rd at East Pan Asiatique Cuisine et Bar. 

LebNet members and friends attended this casual gathering, mingled, caught up with old friends, and met new faces. Despite the thunderstorm warning on that day, the event successfully drew around 30 people. “The energy was amazing. I am very happy to have come across new faces and reconnected with our community. Looking forward to our next one!”said Frederick Wardini, LebNet Montreal Steering Committee Lead. 

The positive vibes and impressive turnout clearly demonstrated that LebNet Montreal remains a vibrant and engaged community, boasting members from various backgrounds and age groups.  Their shared passion for forging meaningful connections and supporting one another was evident! 

Big thanks to steering committee member Rania Afiouni Monla who made this event possible. If you are interested in organizing the next LebNet Montreal event, please email us at [email protected] 

Click here to view all the event’s photos. 

San Diego Trivia Night on June 28th

The LebNet San Diego community hosted an enjoyable trivia night on June 28th at Duck Foot Brewing Company. 

Attendees, both familiar and new, gathered together to share drinks, laughter, and engage in friendly competition through entertaining trivia questions.  The events provided an excellent opportunity for networking, with individuals expressing enthusiasm about the community and upcoming initiatives and events!

Stay tuned for more gatherings and events from LebNet San Diego!

LebNet Bay Area San Mateo Happy Hour on June 29th

The LebNet Bay Area community hosted on June 29th another one of its happy hour events on the Peninsula. The format was pretty relaxed allowing participants to share drinks and discuss their careers and goals and meet other fellow Lebanese in tech.  Looking forward to seeing our Bay Area members at our future events throughout the year!

MIT Lebanese Club Networking Event on June 29th 

The Lebanese Club at MIT wrapped up the year with an exciting networking event, with participation from the LebNet Boston community.  Approximately 20 individuals attended the event, creating a vibrant atmosphere. 

During the gathering, fruitful discussions took place, focusing on strategies to foster stronger collaborations and further empower and uplift the community of Lebanese in Tech in Boston, with emphasis on students from MIT, Harvard, and other nearby universities.  Thank you MIT for this event and we look forward to more collaborations with you!

Summer is here and LebNet has plenty of events planned for the months ahead, so whether you’re in the Bay Area, Boston, San Diego, or other cities in the US or Canada, make sure you subscribe to receive our events calendar and news.