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Seedstars World is hosting the annual Seedstars MENA Summit in Beirut for the first time ever. This year’s edition is organized in partnership with touch, the leading mobile telecommunications and data operator in Lebanon, and Bank Audi, from November 27 to 29. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The Seedstars MENA Summit, supported by Antwork and Speed@BDD, will kick-off with a 2-day private Seedstars Bootcamp where MENA’s local winning startups will receive a mix of theoretical and practical content, with input provided by the Seedstars investment team on growth models and acquisition channels.

The ‘touch Bootcamp’ will be a one-day private bootcamp for the 12 startups incubated at touch’s TIP program as well as the three runner-ups from the Seedstars Beirut local competition on the 27^th of November.

The Beyond Banking Hackathon by Bank Audi is conducted for around 40 participants who will generate, develop, and present innovative solutions to multiple banking and fintech challenges put forward by Bank Audi.

The first activity on the 29th will be a private investor forum where the MENA competition finalists will get the chance to exchange in one-on-one meetings with 25+ local and regional investors.

On the Main Stage, Mr. Emre Gurkan, touch’s CEO, is confirmed as the event’s 1st keynote followed by an Open Talk by touch about “Startups’ role in corporate and family business innovation” to kick off the tech and entrepreneurship discussions.

Mrs. Ayah Bdeir, founder of littleBits, Mr. Walid Hanna, Middle East Venture Partners’ CEO, and other top speakers will discuss fundraising and scaling beyond MENA. On this run-up to the Seedstars World finals in Switzerland, the MENA competition finalists will also have the chance to present their pitches to the audience.

“In 2017, we managed to bring together more than 300 attendees, between entrepreneurs, corporates, investors, mentors, government authorities, and startup enthusiasts. We organized around 80 meetings between startups, investors, and mentors and we felt overwhelmed by the positive feedback we had from all participants. This year, we aim to grow and offer a unique disruptive hands-on experience to 400 attendees!” said Omar Barakat, Seedstars MENA Associate.

Emre Gurkan commented on the upcoming regional summit, “Today, innovation is the main driver of sustainability and the most disruptive in generating new business models. Having the Seedstars MENA Summit taking place in Lebanon this year casts a spotlight on the creative, talented, and aspiring entrepreneurs in the country and in the region.”

He added, “I wish good luck to all those participating in the competition. This is a massive opportunity for startups not only to showcase ideas, but also a chance to learn, network, and meet with pioneering investors in the region.”