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Beirut – Launched under the patronage of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Lebanon, General Michel AOUN, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Lebanon, and in strategic partnership with DMS (Choueiri Group) and Beirut Digital District, the 8th edition of ArabNet Beirut set new records, with over 1,500 attendees in a highly innovative, technology-savvy conference.
Organized with the sponsorship of Creditbank, Alfa, managed by Orascom TMT, Touch, Bank Audi, OMD, Flat6Labs Beirut, BLOMINVEST, Phoenician Funds and LBCI, ArabNet Beirut 2017 featured the participation of top government officials including Mr. Raed Charafeddine, First Vice-Governor of Banque Du Liban (Central Bank of Lebanon), and other officials notably, H.E. Mr. Jamal Jarrah, Minister of Telecommunications, H.E. Mr. Raed Khoury, Minister of Economy and Trade.
Ogero Director General, Mr. Imad Kreidieh had his first public appearance at the event and highlighted in a 1-on-1 interview that Lebanon has the potential to be a digital hub for MENA - with great, affordable talent and creative and entrepreneurial instinct, describing the key challenges facing the growth of the digital sector in Lebanon today, and what can be done to speed up that growth. He then stated that the banking sector is a key pillar in the Lebanese economy, so we also have the opportunity to be a leader in banking innovation.
The 3-day conference featured 35+ talks and panels as well as high-caliber, international and regional speakers. It once again highlighted the next generation of digital business leaders via its signature competitions, including the Creative Combat sponsored by Alfa; the 1st place winner was Fennel Funnle who also won $5,000, Ideathon sponsored by Creditbank whose winners were Alaa Salam for E-Rush, Maroun Chahine for Bubblicious, and Abdelrahman Elgamal for FreindyCar; and Startup Battle sponsored by Touch. The top 3 winners of the Startup Battle, Vision in Motion, Synkers, and Blink My Car will have the chance to compete at the regional level against the best startups from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco and the UAE during the ArabNet Startup Championship in Dubai on May 16-17.
Other entrepreneurship initiatives included the Innovation Avenue, where innovative hardware entrepreneurs from across the region showcase their products, and the Robotics Showcase, which highlighted Lebanese high school students and the robots they had created as part of their educational programs.
Future ArabNet events include the ArabNet Digital Summit 2017, planned for May 16-17 in Dubai, and ArabNet Kuwait, planned for October.
About ArabNet
ArabNet is a leading events, media and research company focused on digital business and entrepreneurship in MENA. ArabNet organizes major annual conferences in Beirut, Riyadh, Dubai, and Kuwait; publishes news and analysis of the digital sector on its online news portal and print 'ArabNet Quarterly' magazine; and creates original research reports about the region’s digital industry.
Media Contact
Rana Yaacoub
Media Manager
rana.yaacoub@arabnet.me
+961 1 658 444
© Press Release 2017
