Leading MENA startup accelerator Changelabs launches new program targeting
Lebanese companies serving vulnerable communities, migrants, and refugees
The programme will provide 15 admitted companies with training, in-cash and in-kind
funding, and access to investment.
Beirut, Nov 16th 2022: The leading regional impact-centered startup accelerator Changelabs
announces the kickoff of the second cohort of its Scale Up for Impact accelerator targeting
top Lebanese companies. The acceleration programme is taking place as a part of the Social
Entrepreneurship for Migration and Development (SEMD) project, implemented by GFA
Consulting Group and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).
The scaleups will receive funding, technology and product build-out support, and a day to
day hands on operating partner that will help scale their business with them – a first in
Lebanon.
“Lebanon is at the epicenter of the Middle East’s myriad struggles, and this has been a
tremendous handicap for economic stability and growth – we’ve designed a one-of-a-kind
programme that takes a novel perspective, looking at the country’s challenges as potential
opportunities. Our programme seeks to reverse the ongoing brain drain and enable Lebanese
entrepreneurs with good ideas to invest their talent in a country that needs them, now more
than ever” says Karim Samra, cofounder of Changelabs.
The training modules will be delivered virtually and physically by leading industry experts and
coaches. Participating scaleups will receive up to $25k of AWS credits, tech support as well as
design services, and more. Upon completing the programme, scaleups will pitch to investors
during a Demo Day and will be connected with the ecosystem’s vast network of local and
international investors, industry experts, and partners.
The acceleration programme has just launched with a kickoff event at Beirut Digital District
where the 15 selected scaleups were introduced. The 15 scaleups that have been selected are:
Dooda Solutions, Bee Wee, Suncode, Garbaliser, WingWoman, Biowayste, SHAMS, SolaRay,
Ehki, Spreadly, eFlow, MycoMat, Ostaz, Bloom-Edu and Salamati.
It is worthy of mention that this is the programme’s second acceleration cycle. The first was
launched in the first quarter of 2022 and included 15 other scaleups which were provided with
technical and financial support to boost their growth and help them reach investment
readiness.
About Changelabs:
Changelabs designs and implements some of the most impactful learning programsincluding accelerators, bootcamps, festivals, summits, and more- in Africa and the Middle East. In partnership with leading governments, development organizations, and private
sector players, the company offers end to end program design and implementation services.
Apply today to Changelabs’ programs on www.changelabsme.org
About SEMD:
The Social Entrepreneurship for Migration and Development (SEMD) project is a regional
project initiated and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
and implemented by GFA Consulting Group GmbH.
The main objective of this project, which started in January 2021, is to contribute to
strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables the initiation, development, and
implementation of innovative entrepreneurial solutions to migration and development
challenges in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon in partnership with ACTED, Alfanar, and
Changelabs. The project is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as; SDG
5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”; SDG 8 “Promote sustained,
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent
work for all”; and SDG 17 “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global
partnership for sustainable development” and is fully aligned with SDC’s Programme
Framework 2022-25 of the Thematic Section Migration and Forced Displacement (TSMFD).
