Our seven Batch II startups pitched their businesses and showcased their products yesterday during our second Demo Day at the Sursock Museum. This occasion also marked our first anniversary, a year during which we completed two full cycles and successfully launched 13 startups to market.

“A year ago, we launched Speed@BDD with the goal of building high quality startups ready for investment. Today, we celebrate our first year anniversary and we are proud of the achievements of the 13 accelerated startups,” commented Sami Abou Saab, our CEO, during the welcome note at the Sursock Museum. “Batch II startups pushed the boundaries and all of them were able to launch their products to market after three months of hard work and dedication. On behalf of the Speed@BDD team, I would like to thank the Central Bank of Lebanon, the Board of Directors, and the whole community whose continuous involvement and contribution are key to putting Lebanon on the global entrepreneurial map,” added Sami.

Maroun Chammas, our Chairman, highlighted: “The quality and depth of startups is clearly getting better, cycle after cycle. The ecosystem is maturing fast and the early signs of big successes are showing up. We are very positive and hopeful about the future after a short time since the issuance of Circular 331. Imagine what the future holds!”

During the event, Sami announced that three startups will get to experience the “LebNet Ignite powered by Blackbox Connect” acceleration and mentorship program. Even though the accelerator usually sponsors up to two startups per batch, the quality of Batch II entrepreneurs was exceptional. Jellyfish, Synkers, and Vision in Motion will be fully sponsored by Speed@BDD to get immersed in the Silicon Valley ecosystem for two weeks in August.

We have already started accepting applications for our third batch, which is due to start in September 2016. The application deadline is July 20, 2016 and the full details can be found here.