Berytech is hosting a series of power talks with a selection of Lebanese parliamentary candidates, bringing them together with entrepreneurs from the ecosystem.
The first power breakfast talk hosted Tony S. Frangieh, who discussed his electoral plan to support and grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Lebanon in general, and in the North in particular.
Supporting Entrepreneurship
The talk began with Berytech Chairman and CEO Maroun N. Chammas welcoming the different entrepreneurs and introducing parliamentary candidate Frangieh to the audience, setting the premise for the session. Frangieh started by recognizing that supporting entrepreneurship has and will continue to provide a big boost to the Lebanese economy.
During the session, Frangieh suggested many projects to support and grow entrepreneurship in the country, among them proposing a tax reduction law for investors in startups that could catalyze an increase in seed funding nationwide. In order to push this entrepreneurial agenda, Frangieh agreed with Chammas, that integrating innovation and technology in the Ministry of Telecom for example could be a solution to put the entrepreneurial ecosystem on the forefront.
He insisted that further developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem can only but decrease the soaring unemployment rate in the country which is at a high of 35%. This number means that 1 out of every 3 university graduates will end up jobless in 2018. Increasing startup funds, providing business support, and creating opportunities for internationalization are different tactics in the strategy of pushing the innately-innovative Lebanese youth to launch their own startups, thus creating their own job opportunities.
Frangieh also recognized however that the appeal of a country that nurtures entrepreneurship needs to be based on having the rudimentary reliable infrastructure. From transportation to electricity and internet speed, a reform plan is urgently needed and will be worked on to benefit the Lebanese entrepreneur and the entire country.
Unifying Efforts
To conclude Frangieh confirmed that unifying the efforts of both the public and private sectors and solidifying the collaboration between the government and private initiatives like Berytech would allow the country to retain its valuable talent and flourish economically.
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Biography
Tony S. Frangieh hails from an established historical political family that has historically and still values the independence, sovereignty and unification of Lebanon. He is today embarking on his new political and social life armed with the core belief in the value of apostasy and in Lebanon as a country of foundations and coexistence. Born in Zgharta in 1987, he is the son of the head of the Marada Movement Political Party, Suleiman Frangieh, who said on the day Tony was nominated as a parliamentary candidate, “while you may elect Tony at first solely because he is my son, I am confident that in time he will prove his worth and merit.” Tony holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Balamand and a master’s degree in Financial Economics from City University, UK. Today he begins his journey confidently on the steady line his father and grandfathers wrote before him.
