BERYTECH MEETUPS / SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN MENA SERIES

Session #2:Social Entrepreneurship, Merging Tech & Impact

Thursday, December 17, 2020 1:00 pm till 2:00 pm · Zoom Webinar

About The Meetup

Through this series you will connect with international experts and entrepreneurs at the forefront of creating profitable models to address MENA and the world most pressing social and humanitarian challenges. 

Social Entrepreneurship endeavors are not limited to international and local Non-Government Organizations. Hackers, Makers, and Tech enthusiasts have been bridging the worlds of technology and social work by launching for profit businesses that have not only the purpose of generating money, but also a double bottom line that includes enhancing local communities and environment as well.

Join us on this new Berytech Meetups session to hear from leading social entrepreneurs and experts about the role of technology in enhancing the living standards for the marginalized segments of society and driving impact-centric endeavors in MENA. In 2020, many questions were raised about the negative side of a growing influence of tech giants over the global economy and our day to day life. However, technological solutions, advanced or simple, can be leveraged for social good and it is the role of social entrepreneurs to connect the worlds of technology and social work to help those who suffered the most in 2020.

In this session, you will also learn about what it takes to launch your innovative business and achieve the social impact throughout Lebanon and the MENA region.

Meet The Speakers

PANELIST

Mona Itani

Founder and CEO – Company Riyada for Social Innovation

Mona Itani is an engineer, academic, and social entrepreneur. After several years of working in telecommunication multi-national companies, she joined the American University of Beirut in 2011 where she served as a lecturer and researcher at the faculty of engineering and school of business. Currently, she is appointed as the coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture where she is driving the faculty’s mission to become a leading entrepreneurship and innovation school in Lebanon and the Middle East. She is a published author on entrepreneurship, women, ethics, and engineering education. She is the managing director of Girls in Tech Lebanon and the ex-chair of IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group Lebanon Section and has co-founded several social initiatives that aim to promote women in technology such as She Develops Hackathon and Girls got IT initiative. She is the Founder and CEO of Riyada (Arabic for entrepreneurship) for Social Innovation SAL, a social enterprise that offers innovative education programs, corporate training, and consulting services to foster social entrepreneurship and innovation in the Arab world. She has completed her PhD in Management from the University of Leicester’s School of Business, UK in 2020.

PANELIST

Naim zard

CEO– Zima Cloud

Naim Zard is a Computer and Communications Engineer. He co-founded Zima Cloud that delivers a software as a service for small Internet Service Providers worldwide. The software is currently used by ISPs in 17 countries.

PANELIST

Rabab Kawtharani

Cofounder CFO-Heatechs

Rabab is an entrepreneur who believes in the power of startups making a significant impact. She is the co-founder and CFO of Heatechs, the 1st place winner startup for social enterprises at Hult Prize Lebanon 2018. She works closely with startups in mentoring and judging. She is a Mechatronics Engineer who appreciates the role of technology in offering innovative solutions for problems in all sectors.

PANELIST

Krystel Khalil

Programs Director - Berytech

Krystel Khalil is currently the Programs Director at Berytech. She manages the projects lab unit, responsible for the design, development, fundraising, partnership development and management of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development programs, on the local and international scale.

With more than 13 years’ experience in the field, Krystel has developed an extensive experience in developing and managing innovation projects in various areas including technology, social entrepreneurship, technology transfer, cleantech, green and sustainable energy and more.

Places are limited. Get your access ticket now.

About Berytech Meetups

Berytech Meetups is a program powered by the Global Innovation of Science and Technology network (GIST), initiated by the U.S. Department of State, aiming at building a strong and vibrant network of entrepreneurs in Lebanon focusing on science and technology.

This year, Berytech is organizing Meetups powered by GIST with a series tackling five (5) major issues for Lebanon and the MENA region: Food Security in the MENA Region, Social Entrepreneurship in Lebanon, Renewable Energy, Solid Waste Management, and Raising a Generation of Coders.

Need more info?

If you have any questions about Berytech’s Meetups Program, please email Ms. Maria Chahine at maria.chahine@berytech.org, and she will get back to you.