Spark: Developing Entrepreneurship for MSMEs in Lebanon

MSMEs - Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises - with a minimum of 3 to 30 employees are eligible to apply.

Spark has partnered with Berytech to support MSMEs in Lebanon to adapt to the changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide a combination of financial and technical support to struggling businesses to help them digitize and fast-track towards new trends. This project is offered by SPARK and implemented by Berytech, funded by the European Union, the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the EU Madad Fund, and Sanad.

The program details

Selected businesses will receive a cash grant and capacity building in the form of webinars and one-on-one coaching sessions over the period of 4-months to increase the impact of SPARK’s financial support. The sessions will cover:

Digitization

Sessions will cover how technology is changing industries and businesses and the emerging trends and technologies. Trainers will work with businesses to help them understand the competitive life cycle, set a strategy and understanding the enablers of digital transformation.

Sales & Marketing

Sessions will help businesses convert their traditional marketing efforts into digital for better targeting, reduced spending, shorter time-to-market, analysis of marketing results. Trainers will help business owners build a digital marketing strategy including social media, lead and revenue generation, running campaigns, content creation and digitize their sales efforts in automation, sales support, data analysis and customer service.

Health & Safety

Sessions will allow businesses to perform a risk assessment of the workplace, improve their workplace management skills, set business continuity plans, communication protocols and policies and procedures for flexible work, set work practices and workplace control, improve work-life balance and other human resources considerations. 

Crisis Management & Risk Mitigation

Participants will also receive training in crisis management and the development of a risk mitigation plan; more specifically understanding the crisis, managing crisis related stress and uncertainties, reviewing operations & processes, the business model identifying new revenue streams, financial planning and cash flow forecasting. 

 

Eligibility

MSMEs – Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises – with a minimum of 3 to 30 employees are eligible to apply. They should show that they are generating revenue with the potential to grow if given the right support in digitalization of services and operations, but still have a minimum of one aspect of a digitized system already in place, which can include marketing. Priority will be given to SMEs working in essential fields such as Health, Education, Agri-food, etc. but other sectors may apply.  The company should be operating in Lebanon and the company owners must be residing in Lebanon and working within the company.

Click here to apply.


About SPARK

SPARK develops higher education and entrepreneurship so that young ambitious people are empowered to lead their post-conflict societies into prosperity. In Lebanon, SPARK has been working to develop the capacity of Syrians and improve their access to higher education, economic empowerment, entrepreneurship and leadership development. Moreover, SPARK supports existing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to grow and create new job opportunities. SPARK is a not-for-profit, non-political NGO with headquarters in Amsterdam and field offices in South East Europe, Africa, and the MENA region.  

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