Seeqnce Announces 2012 Accelerator Program for Technology Entrepreneurs

The Seeqnce Accelerator Program, recently ranked in the Top 10 Accelerators of the MENA region, brings together promising individuals or teams from the business, design, and engineering fields, who want to create the next big startup. Collaboration between entrepreneurs and skilled individuals – even those coming from completely different industries – can help create the new spin ideas and talent need to grow into a healthy, young business.

Set up to take applicants’ ideas and talent from early stage to the point of being a company investable by seed investors or traditional venture capitalists, the program is immersive and intense, but definitely exciting. Applicants will be introduced to educational experts and serial entrepreneurs that will inspire and encourage applicants to crystalize their ideas and skills, and support the transition from the idea to the launching stage.

The mission is to stimulate and promote entrepreneurial initiative in the region, bring out new business ideas, and support the transition from the idea to the launching stage.

The 2012 Seeqnce Accelerator Program has been developed for the aspiring entrepreneur – the highly successful November 2011 startup competition organized by Seeqnce, dubbed ‘The Execution’, acted as a blueprint for the 2012 Program. During the 2011 competition, applicants underwent strict training and selection processes, and spent an intense 48 hours building a product out of their ideas. The winners, Kol 3a Zaw2ak, won 3 months of acceleration at Seeqnce, which includes residency, advisory services, investor relations, and more.

The Seeqnce team has created an incredibly successful model for helping startups achieve success; to date, Seeqnce has advised over 20 startups. One of which (Cinemoz.com) is currently valued at $5Million.

Early Application ends May 27, 2012 – be sure to apply today to guarantee your spot in the program.

Regular Application ends June 10.

You can read the full details of the program here, and be sure to check out the full timeline.

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Nadine in Seeqnce Events Leave a comment

Tourtwist: a Web Platform Connecting Tourists with Local Lebanese Guides

Tourtwist is a social platform where tourists identify and connect with friendly locals to customize their visit and turn their holidays into unique cultural experiences. It’s mainly targeting non-commercial and rural areas where one can experience the true Lebanese culture.

Tourtwist is planning its beta launch to be at the end of May and the official launch to be sometime in November after the high season is over.

For the moment, the service is a web platform only. However, the team is planning to develop a mobile application too.

Pierre Daher, Managing Partner of Tourwist, visited our offices in Hamra and told us more about the concept itself and the way the idea was born. He was also talking about Tourtwist’s target market as well as its monetization strategy and future funding. Read more

Posted on April 26, 2012 by alex in Startups 1 Comment

5 Startups in the MENA Region to Keep on Your Radar

There are handful companies in the MENA region developing amazing products. In today’s article we picked 5 startups we believe are worth to keep an eye on.

We are pretty sure there are many other startups doing awesome things in the region and that’s why we’d be very happy to hear your suggestions in the Comment section.

Let’s take a look at today’s selection.

1. Autopooling

It’s a carpooling platform which allows users to find people with whom they can share a ride to college, work, or event. The service is open to anyone who registers and it’s free.

As reported by NowLebanon, the main goal of Autopooling is “to reduce pollution, traffic and parking problems” while socializing and meeting new friends.

The project was launched in March 2012 by Paul Salameh and Erik Zakhia. It started “as an attempt to provide a hub for carpooling services for AUB students and faculty members”. However, the platform spread to other universities in Beirut and “has recently opened to the Lebanese public”, writes NowLebanon.

You can learn more about autopooling.com in its FAQ section.

Read more

Posted on April 25, 2012 by alex in Industry Insights 2 Comments

7 B2B e-Commerce Platforms in the MENA Region

Alibaba (China’s biggest e-commerce site and global leader in online B2B trading), TradeKey (a Pakistani company “competing against Alibaba”), and Global Sources (a Hong-Kong based B2B company facilitating trade between Greater China and the rest of the world) are among the global leading online B2B marketplaces.

Generally, this type of e-commerce websites connects sellers and buyers by enabling each party to:

create a company’s profile
post products’ photos
provide products’ description
provide details about the business terms and requirements
search for business partners

Let’s take a look at 7 online B2B trading and networking platforms in the MENA region.

1. BizTrumpet

The website was launched in the beginning of this month. It is an “online service aimed at empowering SMEs online presence” as described by AMEinfo.com. Effectively it is an online marketplace where companies create professional business sites as well as search for local and regional business opportunities. Read more

Posted on April 24, 2012 by alex in Industry Insights, Startups 4 Comments

Laimoon, a Fresh Way to Discover Jobs: Interview with Ramy Assaf

Laimoon, a Dubai-based startup, is an alternative to traditional job boards with a current focus on sales and marketing in UAE and Qatar. Its aim is to match applicants to relevant jobs which in effect will also match employers to relevant applicants.

The company was founded nearly 1 year ago, but the official launch was 6 months ago.

Last week we talked to Ramy Assaf, Marketing Manager at Laimoon, over Skype. Below you can find the key notes from the interview.

What makes Laimoon different?

Even though there might be 50 000 websites in the global online recruitment space, the unique process and workflow let’s Laimoon make a difference.

“A traditional job board is where applicants go and see a bunch of postings right away. It’s very easy and encouraging for them to apply to many jobs because all they need to do is click to submit a CV. That’s normally how it works”, said Ramy.

However he emphasized the following problem: “Because it’s so easy to apply, on average in the UAE a job post will attract 100 to 700 applicants. This is very painful for the recruiter in terms of deciding ”Who is the right one for the job out from a pile of 700 applicants?”.

And here Laimoon comes in and solves the problem. Read more

Posted on April 20, 2012 by alex in Startups 2 Comments

Seeqnce Team University Tour and Seeqnce Open House

Yesterday Fadi Bizri, Seeqnce Founding Member and Program Director, gave 2 presentations, one at the LAU (Lebanese American University) and the second at the AUST (American University of Science and Technology). The idea was to get students familiar with the concept of startup accelerators as well as to introduce the 2012 Seeqnce Accelerator Program. Read more

Posted on April 19, 2012 by alex in Seeqnce Events, Startups Leave a comment

Interview with the Founder of Breedo, a Lebanese Daily Deal Website

Breedo.com (“I want it” in Lebanese) is a daily deal website offering discounted and limited quantity products. Right now the products are mainly electronics. However, the team plans to expand their offer by adding a range of diversified products.

“The ultimate goal is to become a reference for any company that is selling products at a big discount”, says Emile Boustani, Breedo’s Founder.

Recently Emile visited our offices in Hamra and explained the concept behind Breedo. Let’s go through the key notes.

What sparked the idea?

After 20 years of travelling around USA and Africa, Emile moved back to Lebanon and came up with the idea. He was inspired by similar websites operating in the US.

“The idea is not genuine, but when we started there was no such thing here. At the same time my friend, who became my partner, was already working on a similar project”, explained Emile. Read more

Posted on April 19, 2012 by alex in Startups 2 Comments

e-dailydish.com Launched its First Facebook Game: Spicy Dish

Ready for some Spicy Dish?

e-dailydish.com launched its first Facebook Game called Spicy Dish.

The game will be running for 10 days and will bring over 200 awesome prizes to its fans, among which iPad 3 is the “hot spice” prize. So make sure you start playing Spicy Dish NOW.

What is the game about? Read more

Posted on April 18, 2012 by alex in Startups Leave a comment

Project Better: Speak Up for the Better Safely, Today at Stanford University

Last weekend we talked to Sherif Maktabi, Founder of Project Better, over Skype. He’s launching the project today at Stanford University.

You can read more about the core team of Project Better in the biographies provided at the end of the article.

What is Project Better?

It is a space where people share their ideas, dreams, hopes, and concerns with the ultimate goal to make something better. Moreover, Project Better gives people the tools to listen to other people’s ideas and “give the respect those ideas deserve”, emphasized Sherif.

“These tools can be physical, digital, mobile, or web. It can be a book, an installation guide, or a web platform”, he further explained.

“We are so excited to announce that we are launching www.project-better.com where anyone can create a free online space for his community. And the project is not only online”, he continued.

For example, Sherif applied this concept to one installation he made in Barking, a suburban town in London. Read more

Posted on April 13, 2012 by alex in Startups Leave a comment

App&Above: a Local Company with a Global Vision

App&Above is a company dedicated to delivering customized mobile and tablet applications to corporate clients as well as providing mobile strategy for clients’ businesses. It was launched 5 months ago, on November 1, 2011 in Beirut.

Last week we invited Antoine Abou-Samra, the Founder of App&Above, to Seeqnce Space. He told us more about his company, including its business culture, the company’s purpose of existence as well as its business model.

You can read more about his background in the biography provided at the end of the article.

What makes App&Above different?

There are 3 key differentiators of App&Above’s brand and those are:

1. The approach to delivering customized solutions

The company’s focus is beyond the common app development process. Using the team’s widespread expertise and great understanding of consumer behavior, the company is also providing businesses with effective distribution channel strategies and profitable business models.

2. The approach to designer ergonomics

Ergonomics is an essential concept in the App&Above’s working approach. Read more

Posted on April 12, 2012 by alex in Startups Leave a comment

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