Abstract:
As more universities include entrepreneurship and innovation in their curriculum, and
as the central bank and other governmental institutions begin to recognize
entrepreneurship as a potentially strengthening and driving force to the Lebanese
economy, data collection and analysis becomes more necessary to assess and improve
startup programs that support and guide entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, the country is
short of this data and many startup companies will close due to lack of effective
support. When researching the status of the startup ecosystem in Lebanon, this lack of
data was very evident and the shortage of structure and guidance was a motivator to
further explore how startup programs work in Lebanon, what their impact is, and what
their shortcomings might be. Data is collected from several local startup founders in
interviews and later transcribed then analyzed via thematic analysis. The results show
that the work of startup programs is limited and needs improvement in funding,
frequency, and management to properly support local entrepreneurs