The Impact of Startup Programs on the Success of Lebanese Entrepreneurs

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