Heedful of the serious setbacks that entrepreneurship suffers in countries awash with political and economic instability like Lebanon, and keen on improving the prospects of businesses for aspiring entrepreneurs and reducing brain drain, the BADER group spearheaded this project in order to promote entrepreneurial culture in Lebanon, provide wider employment opportunities for the youth and create a favorable environment for the establishment and growth of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).

MP Robert Fadel presides currently over the board and influential business leaders including but not restricted to Saad Azhari, Elie Saab and Tony Salameh, who are members of BADER and contribute to its financing.

In realization of its mission, BADER engages in different activities on three major fronts:

Education

This initiative aims foremost at integrating adequate entrepreneurial skills and know-how into young minds and assisting entrepreneurs in building a roadmap for fruitful ventures in the future.

Business knowledge is imparted through training sessions and workshops delivered by business experts and university professors and covering the diverse aspects that business start-ups and SMEs need to know, including services in the legal, marketing and auditing fields as well as tips and guidelines on how to devise successful business plans and attract and persuade angel investors to provide capital. The dissemination of entrepreneurial knowledge promotes professional and innovative thinking, thus putting business start-ups on the right path to success and minimizing the chances of failed ventures.

After assessing market and entrepreneurial needs, the Bader team decides on the topics to be tackled and reaches out to experts in their respective fields to conduct the workshops. Coaching sessions vary in subject and attend to online marketing, search engine optimization and the art of pitching, to name but a few. 350 people attended Bader’s workshops in 2012 alone.

Active coaching and support services and consultations are delivered free of charge or at a very low price not exceeding USD 20 per workshop to test the commitment of participants. It is noteworthy that Bader was the first to establish an Entrepreneurs’ Clinic, which provides a platform where entrepreneurs meet experts from a wide range of fields to answer questions on technical, administrative or business issues. Bader has also launched the Bader Lebanon StartUp Cup, which is a business model competition launched on March 12 that includes a period of 6 months of coaching for the 12 best startups. The final 3 winners will receive up to 100,000,000 LBP worth of cash and in-kind prizes. All 12 startups will benefit from extensive training and coaching from the best in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Networking

Conscious of the importance of enhancing communication dynamics in a highly interconnected world like ours, Bader was keen on the creation of wider networking opportunities aimed at expanding connections and building long-term relationships between all entrepreneurial stakeholders. To this end, Bader holds two networking dinners per year where young aspiring entrepreneurs are granted exposure to and contact with the founding members, partners, friends and investors affiliated with Bader and forming part of Lebanon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Such events facilitate interaction among different entrepreneurial players and constitute an optimal setting for schmoozing and exchanging ideas, aspirations and business cards. Furthermore, face-to-face networking is likely to usher higher quality relationships than online social networking as it allows people to have one-on-one conversations, differentiate themselves from the pack and advance their chances of forming strong bonds with potential business partners.

Financing

Apart from mentorship and moral and social support, Bader mobilizes efforts to grant start-ups and emerging entrepreneurs access to financial assistance. Through the Lebanese Business Angels, which came to light in 2008, Bader introduces entrepreneurs to angel investors interested in financing Lebanon-based ventures based on innovative ideas that can add value to the market and expand their outreach. The capital invested in start-ups and MSEs can range from USD 5000 to USD 500,000.

LBA invested its first USD 100,000 in Ovis Casing, a provider of natural casing for sausages. In 2012, an amount of USD 42,000 was channeled to support Fresh Natural Products and assist Ramzi Jalbout in materializing his Krock’s idea.

Earlier in April, the Bader Young Entrepreneur Program held a ceremony commemorating its 8th anniversary in the presence of 8 young entrepreneurs who have had their first strides in the entrepreneurial realm thanks to the moral and financial assistance provided by Bader.

Bader has also announced through its Building Block Equity Fund 1.1 million dollars in investments for 3 startups looking to expand their businesses, a move considered one of Bader’s major achievements for this year.