Facebook is kicking off its Facebook MENA | Tech Week to celebrate the MENA region’s lively startup ecosystem.
The event will take place from October 1 to 3 at the Beirut Digital District (BDD), and it will host an exclusive set of workshops and events. The three-day event will bring together startups, SMBs, women entrepreneurs, developers and a lot more.
The event will conclude with TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield in MENA, one of the most renowned startup competition in the world brought to the region for the first time.
Ari Kesisoglu, vice president for Middle East, Africa & Turkey at Facebook commented on the event saying: “Technology is giving people new opportunities to become entrepreneurs and content creators, and at Facebook our mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Businesses and creators have a unique opportunity for growth in connecting with 181M monthly active Facebook users in the Middle East and North Africa and we want to help them do that by providing the right training and programs.”
He mentioned that their overall goal of hosting Facebook MENA | Tech Week is not just to “inspire” and “celebrate” startups but to also “connect, listen, and learn from them.”
Curious about what’s going down at the event? Here’s a summary:
- Women in Technology Panel: An inspirational afternoon with women in the Technology sector sharing their experiences with speakers from Facebook, McKinsey and Anghami.
- Women in Technology training: The panel will be followed by a training session by Facebook Engineering Manager Carine Daouk, as she tackles topics such as Building Resilience and Communication.
- SMB Training 101’ workshop: To support rising entrepreneur talent, Facebook will host a training for small and medium business owners that will help them understand FB tools that can grow their business.
- Celebration of Lebanese Tech training and networking event: This event will hold a performance marketing training from Facebook employees, followed by a panel of experts discussing opportunities and challenges for Lebanese developers and tech enthusiasts.
- #SheMeansBusiness training: Across two training sessions, attendees will be able to learn about using Facebook tools to grow their businesses as well as the tips and tricks to leverage Facebook and Instagram stories for maximum impact.
- #SheMeansBusiness Panel: To be further inspired, guests can also hear from successful female entrepreneurs from the region at a dedicated panel session that explores brand-building in a digital era.
- TechCrunch Startup Battlefield: bringing early-stage startups together across the region including Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, and others. The Battlefield will present start-ups the opportunity to compete and win a $25,000 prize, as well as being exposed to a big global investment community. Additionally, two members from the winning startup will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to participate in a future TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco.