Stability through start-ups: Investing in Lebanon

This was the last deal I worked on with Cisco and in many ways my favorite and the one I’m most proud of.

Innovation can happen anywhere and what entrepreneurs need is a little capital and smart people to provide insight and guidance. The Riyada team certainly has a lot of smart people on it and while Lebanon and the Middle East are tough markets to figure out and implement the venture model, if anyone can do it they can.

Core to the investment is the belief that promoting entrepreneurship is a small step towards promoting greater economic, and by extension political, stability.

Cisco, EIB, Riyada Start $50 Million Fund for Lebanon Business – BusinessWeek.