Facebook is set to celebrate the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's vibrant startup ecosystem with exclusive set of workshops and events at ‘Facebook MENA | Tech Week’.
Taking place from October 1 to 3 at the Beirut Digital District (BDD), Facebook's Tech Week will run over the course of three days, and will bring together various groups including start-ups, small and medium businesses (SMBs), women entrepreneurs, and developer circles. The final day (Oct 3) is set for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield in Mena, the most renowned start up competition in the world brought to the region for the first time.
Ari Kesisoglu, vice president for Middle East, Africa & Turkey at Facebook, said: “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 trainings and programs.”
He continued: “Our overall goal of holding ‘Facebook MENA | Tech Week’ is not just to inspire and celebrate the startup and wider tech community across the region but also to connect, listen and learn from them.”
The three day-long events are aimed at celebrating and uncovering the best innovators, makers and entrepreneurs in region. Here is a summary of the Facebook MENA | Tech Week and how you can attend:
• Women in Technology Panel: An inspirational afternoon with woman 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.
Registration is required for all the events.